West Virginia Uncovered

In WVUncovered we are focused on a massive amount of content for each of our stories. Our projects generally include a print article, photo gallery, and video narrative.

But in the Internet world, where readers aren’t browsing, how do we attract and drive viewers to our content?

The answer becomes more and more overwhelmingly social media.
WVUncovered is a perfect example. The Twitter feed is information important to people who are interested in WV News. It includes links, information on developing stories from the class, and encourages conversation on current issues within the state.
In honor of Social Media Week here are a few tips from this social media lover and some pretty successful blogs about social media.

1. 80-20 Rule. Provide content and links to others 80% of the time; it’s a sign of good will as well as an effective tool to show followers/friends/people within your circle that as a source you are knowledgeable, informed, and observant. Though the above blog post talks about it in a business sense it applies to Journalism. If you are constantly pushing your own links there is a chance people will start to skim them. Social Media is about the conversation.

2. Never underestimate its importance. As journalists we tend to think that the content is of utmost importance- and it is. But the best content in the world is useless if it is never viewed. Driving an audience to multimedia stories is the goal and social media is the new word-of-mouth.

3. Value social media skills. Jobs are popping up all over the country bloggers and social media managers. Being able to show a mastery of these skills puts applicants ahead in traditional media jobs as well.

4. Don’t be afraid to link to a specific portion of a story. If you think the stronger part is the photos, link to the gallery. Your content should drive the reader to want to know more once you hook them.