Social Media Teases that Work

Standard tease writing doesn’t work on social media. No matter how good you think it is… that two-liner will only invite your fans to do an exhaustive google search until they find the information elsewhere. It certainly will not get them to turn on your broadcast. But there are some “tease” techniques that will work to drive viewers from social media to your newscast. Here’s a few examples of how stations around the nation are using Facebook to get more viewers…

1. Get Personal

This is great, especially for Morning Shows. Rather than tease the news…WTVR CBS6  is enticing viewers to watch by showcasing their talent. The tease is basically, “Hey, watch us because we’re having fun and you’ll have fun too if you watch us.” 

2. Focus on Urgency

Weather teases are generally not successful on social media. Saying “tune in for the forecast” isn’t going to work because that information is readily available on other websites including your own. However, if you can find a way to differentiate your live forecast from those available online…you might get people to tune in. Here, Washington DC’s NBC4 gives out the current weather conditions but also teases their 4:30pm newscast by explaining that conditions are changing rapidly and they’ll be able to provide the most current update in the live broadcast. Now, their broadcast becomes more valuable.

 3. Create a Social Media Version 

It’s common in today’s newsroom for a reporter to put information and video into the web version of their story that isn’t in the broadcast version. This same practice can be very successful on social media. Here, Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 has posted a clip from their one-hour special. Ideally, this clip should be something that is not included in the broadcast version – so that NewsChannel 5′s fans feel like they’re really getting something unique. But nonetheless, NewsChannel 5 has at least succeeded in giving their fans something different than a standard two-line tease. 

4. Showcase Unique Content 

There are still some things which a viewer can’t get anywhere except your newscast. If you have such a gem, it may be a successful method of drawing a larger audience. But do follow the lead of NewsChannel 11…They made sure to include a link to the web version of the story. Had they not, this post would have only frustrated their audience and caused most of them to google the story and read about it somewhere else. Instead, they’ve given their fans the story…and invited those who are really interested to tune in for the full interview.

5. Get Creative

Here, Jacksonville’s WJXT has used a product designed by my company, SocialNewsDesk to get viewers excited about their newscast. It’s a Facebook contest application with a quiz that’s themed around WJXT’s hometown NFL team. Parts of the quiz promote WJXT’s sports talent and their coverage of the NFL team. And the contest winner is announced live on their broadcast.

6. Just Don’t Do This

If it sounds like something you’d hear going into a commercial break, it doesn’t belong on social media. One fan below even responded to the station’s request to tune in by writing, “No, Thanks.” At least they were polite.

 If you’ve seen successful social media teases, share them! Comment below!