The document describes 9 types of local stories that tend to engage audiences on social media: place explainers, crowd pleasers, curiosity stimulators, news explainers, major breaking news, feel-good smilers, topical buzzers, provocative controversies, and awe-inspiring visuals. It provides examples of each type of story and the social media engagement metrics they received. The document encourages identifying real local stories that could fit one of the 9 types and writing a headline for social media assignment.

1. 9 Types of Local Stories
That Cause Engagement
March 2013

2. Previously on #NPRKnight…
-The importance of headlines
-Web writing
-Your daily workflow Visual Storytelling
-Finding images, videos and stories
-Your Facebook page
-Identifying and tracking your
community

3. #NPRKnight Highlights
Briana O’Higgins, KMUW

4. #NPRKnight Highlights

5. #NPRKnight Highlights

6. #NPRKnight Highlights

7. #NPRKnight social media
-Distribution: Sharing your stories as a station
or an individual.
-Reporting: Finding story ideas from your
social media community.
-Creation: Creating stories that people will
share.

8. What is it about certain local
stories that make them more
engaging than others?

9. 9 Types of Local Stories
That Cause Engagement
• These nine categories are the result of an
analysis of content over a three-month
period.
• There is overlap – some local stories live in
multiple categories.
• Headlines, local relevancy and digital
commitment all play roles in engaging
content.

10. 9 Types of Local
Stories
That Cause
Engagement

11. Place Explainers

12. Place Explainers
Facebook stats
Shares: 188
Likes: 277
Comments: 73
“Because dogs
will never ask you
for $300 designer
jeans.”
KPLU

13. Place Explainers
Facebook stats
Shares: 80
Likes: 114
Comments: 58
“Sun, affordable
housing (compared
to Brooklyn, NY),
and UT”
KUT

14. Crowd Pleasers

15. Crowd Pleasers
Facebook stats
Shares: 334
Likes: 564
Comments: 63
“Go
Seattle!”
KPLU

16. Crowd Pleasers
Facebook stats
Shares: 25
Likes: 76
Comments: 7
“Way to
go CA”
KQED

17. Curiosity Stimulators

18. Curiosity Stimulators
Facebook stats
Shares: 109
Likes: 105
Comments: 13
“WOAH and
where?
SOMERVILLE
”
WBUR

19. Curiosity Stimulators
Facebook stats
Shares: 249
Likes: 364
Comments: 68
“We live in a
strange
strange town”
KPLU

21. News Explainers
Facebook stats
Shares: 556
Likes: 316
Comments: 20
“This is a great
help in explaining
the proposals…”
KQED

22. News Explainers
Facebook stats
Shares: 233
Likes: 184
Comments: 31
“Explaining SF's
natural air
conditioning...”
KQED

23. Major Breaking
News

24. Major Breaking News
Facebook stats
Shares: 87
Likes: 17
Comments: 24
“4 blocks from my
work. Really makes
you think about a
lot.”
KPLU

25. Major Breaking News
Facebook stats
Shares: 543
Likes: 298
Comments: 45
“The wind is
gradually
intensifying here in
Lowell. Very scary.”
WBUR

26. Feel-Good
Smilers

27. Feel-Good Smilers
Facebook stats
Shares: 123
Likes: 289
Comments: 7
“Awwww!”
KPLU

28. Feel-Good Smilers
Facebook stats
Shares: 238
Likes: 245
Comments: 25
“nom nom
nom nom
nom”
WBUR

29. Topical Buzzers

30. Topical Buzzers
Facebook stats
Shares: 110
Likes: 479
Comments: 40
“Good job,
Mayor
Menino!”
WBUR

31. Topical Buzzers
Facebook stats
Shares: 37
Likes: 131
Comments: 8
“I have never
seen the market
so packed!”
KPLU

32. Provocative
Controversies

33. Provocative
Controversies stats
Facebook
Shares: 60
Likes: 33
Comments: 94
“I feel
enraged...”
KPLU

34. Provocative
Controversies stats
Facebook
Shares: 41
Likes: 20
Comments: 43
“This is just
disgusting, and
dangerous …
This is sick.”
KUT

35. Awe-Inspiring
Visuals

36. Awe-Inspiring Visuals
Facebook stats
Shares: 67
Likes: 214
Comments: 21
“so cool!!!!”
KPCC

37. Awe-Inspiring Visuals
Facebook stats
Shares: 202
Likes: 160
Comments: 11
“This is strangely
mesmerizing. Worth
a watch for sure.”
KPLU

38. Major Breaking News Crowd Pleasers
Feel-Good Smilers
Curiosity Stimulators News Explainers
Topical Buzzers
The 9 Types of Local
Stories
That Cause Engagement
Place Explainers
Provocative Controversies Awe-Inspiring Visuals

39. Find More Here:
http://bit.ly/9-types

40. Major Breaking News Crowd Pleasers
Feel-Good Smilers
Curiosity Stimulators News Explainers
Topical Buzzers
The story:
A storm is headed
toward Boston
Place Explainers
Provocative Controversies Awe-Inspiring Visuals

41. Major Breaking News Crowd Pleasers
Feel-Good Smilers
Curiosity Stimulators News Explainers
Topical Buzzers
The 5 worst storms
in Boston history
Place Explainers
Provocative Controversies Awe-Inspiring Visuals

42. Major Breaking News Crowd Pleasers
Feel-Good Smilers
Curiosity Stimulators News Explainers
Topical Buzzers
Everything you need to
know about the storm
hitting Boston
Place Explainers
Provocative Controversies Awe-Inspiring Visuals

43. Major Breaking News Crowd Pleasers
Feel-Good Smilers
Curiosity Stimulators News Explainers
Topical Buzzers
10 breathtaking photos
of the storm in Boston
Place Explainers
Provocative Controversies Awe-Inspiring Visuals

44. Major Breaking News Crowd Pleasers
Feel-Good Smilers
Curiosity Stimulators News Explainers
Topical Buzzers
Now you go:
Your state has passed
a 10 cent bag tax
Place Explainers
Provocative Controversies Awe-Inspiring Visuals

45. This week’s assignment
Pick one real local story and
write a headline that is one of
the 9 types of stories. If you
can, try to do this assignment
with your story idea from week
2 of social media training.
E-mail it to: dseditorial@npr.org

46. Find More Here:
http://bit.ly/9-types

47. Questions?
Photos Courtesy of Creative Commons Flickr users:
Gold41, Dianax, Nirufe, Roeyahram, inaction, Daves-F-
Stop, DennisBarnes, Sprochello, Cessums, byronv2