Content and Purpose

Content is everything included in a media product: the words, facts, images, clips and sounds the audience actually receives. Each piece of content should be chosen and presented so it helps the product achieve its purpose — the reason it exists — and so it suits the audience it is made for. Content that does not help the product do its job is just filling space.

The amount and type of information should match the purpose. A product that informs or educates needs enough detail to be clear and accurate: dates, prices, steps, explanations. Leave out a key fact and the audience may not be able to understand or act on it. A product made mainly to entertain usually needs far less factual detail. A few strong moments, a surprising fact or a funny clip hold attention, and long explanations would only slow it down.

For example, a city farm's website page about opening times and school visits is packed with practical detail — times, ticket prices, group sizes — because its job is to inform. The page promoting the summer fun day shows one lively photo of children meeting the goats, a single line of text and the date. Same farm, but the promotional page carries less detail because its job is to attract interest, not explain everything.

Content should also match what the audience already knows and cares about. A page written for Year 7 pupils can assume less background knowledge than one for adults, so it includes more explanation, while a product for a hobby audience can jump straight into the details they came for.