We've seen some interesting examples of how journalists are sourcing stories via social media. Here are three national journalists using three different social media platforms to get things done. And in this MLK edition, we've also got some tips for being a better source via social media.
The New York Times: social media editor Liz Heron on Facebook
Liz sourced several quotes via Facebook and even followed up with her sources after the fact. It's a reminder to PR people that everyone's quotable -- regardless of what platform they might be on.
CNN/MTV: author Brenna Ehrlich on Instagram
Brenna used her Instagram account to see if anyone started a romance through the mobile photo app.
UPDATE: A tweet from Brenna notes she did get some inquiries via Instagram, just not in time for her deadline.
Some may be quick to point out an app with 15 million users, compared to Facebook's nearly 900 million active users and Twitter's 100 million active users, decreases the odds of connecting with media in your area of expertise. Just be sure to confirm your assumptions. In addition to major news organizations, anyone doing PR for a luxury or fashion brand are sure to find some of their media using Instagram. And even if they're not sourcing stories via the app, it's worth following their feeds for visual insights.
The Wall Street Journal: retail and fashion features reporter Elizabeth Holmes on Twitter
In this example, Elizabeth is establishing contact with a source to ask questions via Twitter. I've also watched reporters use Twitter to get quotes they couldn't get otherwise. Most recently with an NPR reporter and a CEO.
Use Social Media to Be a Better Source
A couple of free sites can be used at either end of the media relations spectrum to position you, your company or your client as a source. And the following tips apply to creating online clip books as well.
Delicious Stacks: Delicious finally realized it could leverage the metric ton of links its users have collected since its launch. Its new Stacks capability, lets you aggregate links into more visual displays. It can take a list of links and turn it into a much more useful page of content. The stacks are then categorized by Delicious so non-users can access Stacks. Stacks are also easy to share with anyone you like.
Storify Simplifies Multimedia Sharing: Storify is great for assembling a variety of content from tweets, images and videos to news stories, social content and even Google searches. Storify also organizes stories into larger categories and your story is easily shared and even embedded onto another site. For serving up a Twitter conversation? There's nothing better out there. And Storify gives you options to "write around" the content to better explain it and give it context. Of the three profiled here, Storify is often used by the media themselves to tell a fast-breaking news story in an efficient, easy to understand manner.
No Museum Required to Curate Thanks to Scoop.It: Scoop.It came along before Delicious Stacks, and the end result is very similar. Here's a Scoop.It page I created on Instagram. But Delicious is powered only by your links. Scoop.It has behind the scenes functionality that helps you curate your topics, bringing you sources and stories you can add to your pages. Scoop.It also allows followers to suggest links to add to your topic.
Work Smart(er)
All three of these sites provide "analytics" and while each one has pros and cons, they all make it easier to leverage work you're already doing. You're already online scanning what's going on in your industry, above and beyond even Google News Alerts. If you're saving this content for use later, you can use one of these sites to do more than simply bookmark the content. It's an easy way to become a broader source on topics by showing the fourth estate that you're up to date and well-informed.
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This is cool! Many people are increasingly turning to social media to find sources and verify information. Also, journalists can show off their expertise and make them a "go to" for information through this. And since we know already how social media can help us in marketing, the next step would be to build up a list of friends. That would make it more convenient and helpful for us to communicate with the right people and share and import information. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting – proof that social media is being used in a variety of ways and by reporters from some big national news sources! Social media sources like Facebook and Twitter can help connect people for many different purposes. Also, great tips for being a better source through social media. Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Danielle (Tulane University)
Thanks for your post! As an aspiring young journalist, I'm always interested in studying methods used by other reporters. Social media seems like an obvious method to get in touch with potential sources. The large number of people who use social networking sites does seem to allow for a wide variety of responses, though you would miss out on those people (especially in older generations) who are less savvy with sites like Facebook and Twitter.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It goes to show how easily information is accessed these days. I guess it could also be a warning that anything you say or post can be quoted! It is also interesting to see how many new sites are created for and from trying to make social media easier to use, and to lump all different types together.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Staub
Tulane University