Feature Story on
Feature Stories

Courtney Murrison, Dani Wawryk, and Nykea Behiel

November 2, 2021

You’ve probably noticed there are some interesting and informative stories posted on the homepage of Vendasta’s new intranet site, The Front Step. The site hosts a “What’s Happening” section showcasing everything from news to internal memos to feature articles. 

What you may not know is, you can contribute too! The Corporate Marketing team is on a mission to find and publish stories and experiences of Vendastians that will inspire and inform.  The articles can be personal, professional, or somewhere in-between. Why do you work here? Who inspires you? What made that strategy session so inspirational? 

We seek to capture the experiences of all Vendastians. We know not everyone is a writer, but everyone is a storyteller. We welcome the raw and unpolished. Think of us like diamond polishers, and not the grammar police!

Purpose

• Nurture Vendasta’s culture

• Keep Vendastians informed 

• Promote our people as thought leaders

Why should you participate?

• Demonstrate your thought leadership in an area you are passionate about

• Tell your story

• It may save you from presenting at All Hands (but you still can!)

• Build your personal brand

Content

Any and all stories are welcome! We want to hear from you in your own words, from your point of view

Some types of content suggestions: 

• Vendasta Voices: Stories and experiences of Vendastians that inspire, motivate, and generate insights

• What’s Happening at Vendasta: Summary of a recent event that took place at Vendasta or promotion of an upcoming event

• Q&A: Q&A or feature on a Vendasta employee that has an interesting story

• Article: Article or blog-style post that educates or provides helpful tips to the reader

• ...or maybe something else. Let your imagination run wild!

Looking for inspiration? Check out these past/upcoming stories:

• Vendasta Voices: The CEO Welcome (Confluence | Google Doc)

• Vendasta experiences: Vendasta Fridays

• What’s Happening at Vendasta: Vendasta Mentorship Program

• Q&A: Working Backwards to Drive Us Forward

• Article: Post Pandemic Job Jitters

Your submissions will be reviewed by editors before they’re published, so you’ll always be in the best light. #CorporateMarketing is excited to work with you and make your voice heard!

Guidelines

Length

• There is no limit to the length of your feature, though you should have enough details for the reader to understand the complete picture. Always answer the key questions:

  • Who?

  • What? 

  • Where?

  • When?

  • Why?

  • How?

Deadlines

• New articles are published on The Front Step biweekly

• There is no set deadline to complete your story, it will simply be added to the queue of stories for publication

• You will be asked to commit to a self-imposed deadline that works with your schedule 

Format

• Submit your story as a Google Doc

• Be sure to provide editing privileges

• If the story is hosted elsewhere (content already exists), you can write a short blurb on a Google Doc, and include a link to find the original story. For example, a LinkedIn post or a Medium article (we’re looking at you, Dale Hopkins and Vishal Teckchandani)

Process

• Submit stories via the Feature Story Submission Form located on The Front Step homepage

• Corporate Marketing reviews, edits, and approves stories for publishing (we are here to work with you to make your story a great piece!)

• The story will be added to the queue for future publication (we will let you know the publish date)

• Corporate Marketing will re-create the story as an Intranet page, adding images and formatting according to the Intranet Branding Guidelines.

• If story is hosted elsewhere (content already exists), we will post a short blurb/overview of the story and include link to find original story

Images & Graphics

• When submitting your story, send along any pictures that may be applicable to the story 

• If there are no photos, you can provide suggestions and we will source the pics or graphics

Your Voice Matters

A feature story on feature stories? This article is a little meta, and not in the Facebook way. 

We were inspired to open the invitation after leaving a meeting with particular vigour and excitement. That kind of energy can fuel big ideas and create a deeper love of our work. Yet, often, it just fizzles out and leaves with the person who experienced it. When you document your story here, it can be shared with the Vendasta community. Those good feelings and big ideas can contribute to something bigger. 

We can’t wait to hear what you share. Thank you for contributing!