Creating Actionable Content
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Presentation on social media optimization delivered at Newspapers Atlantic Conference, May 11, 2012 in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the Marriott Harbourfront. By Tim Currie
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Creating Actionable Content
- 1. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Creating Actionable Content Social Media Optimization Tim Currie School of Journalism University of King’s College Halifax Email: tim.currie@ukings.ca Twitter: @tscurrie
- 2. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 2 OF 43
- 3. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 3 OF 43
- 4. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Why Does it Matter? 4 OF 43
- 5. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Why Does it Matter? 5 OF 43
- 6. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 What Content Do We Share? 6 OF 43
- 7. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 What Content Do We Share? • Positive content is more viral than negative content • Content that evokes high-arousal emotions is more viral. Positive (eg. awe) or negative (eg. anger or anxiety) • Content that evokes low-arousal or deactivating emotions (eg. sadness, disappointment) is less viral 7 OF 43
- 8. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 What Drives Our Sharing? Online is an active medium From Usability Expert JakobNielsen. One study participant (1997): "If I have to sit here and read the whole article, then I'm not productive." 8 OF 43
- 9. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Emotion + Action on Display 9 OF 43
- 10. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 20 Most Retweetable Phrases Dan Zarrella (2009) 1364 you 1138 twitter 701 please 598 retweet 397 post 389 blog 352 social 306 free 304 media 269 help 262 please retweet 262 great 237 social media 229 10 222 follow 187 how to 165 top 164 blog post 128 check out 118 new blog post 10 OF 43
- 11. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Differences: Facebook/Twitter 11 OF 43
- 12. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Differences: Facebook/Twitter • Facebook is focused on friends • Usually people you have met • Inter-locking rings of privacy • A measured flow of content • Twitter is focused on interests • Usually people you haven't met • Mostly public • A fire hose of content 12 OF 43
- 13. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tips So what does it mean for us? … 13 OF 43
- 14. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Find The ‘Nugget of Social’ 14 OF 43
- 15. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Find The ‘Nugget of Social’ 15 OF 43
- 16. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Find The ‘Nugget of Social’ 16 OF 43
- 17. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Find The ‘Nugget of Social’ 17 OF 43
- 18. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Find The ‘Nugget of Social’ 18 OF 43
- 19. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 19 OF 43
- 20. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Make A Call To Action The grammar of websites: • Watch the video clip • Follow it live • Read the full story • View the picture gallery 20 OF 43
- 21. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Make A Call To Action 21 OF 43
- 22. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Make A Call To Action 22 OF 43
- 23. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Make A Call To Action 23 OF 43
- 24. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Make A Call To Action 24 OF 43
- 25. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 25 OF 43
- 26. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 26 OF 43
- 27. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … Bad Print Headlines Have … • Label heads • Questions • Passive constructions Bad Online Headlines Lack … • Keywords 27 OF 43
- 28. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 28 OF 43
- 29. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 29 OF 43
- 30. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 30 OF 43
- 31. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 31 OF 43
- 32. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 32 OF 43
- 33. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 33 OF 43
- 34. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 34 OF 43
- 35. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Think Story Headline + … 35 OF 43
- 36. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Use Images 36 OF 43
- 37. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Use Images 37 OF 43
- 38. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Use Images 38 OF 43
- 39. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Use Images 39 OF 43
- 40. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Tip: Use Images 40 OF 43
- 41. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Location 41 OF 43
- 42. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 Location 42 OF 43
- 43. PRESENTATION AT NEWSPAPERS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE, MAY 11, 2012 How Does This Apply To Me? Reporters & editors the distributors of news content now 43 OF 43
Editor's Notes
- So – Globe and Mail paywall!Interviewed for AllNovaScotia this morning for a comment on the News Brunswick – I said it’ll be hard to do in most competitive markets.So don’t listen to me!Smart great people here. A Steve Buttry – one of the smartest guys around.I haven’t heard Jacqui speak, but my wife has & says she’s great. Tks for the invite.Heard about SEO?Want to talk a bit about SMO – howI hope Steve will talk broadly about engagement and conversations – I didn’t want to treadGood SMO starts with good journalism. Good content travels well.But what can we do beyond that?I’ll try to make the case that it’s everyone’s job to use social media
- Did you see this on Tuesday?A pretty big dealA small newsroomMaybe 10 editorial people working in Toronto?Too many cat photos? Celebrity slideshows?HP has hired a lot of smart people from the GlobeWon a CAJ national award for reporting last monthIt aims to own the conversation — and eyeballs — on the news of the day.
- It’s standard stuff to talk about Unique visitorsTime spent on siteReturn visitorsThe HuffPosells themselves a bit different.Not just readers – but social actionsPeople doing something
- Canadian dataReleasedin MarchCanadians spending a lot more time on social mediaThis is where increasing numbers of people are reading news – getting recommendations from friendsFacebook integration – social reading apps – all driving news consumption
- SmartphonesThey are tied to socialMy iPhone - operating system itself is integrated w/ Twitter. Can tweet from any appNews and information are top categories people access on mobile.
- Why does some content travel in social networks and others just falls flat?This is 2009 research – looked at the most emailed articles in New York Times for 6 months.Combed them for a link between emotion in the user and how much they shared.
- What does this mean?Awe:Science articles were shared a surprising number of timesWhy: Hope it will help someone else outOR maybe it will impress youIf you’re sad,
- A user-driven mediumPeople need to be activePeople are clicking and moving onHuffington Post slideshows --
- Let’s put those togetherReaction buttonsSilly reallyNot terribly usefulBut they fulfill a basic needA need to click – to do somethingIrony – a really emotional story – but “Sad” isn’t there. Why? Perhaps b/c in News section.Clearly a low end interactionBetter: a share or Better: a commentBest: interaction w/ the reporter
- Zarrella studies social media in the U.S.Looked at the 10,000 most-retweted tweets in a set of 150,000 At first this looks like meaningless termsThe word “you” seems to occur especially often in ReTweets, indicating that if you’re talking to “me” I’m more likely to ReTweet it.CBC The National – how YOUR tax money is being spent#3 & #4: “please” and “please ReTweet”"help" is also thereCalls to action worksThe act of asking - or even suggesting - makes a difference in whether people willPeople are more likely to share, if you ask them to.The number “10”. Top 10s are popular.Personal finance — the Star's Moneyville site, style, entertainmentI’m not going to talk any more about studies — I promise!!
- Very different beastsSocial graph – actual connections w/ peopleDon’t like unfollowing peopleFB will control the flow of content – based on friends reactionsIn general, people don’t want that Twitter: Follow people b/c they provide valuable informationUsually people you haven’t met
- So, what can we do?Remember Bev Oda – our minister for international developmentUpgraded to a swanky hotel last month on the taxpayer’s dimeWhat was the thing people really got ticked by?OJEmotion: anger!
- Ottawa Citizen columnistThere’s a nugget of detail that attracts conversationOften it’s not the headlineWhy?: I know how much orange juice costs!F-35 fighter jets $30 billion? $100 billion?
- It’s in the detail“The percentage of prisoners sharing cells built for one has nearly doubled in under three years” (9% to 17.4%)Nearly 1/5 prisoners has to share her cellOvercrowding is a general idea – prisoners milling about in packing hallwaysBut I have an idea of how big a cell is.Either deserved justice (emotion) or poor social planning
- The Globe played it straight in social media
- The Globe reporter fleshed out the detail in her Twitter account.
- Here’s this morning’s Chronicle Herald.Clever: millionairs / power execsPut the top headline into social media? Y or N?N: Raises of 20% (I didn’t get that!) Power bill up another 3%Teacher cuts:More split classesMe: my daughter in split of 32 students!
- Great Globe immigration feature on the weekendTwo things well: make it relevant to meGive me a chance to doing something.What works well in this tweet:“Here’s what I did. How about you?”- works when coming from a person, not and organization)
- This was the feature
- This is the Facebook page.A couple of pollsLink to live blogAsk questions – questions are goodA call to Action
- PollQuestionAweQuestionBut: be careful with How and WhyWhy? Anyone?What’s the hallmark of online/Twitter/Short!Meghan Peters: More ‘what’ and ‘where’ type questions, not ‘how’
- FB pulls the story headline automatically as soon you paste a URLStandard is: Factual, straightforwardNot doing enough to just let the headline sit there.Might be interesting to a lot of people. But it could use a push
- Lots of quotesDo they work?Detail – yesBut no
- Our traditional approach to headlines ran something like this:Label: Eg:-Making a difference-The debate over sidewalk plowing-A lesson in failureWhat about it?No action.Just a thing. Put a verb in it!Question? Weasely – readers are looking for answers!Passive: always weak.Online: SEO
- Take a looks at a lead story on the condo boom: a soon-to-be bust?Pun: If you’re old enough to remember the British comedy showLabel head- bad ….. but tabloids do itQuestions – bad …. But call to action: answer it
- Too long?Cheesy?But introduces emotions.Powerful words. (Ghetto, Ghost Towns, Fear)Ghost towns references existing popular multimedia (at the bottom): Top 10 ghost towns across the worldMaybe you’ll share that slideshow
- On Twitter: a variation of the question on the front page.
- In Facebook:Continue the call to action.The real story title is isn’t the one we saw on the story page. [Take a look]
- Slightly other version for mobile.Get rid of the first word Are : shorter is betterThere are five different various of the headline + questionsAnd there could be more …
- This is a story from a couple of week earlier on the same topic.Take a look at the headline Now see what the Google News snippet is:
- “Rock-bottom mortgage rates …”This is bordering on SEO stuff – but still and element of socialPoint:You can beat the constraints of SEO and story page headlinesThe people who are trying to highlight the nugget of interesting/social/action are really working at it.We can too.
- Here’s someone who is the bestMichael Babad“stark naked”!!Greece in chaosInsolvencyI always click on his Globe headline in my email box.I can almost Sometimes I’m disappointed – but I always clickGreat story in the NYT yesterday about Business InsiderGreat headlines like “housing disaster” – often not accurate.What do you think?
- Who knew:The fastest-growing social network last year in Canada was PinterestPin images to your page and share themLots of lifestyle content: food, style, craftsNewspapers categorizing images and stories – like their websiteInterested in this? Steve Buttry did a fantastic post this week – a roundup of what newspapers are doing on Pinterest
- Look at Pinterest and Tumblr use in Canada
- QuotesText and picturesLike a teenager’s wallShould work wellIMO Too many words!
- Make images into useful collectionsOttawa Citizen Does it work? Not visual IMO
- TumblrBigger images usually;Need to use high-quailty camera
- This is the launch of CBC Hamilton yesterdayLocation is front and centre
- My Foursquare study from last yearSocial media contentPeople want certain content where they are.Most popular:Columnist: Peter Worthington opinion piece on ridiculous airport securityIN Foursquare you check inNational Post placed these tips at airports around N AmericaWhen do you check in?Waiting in a long airport security line-up!FB Places
- How does this apply?We all must be on TwitterWe’re our paper’s distribution nowIt’s our job to bring audiences to our organizations.We’re perhaps better positioned than our papers.Why?Social networks are most effective on a personal levelPersonal: When you tweet: “Here’s a story I (me!!) worked on today. What do YOU think of it?”You can make difference