Inner Circle 2015 strategy focuses on reader engagement, content and multimedia

INNER CIRCLE
2015
ENTERPRISING | ENGAGING | ENTERTAINING | ENLIGHTENING

INTRODUCTION
Inner Circle 2015 strategy
Where we started Inner Circle was established in
2011, to best practices for all of GateHouse’s
newsrooms. It was focused on base-level standards
—how often websites should be updated and how to
promote print content.
New guidelines, goals In 2015, Inner Circle
initiatives will complement and improve our products
with content that is enterprising and local.

INTRODUCTION
Inner Circle 2015 strategy
Field feedback This year, we engaged a group of
GateHouse editors from newsrooms of various sizes,
to offer feedback on the new program. We made
significant changes based on their input.
Four key areas The 2015 program encompasses
four key areas — reader engagement, content
initiatives, multimedia and social media. Within those
categories are a number of expectations.

INTRODUCTION
Opportunities with new program
(1) More engagement with readers Inner Circle 2015 offers new ways to solicit
and use reader content, as well as use reader feedback to direct coverage
changes
(2) New social and multimedia expectations will drive better content
Expectations in this area have been expanded, particularly for our larger
newsrooms with more page view potential
(3) A focus on better content will differentiate our newsrooms In-depth news,
entertaining and informative listicles and a focus on getting more community
faces online and in print will generate renewed interest in our products

INTRODUCTION
Opportunities with new program
(4) Provide newsrooms choices We need more customization with Inner Circle
and we have identified categories where newsrooms can make decisions on
where to focus.
(5) Allow room for error In the past, newsrooms were required to succeed in
every initiative to achieve Inner Circle certification — in 2015, newsrooms will be
able to miss at least one requirement, and still be certified.

INTRODUCTION
2014 expectations for
all newsrooms
• Web updates
• Photo Galleries
• Seen-on-Scene galleries
• Videos
• Facebook
• Twitter for reporters
• Community blogs
• Coming in print promotion
• Only online promotion
2015 expectations for
all newsrooms
• Photo Galleries
• Videos
• Facebook
• Twitter for reporters
• Local lists
• Seen-on-Scene galleries
• In-depth news
• Reader engagement initiatives
New expectations based on newsroom size
• FOIA projects • Google+ • Entertainment video
• Regional projects • Pinterest • Twitter for newsrooms

NEW EXPECTATIONS
READER ENGAGEMENT
• Goal: Create a newsroom culture that embraces
contribution and feedback from readers
MULTIMEDIA
• Goal: Drive traffic to your website with a variety of
informative, entertaining photo and video galleries
CONTENT INITIATIVES
• Goal: Enrich our products with local, quality reporting
and engaging content that connects with readers
SOCIAL MEDIA
• Goal: Drive engagement and page views on our
websites; interact with readers in a meaningful way; and
to find sources for subjects for upcoming or ongoing
reporting

READER ENGAGEMENT
FORMER EXPECTATION: Community blogs
NEW EXPECTATION: Newsrooms will choose from a
selection of four initiatives to satisfy the requirement, based
on their size.
(1) Community blogs
(2) Reader advisory boards
(3) Storify
(4) Reader-contributed photo pages
• 1-8 staff: 1 selection
• 9-24 staff: 2 selections
• 25+ staff: 3 selections

READER ENGAGEMENT
Community blogs
Newsrooms recruit
residents to write once
weekly on specific topics,
creating a community of
voices on our websites.
Expectations by
newsroom size:
1: 1 blog
2-3: 2 blogs
4-8: 2 blogs
9-13: 3 blogs
14-18: 4 blogs
19-24: 4 blogs
25+: 5 blogs
Reader boards
Newsrooms recruit
residents to take part in
monthly reader advisory
boards. The newspaper
then publishes key
improvements or
changes that came as a
result.
Expectations:
Expectations are the
same for all newsrooms
— meetings held once a
month, followed by a
published column
detailing changes.
Storify
For stories with nation-
or region-wide appeal,
newsrooms create
Storify packages using
content from local
residents’ social media
accounts.
Expectations by
newsroom size:
1: 2 per quarter
2-3: 2 per quarter
4-8: 2 per quarter
9-13: 4 per quarter
14-18: 8 per quarter
19-24: 1 per week
25+: 1 per week
Reader content
Newsrooms solicit
content from by readers
for anchored display in
print and online. The
initiative differs from our
previous callout, in that it
makes obtaining content
the requirement.
Expectations:
Expectations would be
the same for all
newsrooms — a
package of four or more
content items in print
and online each week.
1-8 staff: 1 selection | 9-24 staff: 2 selections | 25+ staff: 3 selections

MULTIMEDIA
FORMER EXPECTATION: Photo galleries, news video,
Seen-on-Scene*
NEW EXPECTATION: In addition to photo galleries and
news video, larger newsrooms will also be expected to
produce entertainment videos
• Photo galleries
• News video
• Entertainment video
* Included in 2015 as a content initiative

MULTIMEDIA
Photo galleries
Create a consistent array
of photo galleries on our
websites to attract more
page views and
interaction
Expectations by
newsroom size:
1: 1 per week
2-3: 1 per week
4-8: 2 per week
9-13: 5 per week
14-18: 5 per week
19-24: 6 per week
25+: 7 per week
News video
Create a consistent
array of videos on our
websites to attract more
page views and
increase time on site
Expectations by
newsroom size:
1: 1 per week
2-3: 1 per week
4-8: 2 per week
9-13: 3 per week
14-18: 4 per week
19-24: 5 per week
25+: 7 per week
Ent. video
Provide informative
but entertaining clips
focusing on local
dining, music and
performances
Expectations by
newsroom size:
1: n/a
2-3: n/a
4-8: n/a
9-13: 3 per quarter
19-24: 1 per week
25+: 1 per week
Photo galleries and news videos for everyone | Entertainment video for larger sites

SOCIAL MEDIA
FORMER EXPECTATION: Facebook, Twitter for reporters
NEW EXPECTATION: Same for small newsrooms; larger
newsrooms will be expected to create a presence on an
additional social platform
(1) Facebook
(2) Twitter for reporters
(3) Twitter for newspaper
(4) Google+
(5) Pinterest
• 1-8 staff: Facebook and Twitter for reporters
• 9+ staff: Facebook, Twitter for reporters AND one
additional category

SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook
Build on existing
requirements, with
larger newsrooms
required to post
more frequently
without creating
user exhaustion
Expectations:
1: 2 per day
2-3: 2 per day
4-8: 4 per day
9-13: 6 per day
14-18: 6 per day
19-24: 8 per day
25+: 8 per day
Twitter for
reporters
Build on existing
requirements, with
larger newsrooms
required to post
more frequently
Expectations:
Reporters should
tweet twice daily,
seven days a
week. Scheduling
tools such as
Hootsuite may be
used on non-work
days.
Twitter for
newspapers
Generate more
pageviews through
greater interaction
Expectations:
1: 1 per day
2-3: 2 per day
4-8: 3 per day
9-13: 4 per day
14-18: 4 per day
19-24: 6 per day
25+: 8 per day
Google+
Take advantage of
known SEO
benefits by
promoting content
on Google+
Expectations:
Newsrooms of all
sizes must post
seven times per
week
Pinterest
Build an
audience and
promote content
on the social
media platform
that has already
outpaced Twitter
in terms of
popularity
Expectations:
Newsrooms of all
sizes must pin
seven times per
week
All newsrooms do Facebook and Twitter for Reporters. 9+ pick one more.

CONTENT INITIATIVES
FORMER EXPECTATION: None
NEW EXPECTATIONS: In-depth news, lists and Seen on
Scene galleries are required of all newsrooms.
Newsrooms with staff of 25 or more will also require FOIA
projects and regional projects.

CONTENT INITIATIVES
In-depth news
Create compelling,
enterprising news that
provides more than a
rehashing of an event or
press release – stories
that take a proactive
approach, provide
answers, or prompt
action on an issue
Expectations:
1: 1 per week
2-3: 1 per week
4-8: 1 per week
9-13: 2 per week
14-18: 2 per week
19-24: 3 per week
25+: 5 per week
Lists
Create quality, clickable
presentations that will
generate page views
and provide useful,
interesting or
entertaining information
to readers in a digestible
format
Expectations:
1: 4 per quarter
2-3: 4 per quarter
4-8: 4 per quarter
9-13: 4 per quarter
25+: 8 per quarter
Seen-on-Scene
Photo galleries taken
at community events,
where two or three
people are posed for
the camera. Galleries
must be local, rather
than syndicated
across multiple
publications.
Expectations:
1: 1 per month
2-3: 1 per month
4+: 1 per week

CONTENT INITIATIVES
NOTE: Both initiatives are required only for newsrooms of 25+ staff.
Project reporting
Staff in multiple
newsrooms work together
to create a regional project
or series; individual
newsrooms can also
localize quarterly Pinnacle
projects
Expectations:
Projects must be produced
once per quarter; each
project must have a local
component unique to the
publication
FOIA projects
Newsrooms use
information obtained from
one or more Freedom of
Information requests to
write a story or series.
Expectations:
One FOIA submission
request per month, and the
resulting story, story
budget or denial letter

Initiative weighting
The revised Inner Circle’s expectations will be weighted by category, and the
score needed for certification will vary depending on newsroom size.
Reader engagement: 10%
Content initiatives: 40%
Social media: 25%
Multimedia: 25%

1-8 staff:
Reader engagement 10% (1x10%)
Content initiatives: 40% (3x13.3%)
Multimedia: 25% (2x12.5%)
Social media: 25% (2x12.5%)
Total initiatives: 8
Score needed for certification: 85%
Newsrooms can miss any one initiative and still be certified.

9-24 staff:
Reader engagement: 10% (2x5%)
Content initiatives: 40% (3x13.3%)
A newsroom of 9-24 staff could still be certified after missing EITHER:
• One content initiative
• One social media and one reader engagement initiative
• One multimedia and one reader engagement initiative
• Both reader engagement initiatives

25+ staff:
Reader engagement 10% (3x3.3%)
Content initiatives: 40% (5x8%)
A newsroom of 25+ staff could still be certified after missing EITHER:
• One content initiative
• One social media initiative
• One multimedia initiative
• One social media and reader engagement initiatives
• All reader engagement initiatives

Additional resources
GHNewsroom.com
• Weekly Seen-on-Scene ideas
• Weekly list ideas
• Weekly video ideas
• Facebook and Twitter tips and best practices
• Information on Inner Circle evaluations
News & Interactive
Carlene Cox
Director of Newsroom Development
ccox@gatehousemedia.com
(630) 310-9567

Inner Circle 2015 strategy focuses on reader engagement, content and multimedia

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