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10 Best Practices for Social Journalists

  • Writer: Ethan Westerholm
    Ethan Westerholm
  • Apr 18, 2024
  • 3 min read

Introduction

All of our posts have come to this, the best practices for a journalist on social media using data analysis. We hope that you have followed our blog for a while, otherwise you are missing out on a large portion of the content on data analysis. Not only is data analysis crucial for having a solid presence on social media, but you do it anyway whether you realize it or not. And if you are going to do it anyway you might as well be doing it better than everyone else. We have ten of the best practices for every journalist on social media (all fueled by data analytics) (1). 

Step 1: Be Particular of Your Platform

Depending on what kind of content you plan on making, you need to choose the correct platform. Your articles and content will look different if it is posted on YouTube versus Instagram. Each platform has its audience and its own style which comes as expected with the app. When it comes to weighing strengths and weaknesses, we highly recommend this Forbes article (2).

Step 2: Create a Brand

Even though you are an individual and not a company, you still have a brand. Whether it is your personality, the subject matter of your journalistic topics, or even your deeper philosophical/political views, you have a brand. As you choose your platform, consider its style and compare it to the brand you will be showing on the platform. Do the two sync together or is there more of a conflict? Consider also if there is anything you should change in order to make your brand more appealing or useful to yourself. If monotone and highly professional work bores or tires you out, consider creating a brand that has a more casual voice. This way you can create content easily while being consistent with your audience (3). 

Step 3: Build Authenticity 

Many of us hear ‘building authenticity’ and they envision selfies and blooper reels. Although you could do this, authenticity has a broad definition and boils down to being consistent with your brand voice. Your platform and your content have a running theme a persona that you are communicating to your audience. To be authentic means to keep that persona consistent, so that your audience can come back to your content again and again and not be surprised by what you create.

Step 4: Visualize. Visualize. Visualize. 

Words can only take you so far, that you are going to need to visualize your information sooner or later. Your audience has finite time to spend looking at content, let alone your content. Concentrate as much of your story into your post, and the quickest way to do this is to use visuals. 

Step 5: Engage Your Audience

Interactivity is the core mechanic of social media. Without interactivity between yourself and your audience, your social media platform becomes just another soapbox. When your audience speaks or comments on something, listen to them. Interact with them and allow them to participate in some way on your platform. Create things such as polls, or responding to positive comments with your own positive messages. Your audience is not just an algorithm that you are trying to beat, there is another human being on the other side of the screen (4).



Step 6: Stay On Top of Trends

Relevance is key when it comes to having a successful social media account. We have spoken on this topic in greater depth in one of our previous blog posts. In short, one of the best ways to stay on top of trends is to study what happened before, observe what’s happening now, and learn the platform. By learning what happened before, data analysis can tell you what is a trend and what is a fad. By observing what is happening now you can connect it back to the data you had from before. Finally, being a consistent denizen of a social media platform is key to sensing trends and deciding whether or not to jump on them.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have been exposed to the true nitty-gritty objectives of a social journalist. You should be well equipped now to go out and start your own social media account. One final word of advice: social media work IS work. There is a nearly zero chance that you become a social media all-star overnight. All social media success is nurtured and grown through lots of trial, error, and hard work. Constantly be looking at how to make yourself better and don’t settle for less. 


Sources

(3) Sproutsocial, https://sproutsocial.com/insights/brand-voice/, accessed 4/18/2024.

 
 
 

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