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How to Get Your Story Read

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How to Get Your Story Read Workshop No. 1 January 28, 2015
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Page 1: How to Get Your Story Read

How to Get Your Story Read

Workshop No. 1

January 28, 2015

Page 2: How to Get Your Story Read
Page 3: How to Get Your Story Read

Philly.com overview

• More than 800 million pageviews across the websites in 2014; 90 million unique visitors

• Mobile is growing while desktop is declining, with mobile making up more than half of many stories

• While news and sports make up half of our pageviews, opportunities for growth and greater engagement exist in our other sections

• Overall traffic is stable, but we want to grow both pageviews and engagement and need your help

Page 4: How to Get Your Story Read

How we get our news has changed…

Image Credit: American Press Institute

Page 5: How to Get Your Story Read

…so how we produce the news must change

- No guaranteed audience: Simply publishing content (or landing on the Philly.com homepage) does not mean your story will get read.

- To get people to read your story, you need to break through the noise and cultivate an audience, largely through social media.

- Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, etc elevate content that is shareable.

Page 6: How to Get Your Story Read

There are similarities to shareable stories…you want to create shareable content not just to get pageviews, but to be rewarded with the large, engaged audience your content

deserves.

Image Credits: NPR and Edelman Media Network

Page 7: How to Get Your Story Read

What’s Most Popular on Philly.com (Dec 10, 2014 to Jan 21, 2015)

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 137,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM -– 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• Jim's Steaks owner Abner Silver dies at 79 - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014 – 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery -- 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 8: How to Get Your Story Read

People love dramatic stories that trigger their emotions

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 138,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM - 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• The Insider - Jim's Steaks owner - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014 – 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery -- 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 9: How to Get Your Story Read

People will click out of curiosity

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 138,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM -– 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• The Insider - Jim's Steaks owner - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014 – 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery -- 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 10: How to Get Your Story Read

People want a Philly connection to national news

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 137,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM -– 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• The Insider - Jim's Steaks owner - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014 – 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery -- 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 11: How to Get Your Story Read

People want to hear opinions

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 138,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM -– 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• The Insider - Jim's Steaks owner - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014 – 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery - 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 12: How to Get Your Story Read

People love to feel informed and prepared. Helpful is the new informed.

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 138,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM -– 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• The Insider - Jim's Steaks owner - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014- 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery -- 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 13: How to Get Your Story Read

People click on stories with strong imagery and video.

• Inside the Sixers: Questions surround Embiid's conditioning, maturity - 138,967• Uproar over Phila. paramedic's Instagram post – 137,006• Clean Plates - 136,279 • Kacie McDonnell no longer engaged to Aaron Murray - 118,491• Shane Montgomery's family: We found and brought Shane home - 116,353• Lottery legend Joan Ginther bet flabbergasting sums on scratch-offs - 112,292 • Multiple accidents slow traffic on I-76, I-95 and I-495 - 108,695• Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers - 84,7574• The rise and fall of Howie Roseman as Eagles GM -– 63,664• Frontier increasing its presence in Philadelphia - 55,257• Watch: Dover police officer can't stop dancing to 'Shake It Off’– 48,410• PhillyGossip: Watch Chase Utley surprise a fan battling cancer on 'Ellen' –43,827 • Bradley Cooper responds to 'American Sniper' criticism - 42,048• Lights out for local Jersey Shore TV station -40,819• No holiday cheer at the Gallery - 38,496• The Insider – Collingswood café closes after 3 weeks - 38,246• 15 best ways to make money on the side when you have a full-time job -35,831• When you get one wit', what are you getting? - 32,371• Kerry Barrett leaves Fox 29, among other changes for the station - 34,204• Finding Philly pho - 29,520• The Insider - Jim's Steaks owner - 27,339• Best and worst shows of 2014 – 27,326• New York Times' ranks Philly no. 3 in list of places to go in 2015 - 26,997• Penn ethicists call for a return of the mental asylum -25,726• 66 grocery stores closing in Philly, Pittsburgh - 25,086• 13 things frugalists do that confuse and scare others - 23,810• She baby-sat, now she has his baby - 22,295• Changing Skyline: The anti-Gallery -- 17,640• Researchers Take 'First Baby Step' Toward Anti-Aging Drug - 17,224• Too Much Sitting Can Be Deadly -- Even if You Exercise, Review Finds -16,255

Page 14: How to Get Your Story Read

Successful content on Philly.com is…

• Timely people read to feel informed

• Emotional people read to be entertained

• Drives curiosity people read to satisfy curiosity

• Opinionated people read to agree/disagree

• Local people read to see how the city is affected

• Helpful people read to improve their lives

• Visual people read if an image catches their eye

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Sometimes this calls for new storytelling forms…

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Other options for this story: • Headline change: How the city sold 11

school buildings, but only netted $2M• Format change: The cost of selling schools:

Does the SRC’s math add up?• Format change: Photo gallery with captions

in longform format

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Other options for this story:• Headline: What you missed at yesterday’s MLK march• Format change: 10 best quotes from the speeches

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More examples

Headline change: What I Learned from the Homeless in Suburban StationFormat change: Photos with captions

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Headlines matter

• Headlines get people to click • Headlines show up everywhere from on the homepage to social

media to search queries• Search engine results are determined by headlines • Some quick tips from Poynter…

• Is the headline accurate?• Does it work out of context?• How compelling a promise does it make?• How easy is it to parse?• Could it benefit from a number?• Are all the words necessary?• Does it obey the Proper Noun Rule?• Would it work better as an explanatory headline?• Does it focus on events or implications?• Could it benefit from one of these 10 words? Top, Why, How, Will, New, Secret,

Future, Your, Best, Worst.

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How Chickungunya virus arrived in Philly from CaribbeanChickungunya: a paralyzing disease now found in PAOne reason to avoid Florida this winter: Chickungunya

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Finally, when in doubt, go to social media

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Once the story is written …

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Tweet Your Story Four Times

1. Straight headline tweet + link

Why it works: It’s short, clear and descriptive of the story.

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Tweet Your Story Four Times

2. Pull quote + a link

Why it works: I like the voice of the person quoted and I want to hear more about what (s)he has to say.

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Tweet Your Story Four Times

3. Amazing stat/WTF/personal note + link

Why it works: The words “I admire” create an emotional response in me. I want to know more about this person.

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Tweet Your Story Four Times

4. Tags, tags, tags + link

Why it works: It alerts the people directly connected to the story that they’ve been mentioned on Twitter.

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A Few More Quick Twitter Tips

• RT or tweet about stories from elsewhere in the newsroom.

• Have conversations on social media with your coworkers. It’s humanizing.

• Tweet out the stuff you’ve read to research your stories.

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When You Follow Up …

Include:• A link to the story

• Any relevant Twitter handles or Facebook pages

• A direct call to action

Example: Thanks for your help with this story. I wanted to pass along a link in case you’d like to share it with your social networks. The Inquirer’s Twitter account is @PhillyInquirer and mine is @MarySmith.

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Use the Social Networks You Like to Promote Your Work

Find a social network where you feel comfortable and build a community there.

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Instagram

Why it works: The photo is compelling. The caption is emotionally impactful, but also lets me know that Helen was doing this as part of her reporting. It makes me interested in reading that story and I’ll be on the look out for it.

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Facebook

Why it works: Stu has built a community of people who expect to see his stories on Facebook. Through consistent and genuine posting, he’s built an audience who will click on what he shares because he’s earned their trust.

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LinkedIn

Why it works: Joe has made posting to LinkedIn part of his routine by using Hootsuite. His business stories make sense on LinkedIn, where people are searching for job-related news.

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Tie Old Stories to Current Events on Social Media

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Thank you!

[email protected]

[email protected]

Social media office hours:

Tuesdays, 9 a.m to 10:30 a.m.

Thursdays, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.


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