Reader engagement

Reader Engagement

ENTERPRISING | ENGAGING | ENTERTAINING | ENLIGHTENING

AGENDA


• Reader advisory boards

• Storify

• Reader-contributed content

INNER CIRCLE EXPECTATIONS


The Inner Circle’s Reader Engagement category includes:

• Reader advisory boards

• Storify

• Reader-contributed content

• Community blogs

Depending on your staff size, you will be required to select a certain number of these initiatives to implement.

1-8 staff: 1 selection9-24 staff: 2 selections25+ staff: 3 selections

COMMUNITY BLOGS


• Strategy, expectations and tips available in Inner Circle 2015 Handbook

• Remains a valuable way to tap into reader content and engage audience

• If you select a different category, file a ZenDesk ticket to have your local blogs removed.

READER ADVISORY BOARDS


For newsrooms that elect to conduct reader advisory boards as a part of the Reader Engagement requirement:

• Hold monthly meetings with a panel of at least six residents

• Publish an article or column detailing any changes to occur based on the feedback received

GOAL: Consistently connect with readers by involving them in the news-gathering process and evolving products based on their feedback.

RECRUITMENT


Recruiting participants

• Write an editorial explaining the purpose and importance of an advisory board and calling for participants.

• Ask participants to send the editor a few paragraphs on why they’re interested in serving on the advisory board.

RECRUITMENT


Recruiting applicants

• Remind readers via callout boxes on your front or opinion page. Run the callouts multiple times, until you have a group to select from.

• Utilize social media pages to callout for participants.

RECRUITMENT


Utilizing social media pages to callout for participants

• Post multiple times

• Don’t just post callouts during business hours – also post on nights and weekends, when people are online the most

• In your social media callouts, make sure to include the best way for readers to contact you

RECRUITMENT


PROMOTION EXAMPLE

We want your feedback!The News-Reporter is seeking local residents to serve on a monthly reader advisory board. Come help us make our newspaper and website better!

We’re looking for candidates with no special interests — elected officials and other community leaders need not apply.

Interested? Email Editor Jane Smith at [email protected] with our name, phone number and a couple sentences on why you want to join.

mailto:[email protected]

RECRUITMENT


Reader advisory board members: who to include

• Diverse board of people without specials interests or causes

• Boards should consist of 12 members, but in smaller markers, at least six are recommended.

• Applicants should be able to commit to at least three meetings, once per month.

RECRUITMENT


Do not accept applicants with conflicts of interest

• Local officials

• PTA board members

• Chamber of commerce presidents

• Elected government officials

• School district officials

• Leaders of major employers

• People on local hospital, library boards

MEETING AGENDAS


Agenda: the first meeting

1. Give the board some history of the newspaper

2. Talk about your expectations for the board — what do want to accomplish?

3. Give the board a tour of your building and your website

4. Prepare a list of contacts at the paper, so board members know who to contact regarding subscriptions, announcements, news, etc.

5. Take a group photo after the meeting and run it alongside a column announcing who is on the board

MEETING AGENDAS


Agenda: monthly meetings

• Board meetings should last no more than an hour

• Start each meeting by updating the board on projects your newspaper is working on (redesign, re-contenting, new features, etc.)

• Don’t just tell the group what you’re doing; ask specific questions about what you’re thinking or doing and get their feedback. Focus on two or three things.

“We are thinking about moving the obits from A2 to A6, but running names of all local deaths on our front page — what do you think of this? ”

MEETING AGENDAS



Bring in a different department head (classified, circulation, advertising, press) each month. Have them talk about their area of expertise and give the board a chance to ask questions.

Example: Bring in circulation director

• Circ director should explain how the paper is delivered – how many carriers are used, what time the paper goes out

• Circ director should address challenges involved in circulation, and how those challenges are resolved

• Advisory board members should have time to ask the circ director any questions they have about distribution, subscriptions

MEETING AGENDAS



Hold a roundtable discussion – ask board members to provide feedback on coverage over the past month, with tearsheets of examples of what they liked and didn’t like. Use specific questions to ask for feedback

Don’t ask: What do you like about the paper?

Instead, ask: What features do you like on this opinion page?

MEETING AGENDAS


Agenda: monthly meetingsSpecific questions to ask for feedback

What do you think about the content featured above the fold?

Is the content most important to you being featured on the sidebar?

FOLLOW UP


To meet Inner Circle expectations, a newsroom must demonstrate that changes are coming, or that specific feedback was received and is being considered.

The editor or publisher should write a column about the meeting and explain what got discussed, and what the paper is going to do about the feedback.

Submission of this column will be required for Inner Circle.

RECAP: EXPECTATIONS


• Monthly meetings with a panel of at least six residents

• Publish an article or column detailing any changes to occur, or feedback received

STORIFY


For newsrooms that elect to create Storify packages as a part of the Reader Engagement requirement:

• 1-8 staff: 2 per quarter



• 19+ staff: 1 per week

GOAL: Gather observations and insight from local readers via social media networks during breaking news and for other topics generating large volumes of interest on social media – be they national, regional or local.

STORIFY


For newsrooms that elect to create Storify packages as a part of the Reader Engagement requirement:

• Must include at least four social media posts from local sources

• Must be published on the newspaper’s website, embedded into a story

• Newsroom staff must integrate original reporting into the Storify

GOAL: Gather observations and insight from local readers via social media networks during breaking news and for other topics generating large volumes of interest on social media – be they national, regional or local.

WHAT IS STORIFY?


Storify is a web-based tool created by journalists for social media curation.

It is a website that helps you tell stories in a timeline/narrative format by sorting through and choosing posts from social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

WHAT IS STORIFY?


With Storify, you write your narrative, then pull in comments and images posted on social media to add color to your story.

WHAT IS STORIFY?


With Storify, you write your narrative, then pull in comments and images posted on social media to add color to your story.

USING STORIFY


“We did not intend for people to just throw together social media and create a scrap pile of tweets. The name is ‘Storify’ because it’s about making stories.

It’s about changing how journalism works to acknowledge the fact that everyone on the ground is potentially your eyewitness, and it’s about empowering journalists to draw from that source material.”

-- Burt Herman, Storify CEO and co-founder

WHY USE STORIFY?


• Storify can add new angles to a story you may not otherwise have; it can show emotion connected to an issue in a way an objective journalist can’t always convey.

• It has been proven in the field to be easy to use, to enhance our coverage and to spread virally on social media, which exposes us to new readers.

• It puts us on many of our readers’ turf. It shows we’re playing on the same playground (Twitter, Facebook, etc).


• In a sea of social media posts, you help the reader sort through it all and highlight the information that adds value to their experience.

• We can’t be everywhere all the time. Let the eyes and ears of our readers help tell a story, especially when we can’t, and in their own words.

WHY USE STORIFY?

When should we use Storify?


Top national stories

Pop culture

Weather

Big local issues

Note: Check Twitter first. You can’t Storify if social media isn’t talking about it.

EXAMPLES• Local Olympian wins medal• Helicopter activity alarms residents• Wildlife sightings: Bears, coyotes, etc.• Hurricane, tornado or blizzard damage• Blizzard Nemo damage• Election turnout/results

FINDING CONTENT


Twitter: Usually yields the most content. Find local items by plugging your town, state into “Near” and choose a radius.

Facebook: You can intersperse the Facebook posts with the Twitter posts or drag them all at the end of the timeline and rearrange the order later as you decide how to present things.

YouTube: Take the time to watch the video. You can drag it to the timeline, watch it and delete it if you decide it’s inappropriate.

How to use Storify: Finding content


Flickr: This is where you can find photos to break up text if you didn’t already get some out of Twitter and Facebook.

Instagram: Search by hashtag. This doesn’t typically yield a ton.

Google: This searches Google for websites. You may want to use whatever the official site is for whatever your topic is. Or a link to your homepage.

How to use Storify: Finding content


Search for content on those social media streams by indicating your location, and specific terms

EMBED IN SAXO STORY


1. Copy the embed code out of Storify.

2. In Lite Editor, click on the HTML button.Click “HTML” button to open pop-up editor.

How to use Storify: Add to Saxo article


3. Paste the code at the end of the article text.

4. Click update at the bottom left of the pop-up box.

5. Post story as usual.

MORE RESOURCES


The 2015 Inner Circle handbook has more information about how to use Storify, as well as best practices and tips.

RECAP: EXPECTATIONS


• Must include at least four social media posts from local sources

• Must be published on the newspaper’s website, embedded into a story

• Newsroom staff must integrate original reporting into the Storify

READER-CONTRIBUTED CONTENT


For newsrooms that select reader-submitted content as a part of the Reader Engagement requirement:

• Run a weekly, anchored callout for reader content on page A2 or another prominent location in print

• Publish four or more pieces of reader content at least once weekly in print and online

GOAL: To unite the community through a highly visible program in print and online, providing an outlet for readers to share photos, stories and other items of note.

WHY USE READER CONTENT


Benefits to using reader-submitted content

• Establish better connections with readers — strengthen your brand

• Use reader content as part of a story package or special section

• Obtain engaging, local content without using significant staff resources

NOTE: Content must be driven by a callout from the newspaper – it cannot be a collection of unrelated images or randomly submitted content from readers.


Choose callouts tied to major or popular events.

• Holidays• Easter egg hunts• Christmas traditions• “How we met” stories for

Valentine’s Day• Veterans Day stories

• Popular local events• Parades• Fairs• Carnivals• Car shows

CALLOUT IDEAS


Choose callouts tied to major or popular events.

• Milestones• Photos of teenagers dressed

up for prom• Graduation photos

• National trends• Breast cancer survivor stories

in October

• Weather-related events• Photos taken after blizzards or

big storms• Fall colors

CALLOUT IDEAS

DRAWING IN RESPONSES


Make the callout prominent

Have a callout always running in your print edition in an anchored position, and always have on featured on your website’s homepage.

Two week rule: You should run each callout for no more than two weeks, then insert a new callout.



Utilize social media

For markets that have a difficult time getting responses to callouts, new technology allows readers to submit through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter in addition to email or uploading to your website.



Use variety

Try several kinds of callouts at first to see which resonate with your readers.

If you need more input, try working with community groups on specific callouts to show your readers some responses. Once your readers see others participating, they may be more likely to join in.

Examples:

• If you are seeking flower photos, ask the community garden club to send you photos of flowers.

• When seeking Boy Scout photos, contact a troop leader and ask him to submit.

RECAP: EXPECTATIONS


• Weekly, anchored callout for reader content on page A2 or another prominent location in print

• Publish four or more pieces of reader content at least once weekly in print and online

Reader Engagement


Documents

Reader engagement