Breaking news usually brings chaos with it. So I’m not going to lay out a 5 step plan for improving your breaking news coverage on social media – there just isn’t time. Instead, here’s ONE simple thing you can do to get better results. And it only takes about 10 seconds.
This is what most breaking news posts look like on Facebook:
Here’s why this is a huge missed opportunity:
1. Facebook tells us that posts with photos often get up to twice the engagement of text-only posts.
2. It’s easy to scan through a News Feed and not even notice those posts because they’re text-only.
3. There’s no link and so Fans are left to figure out their own way to get more information.
Here’s what you can do:
Add a photo and a link. It’s that simple. You probably won’t have a photo of the breaking news scene at first, so go ahead and create a “generic” breaking news graphic that is ready to go. It will do the trick to draw attention to your post. And works on G+ too….
Or, if it makes sense, you can even add a “stock” image to draw attention to the story:
Either way, the point is to make it visual and give your post a chance to stand out. And even though the story isn’t there YET …also include a link to your homepage or livestream. Just explain to Fans that as soon as you have details they’ll be posted on your homepage. This way you’re giving Fans a place to go for more information so they aren’t surfing Google instead of your website.
Still think that takes too much time? Send me a tweet and I’ll show you how our SocialNewsDesk Quick Post feature will allow you to set up a breaking news “template” so that your image and link are ready to go when breaking news happens! I’m @kimsnd!
david
August 24, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Agree with half of this advice, but not the other half
You’re right about including a link – news orgs should (almost) never post something on FB that doesn’t have a link, whether its to your own site or an affiliate station site or national news site.
BUT – the information posted on FB should ALSO be posted to your organization’s website, too, and the FB post should include the first sentence (or two) of the brief story, AND a link back to the actual story on the news website. That way, people already have a link to your site and will continue to use it as you add new information to the breaking news story.
But here’s the disagreement: as far as a photo – I understand the “draw” of having a visual, but I am adamantly opposed to stock images in just about every situation.
Kim Wilson
August 24, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Hi David, I knew someone would jump on that! Yes, use of stock images is debatable. And I certainly see your point. It’s far less controvercial to just go with a graphic that says “breaking news.” IMHO, depending on the story – I think stock images can be considered. To me it’s not much different than using a stock image in an OTS or full screen graphic. But again, it depends on the genre of the story. The bottom line is to use a visual of some kind – whatever lines up with your newsroom’s standards.
Thanks for your input and thanks for reading my blog!
Jay F. Hicks
September 12, 2012 at 11:02 pm
This is a very sound advice. Breaking news especially when it’s local news is really a big driver for user interaction on Facebook. The point is about staying ahead of the game and constantly evolving. Keep the posts coming.
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