By Kenna Griffin, Published November 9, 2014
Too many news agencies are doing it wrong, even at the ever-connected collegiate media level.
That’s right, I just wrote that Millennial news staffs are failing and social media. At least a lot of them are. Pretty brave, huh?
Student journalists are publishing news, then using social media as an afterthought for pushing their content to readers.
Instead, journalists must use social media as ongoing, two-way discussion tools throughout the information gathering and reporting process.
Here are some tips to help you and your student media staff develop crazy successful content promotion:
Watch others
I developed this list of content promotion tips after watching how organizations, brands and other media outlets were using social media. I learned from what they were doing well and where they were lacking. To develop your content promotion strategy, watch what others are doing and model those who are doing a great job.
Consider mediums
You can’t do all social media well. There are too many options. Instead, consider each medium’s strengths and weaknesses and how those may impact how you serve your audience.
For example, Facebook is great for relationships building and event promotion, but it’s more popular among parents and alumni than college students. Instagram obviously is good for sharing photos, but it doesn’t allow for a lot of pass through from user to user.
There’s no such thing as a perfect social media tool. Consider what works best for your organization and its audience.
Develop strategy
News agencies shouldn’t just decide to “use social media.” Instead, newsroom managers must consider which mediums to use and how best to use them in ways that benefit the audience. Social media must be part of the overall audience goals, not an afterthought.
Build your audience
To truly engage readers through social media you must first connect with them. Friend and follow readers actively, encouraging them to friend/follow you and building your online community. You also can use traditional media and marketing tools to promote connections on your social media accounts. Just be sure to tell readers how they benefit from connecting with you online.
Promote content
You can promote your content before, during and after it runs.
To advance content online, tell your audience what you’re working on and when/where they can expect to see it. Make sure to stick with this schedule.
During the reporting process, use social media when you are looking for story sources. This will help you avoid interviewing all of the same people, diversifying your sources.
Afterward is when the content promotion occurs. Use social media to share content, but don’t forget to continue engaging. One key way is to ask for and respond to reader feedback about your reporting.
Provide good content
Quality content is your news organization’s best promotion. It doesn’t matter how well you promote your news website if readers don’t find what they need and want when they go there. Think of your site as “one-stop shopping” for your audience. Try to give them all of the information they need in one place.
Write amazing headlines
The headline is what pulls readers in and makes them consider reading the content, just like in the traditional print edition. The headline also is what’s used to promote your content. Without an amazing headline, your promotions will fall flat.
Post regularly
Readers should find something new each time they visit your site. There’s always something happening, so give them new information using the best multimedia storytelling tools available.
Space updates
You don’t want to bombard readers with social media updates. Consider a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer to space out your updates. Breaking news is an exception and should be labeled as “breaking” to assist readers in understanding why updates are happening so frequently.
Don’t assume constant connection
Don’t assume your reader live and breathe news from your organization just because you do. Your audience probably doesn’t spend all day, every day online. Therefore, it’s not enough to promote content once and assume your readers saw it. Use the same apps mentioned above to schedule future content releases, according to the medium and time frame of the news happening.
Update immediately
Your audience no longer wants to wait for the news. Use social media to help distribute information immediately, especially when there might not be enough information available for a full story online.
It’s a good idea to let the reader know what you know for certain and that you’re working on the rest.
Remember to spread truth, not rumor. You don’t have to choose between being first and being right. Just make sure all information you report is verified and attributed.
Ask for feedback
Use social media when considering the type of information you should report. Ask your readers what they would like to see on your website and in your printed publications. Listen to their feedback.
Also ask readers what they think about your existing content. Listen and respond to their feedback. Use it to guide your future reporting.
Help them participate
One of the greatest roles of journalism is to give people the information they need to be free and self-governing. If information is key to a democratic society, then it’s your job as a journalist to give the people the information they need to get involved in their local, state and national communities. Provide readers with information in a timely manner that allows them to become involved in public meetings, votes, donations, community events, etc.
Make helpful announcements
Think about ways you can use social media to help make your readers’ lives better. Simple announcements like a reminder of a road closure can make a difference for readers in their regular commutes.
Lighten up
All of your social media posts don’t need to be serious. It’s acceptable to wish your readers a Happy Thanksgiving or tell them to have a good Monday. Remember that social media usage is about building and maintaining relationships, not just about promoting your content.
Be correct
Treat social media updates the same way you do your reporting. Don’t post anything you can’t verify. Your publication’s credibility relies on your accuracy.
Correct inaccuracies
Mistakes are made. It’s a fact of life. If you post something inaccurate, post correct information, don’t just leave the inaccurate information hanging out there.
Use style
Social media writing may be less formal than your news writing, but there’s no place in journalism for improper language. Use correct grammar, spelling and even AP Style when updating your social media. This will ensure professionalism and help build credibility.
Make it multimedia
Don’t just post text. Vary your posts to include text, video, links and photos, which will create variety and garner attention.
Microblog events
Twitter is an excellent tool for live microblogging events. Journalists are the eyes and ears of the people. Use Twitter to help your reader be present where they are not. Be sure to advance this type of coverage so readers know where/when to expect it. Advance this coverage across social mediums, but avoid microblogging on Facebook where frequent status updates aren’t appreciated.
Make content sharable
Give your readers simple methods to share your content with others. This may include social sharing buttons on your website or just asking them to pass along your updates to others who are impacted.
Allow subscriptions
Makes it possible for readers who don’t want to miss anything to subscribe to your site via email and/or RSS Feed. Promote these subscriptions from time-to-time via social media.
Use links
Internal and external links help direct your audience to other helpful content. Don’t be afraid to send readers off of your site. If you’re meeting their needs, they’ll come back.
Promote content
Post a link to your story, photo and/or video on all social media as soon as they are posted online.
Name drop
People want to read things that are about them and/or their friends. Tag all of the people included in your content to let them know they’re there.
Shorten URLS
This encourages sharing by leaving more room for comments on social medium like Twitter that have character limits.
Engage readers
You can’t just use social media when you want to promote your content. Otherwise, your audience will feel manipulated instead of engaged. Social media is about having an ongoing conversation, which builds professional relationships with your audience. This means you have to engage with them, not just promote and run. Communication online always should be two-way. Always respond to comments, questions or ideas.
Ask questions
The nature of two-way communication makes Q&A critical. Try to ask insightful questions in the majority of your social media posts.
Create policy
Because of the less formal nature of online engagement, newsroom managers should write social media policies for the organization and make sure staff is aware of them. Things to consider in these policies include who should respond to/engage with online comments on the organization’s website and on social media. Also, should journalists have professional accounts representing the organization?
Be patient
Community building takes time and work, but the service and loyalty that result from the efforts make it worth the time spent.
Social media best serves news audiences when we use it before, during and after publication as a method of communicating with readers. We have to treat social media as a tool for ongoing, two-way discussion, instead of a method of pushing our content onto readers after our reporting is complete.
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