Guidance
Guidance, a template, and AI prompts to help you write a good news story for the Government Project Delivery website
Use a news story to share a clear, factual update about something new, like a recent event, announcement or publication.
News articles help people working in project delivery understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how it might affect their work.
Submit a news storyA good news story is focused, relevant and easy to understand. It should:
When writing a news article, think about what the reader will take away.
What’s changed? Why does it matter? How does it help improve delivery?
Make sure you answer these key questions about the update:
Content is easier to understand when it’s focused. Try to centre your article around one key development or idea. This helps readers quickly grasp the takeaway and avoids overwhelming them with too much information.
This follows the content design principle: one page, one thing. If you have more than one update, consider splitting it into separate articles.
Help readers understand how your update fits into their everyday work as well as the wider context. You could:
Including a quote is optional, but it adds credibility and helps readers understand why the update matters. It also helps build a consistent voice across the site, showing how delivery professionals think and talk about their work.
A quote from a senior leader can give the update more weight. It shows that the work is supported at a high level and helps build confidence across the profession. People often want to hear what others think, especially those leading change or setting direction.
Quotes should be short, clear and relevant. Avoid jargon or overly formal language.
Before you ask artificial intelligence (AI) for help, it helps to set the scene. This gives the tool the right information to work with and helps it generate useful suggestions.
You can paste the following into your AI tool to start:
I’m writing a news article for the Government Project Delivery website (projectdelivery.gov.uk).
The article is for project delivery professionals working in UK government. I want to target [senior leaders / people new to project delivery / experienced project delivery managers].
The article should follow GOV.UK style, use plain English, and be suitable for a secondary school reading age.
It should use active voice where possible and put the most important information first.
The article is about: [brief summary of your update].
This sets the tone, audience and style, helping the AI give you better results.
Once you’ve set the context, use AI to help you plan your article. This prompt helps you focus your message and think about what matters most.
Start by uploading a copy of any relevant documents, a rough draft or any ideas you have.
Use this prompt to get help writing your article:
Help me write a news article based on the context above.
Identify the key takeaway.
Explain why it matters to project delivery professionals.
Link it to wider government priorities or guidance (like The Teal Book).
Suggest a short quote from a senior leader to show support or significance.
Ask me questions where you’re unsure.
You can also follow up with questions like:
Once you’ve written a draft, use AI to help you improve it, not by rewriting it, but by helping you think critically about what’s working and what’s missing.
Start by uploading or pasting what your draft. Then use prompts like these to help you develop it:
Critique this news article.
Is the key message clear?
Does it follow GOV.UK style and use plain English?
Is the article written in plain English, suitable for a reading age of around 10, while keeping essential project delivery terms and concepts?
Are there any missing details or unanswered questions?
Does it focus on one clear takeaway?
Is the quote relevant and helpful?
You can also ask:
This helps you refine your article while keeping ownership of the content and voice.