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Social Media Planning Out and AboutNWPPA Award Winners

Writing and photography tips for Ruralite Services freelance writers and utility communicators

Editing a peer’s work can be hard. Where do you start? What changes are fine, and what changes should you avoid?

Luckily, Ruralite’s team offers decades of copy-editing experience. Managing Editor Curtis Condon follows four steps each time he edits a story. He explains each step in a new video, Copy-Editing Tips.

1. Before you edit a word, read the story all the way through.

2. Make three sweeps through the story: first for structure, next for accuracy, and finally for grammar and spelling.

3. Save the best for last. You only have a certain amount of time to catch the reader’s attention. You have to do that with a strong, engaging lead.

4. Preserve the writer’s voice. Although it is tempting to edit the tone of a piece to match your own, try to do as little as possible to the story. Always let the voice of the writer shine through. —CurtisC@ruralite.org

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The Art and Science of Copy Editing

Ruralite Services is pleased to announce Todd C. Munsey as its Communicator of the Year for 2015.

Todd is member services director for Douglas Electric Cooperative, based in Roseburg, Oregon. Among his many responsibilities is providing content for Ruralite magazine, the cooperative’s monthly publication for consumers.

In selecting Todd for the award, Ruralite editors cited his effective use of all available magazine pages, his participation in the biennial Ruralite Writer’s Workshop and attendance at the twice yearly Ruralite Publications Committee, and his community involvement.

Finding a Story’s Heart 2

“Todd is one of those guys you just love to work with,” says Ruralite Assistant Editor Mike Teegarden, who coordinates production of the magazine for Douglas Electric. “He is always trying to do the right thing, to find ways to reach members and keep them informed about what is going on at Douglas Electric. He uses Ruralite magazine in a variety of ways to keep members engaged.”

Todd has been at Douglas Electric since November 8, 1999. —MikeT@ruralite.org

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Todd Munsey, Master Communicator

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Each year, Ruralite Services selects a communicator who exhibits exceptional use of the magazine to communicate utility and community news to members.

Photo by Mike Teegarden

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Wonder where great stories come from? Photographer David LaBelle says every image and situation you pass at work or on the street leads to something else.

“There is no substitute for curiosity,” says David.During a recent editorial institute in Portland, he shared

insights on visual storytelling with statewide magazine editors from across the nation.

“Write about things people really care about: family, faith, food, health and safety,” David says. “These are universal interests and will draw readers into a story.”

David says we write the “how” stories well, but too often forget to ask “why” subjects are involved in the first place.

“Every story written is a people story,” he says. “Do not focus on the numbers or land in a story. Instead, dig for relationships. Try to understand the motivations of the people involved in a story. Write so you feel like you know the characters. Stories should be about us, about being human.”

When trying to capture relationships, David reminds photographers they are not the only ones with a need.

“People want to be loved and appreciated,” he says. “They need you just as much as you need them. Shoot with, not at, your subjects. Avoid drive-by shootings where you keep people at arm’s length. Instead, begin shooting with curiosity, empathy, observation, listening and caring.”

Time = TrustThe biggest change says he has seen during his 40-year career is the loss of time to do a story well: to fact check and build relationships.

“We put more stuff online and lose depth because we don’t have enough time,” he says. “Storytelling—great storytelling—requires a sacrifice of time. Time equals trust. And trust leads to intimate pictures and stories.”

For visual storytelling examples, visit bridgesandangels.wordpress.com. —MeganM@ruralite.org

Find the Heartbeat of

Your StoryDavid LaBelle counsels communicators to be curious and write stories people will care about.

Photo by Mike Teegarden

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Get in the Spotlight!You wrote, designed, recorded and planned events to communicate your co-op’s mission, objectives, news and financials. Now get recognition among your peers for all of your hard work.

NRECA’s Spotlight on Excellence Awards recognize great ideas and designs by electric cooperative communicators. This year brings a new category, “Best Reinvention of Hard Copy.” It is a chance to show how you have adapted previously printed materials into digitally accessible content.

The winners will be named at NRECA’s CONNECT Conference in Portland, Oregon, May 10-13, 2016. Enter to make sure the Northwest shines when we host the conference!

Spotlight on Excellence is sponsored by NRECA and the Council of Rural Electric Communicators. The program recognizes work documenting strong elements of the Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation (RACE) model. Keep this in mind as you pull together your best work products.

The judges will look for thoroughness in the preperation and execution, as well as the results. Go to www.cooperative.com/spotlight to enter.

The entry deadline is midnight Friday, November 20, 2015. That’s earlier than last year, so do not delay. Need help with an entry? Ask your editor. Good luck!

Details: Cooperative.com/ Spotlight

Ruralite Members Shine at NWPPA AwardsRuralite members scored well in NWPPA’s 2015 Excellence in Communications contest. Jeff Marshall, communications specialist for Clearwater Power Co., Idaho, shared the story behind his first-place wild card entry, a billboard.

“The paper on the board was getting tattered and ready for replacement,” says Jeff. “I had been sketching ideas for several days, but hadn’t really found a home-run concept. Driving in one morning, I noticed one of the lights was out. I slowed down and stared at the billboard for a few seconds.Then I raced to my desk and finished the artwork in less than 10 minutes. I’ve always found that great execution takes time, but great concepts tend to just happen.”

Need inspiration? Here’s the list of winning efforts.

Clearwater Power, Idaho, ranked high with five awards:n First place, advertising campaign: 2014 Youth Rallyn First place, special publication: monthly bill insertsn First place, wild card: “Use Electricity Wisely” billboardn Second place, annual report: Strength in Ownership (2013) n Second place, social media

Clatskanie PUD, Oregon, garnered four awards:n First place, 2014 annual report printed inside the 2015 Ruralite calendarn Second place, photography of safety trail demonstrationn Second place, wild card: Articles, T-shirt design and supporting information

for Take Your Kids to Work Dayn Third place, advertising campaign: Public Power Week activities and

matching Ruralite magazine cover photo contest

Midstate Electric Cooperative, Oregon, scored with two wins:n Second place, special publication: 2014 Ruralite Calendarn Third place, wild card: A video of linemen sharing their experience

bringing electricity to Haiti

But wait, there are more!Another four members won awards for unique communication efforts:

n Umatilla Electric Cooperative, Oregon, third place, newsletter. n Coos-Curry Electric, Oregon, second place, social media. n Copper Valley Electric, Alaska, third place, website. n Columbia REA, Washington, third place, wild card: A glow-in-the-dark fleece pullover celebrating the 40th anniversary of the co-op’s balloon stampede.

Congratulations, winners. Your next chance to celebrate your work is NRECA’s Spotlight on Excellence Awards (see right). —MeganM@ruralite.org

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Facebook? Check. Twitter? Check. Content? Oops.As electric utilities join social media platforms, the need for a solid content foundation becomes clear.

It is no longer enough to claim a Facebook page. Consumers expect regular, relevant content.

Buffer, a social media management tool, advises businesses on how often to post. To stay in a consumer’s Facebook news feed, post no more than twice a day, with an average of five posts a week. Utilities should tweet about three times a day during the work week (avoid Twitter on weekends). Add it up, and you need to generate a lot of content.

Wait—Is social media not your only job responsibility? Never fear. Plan content in advance to streamline social operations.

Look AheadScout for social opportunities with a planning calendar. Whether you want to celebrate national events or local milestones, jot down important dates in advance. Four times a year, set time aside to develop a quarterly social media calendar. Then create and schedule posts when you have time.

n Develop a stand-alone social media calendar or generate an alternate Microsoft Outlook calendar for social media content (great for teams).

n Add national holidays, utility and community events. Looking for unusual days to celebrate? Try www.holidayinsights.com or www.daysoftheyear.com.

n Too often utility program

promotions get lost in the mix. Add reminders on the calendar to spotlight a rebate offer, scholarships and other utility programs.

Double DutyYou spend a lot of time writing articles for your magazine or newsletter. Why not repurpose your work? Ruralite Services is a small organization, so we use a “cat content” approach. Our content should have nine lives. Use the same approach to keep website and social media content fresh.

n Each month, post newsletter or magazine articles in the news section of your website.

n Share native links to the articles on social media. Spread it out, posting at least one story a week.

Hash it OutHashtags—a pound sign placed in front of a searchable phrase online—are overused. But when harnessed sparingly, hashtags help you plan content.

From #MotivationMonday to #ThrowbackThursday, established hashtags set a framework for weekly content. #BeSafe is a good option for electrical safety tips. #EnergyTips is widely used for efficiency messages.

Using hashtags, share the same type of content every week. Your followers will know what to expect, and the framework helps you generate future content ideas.

Create Bulk ContentOnce a month, take out your planning calendar. Look at the kind of content you need to share. Take stock of any cat

content available to fill in gaps. Then write or design the rest of the content you need for the month.

Creating bulk content in one sitting saves time. Instead of looking for a new efficiency or safety tip every week, create tips for the entire month while all of your source material is in front of you.

While creating content, remember the type of posts that engage followers online. Images and videos add power to posts, especially when they feature local faces and places.

Book AheadDuring an outage, there is no substitute for real-time posting and responses to questions. But what about the rest of the year? Social media management tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social or the built-in scheduling options for Facebook and Twitter keep content fresh without overloading your work schedule.

Once a week (or once a month, if you have the content ready), set time aside to schedule regular posts. Be mindful not to schedule posts too far in advance. You don’t want an energy-efficiency message to post during an outage. —MeganM@ruralite.org

Fuel Social Channels With Planned Content

For examples of each step, watch the Prezi shown at the 2015 Northwest Energy and Communications Innovations Conference.

Get the Full Presentation:

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The right tools make jobs easier. Use ours.

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Learn more at RuraliteServices.org/Tools/Social

$200/monthStarting at

for magazine membersFirst month free during 2015

Our social mediasupport program provides:

Energy-efficiency and safety contentQuarterly planning calendar

Best practices guideCustom graphics

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Communications RuraliteServices.org (503) 357-2105Efficient

Let us know how we can help!

Curtis Condon, CCC Managing Editor | (503) 718-3718CurtisC@ruralite.org

Russell Green, CCC CEO | (503) 718-3725RussellG@ruralite.org

Follow us for writing tips and ideas RuraliteServices\

Kathi VanderZanden Director, Marketing and Communications(503) 718-3724KathiV@ruralite.org

Jennifer Brown Associate Editor | (503) 718-3719JenniferB@ruralite.org

Mike Teegarden, CCC Assistant Editor | (503) 718-3716MikeT@ruralite.org

Linda WisemanMagazine Assistant(503) 718-3717LindaW@ruralite.org

Dave BarnhartEnergy Efficiency Support | ESG(503) 718-3736DaveB@esgroupllc.com

Duy Mai Social and Visual Media Partner(503) 718-3721DuyM@ruralite.org

Pam Blair, CCC Assistant Editor | (503) 718-3723PamB@ruralite.org

Megan McKoy-Noe, CCCManager, Content Marketing(678) 468-9600MeganM@ruralite.org

Brandon Pomrenke Associate Editor | (503) 718-3722BrandonP@ruralite.org

Each year, Ruralite Services magazine staff visit members across the nine states we serve. This summer, Assistant Editor Mike Teegarden spent a week in Idaho communities served by Northern Lights, Clearwater Power and Idaho County. While visiting, he got a great shot of Northern Lights’ Communications/Conser-vation Manager Elissa Glassman. Photo by Mike Teegarden

Ruralite Editors: Out and About

Victoria HamptonSocial Media and Editorial Assistant(503) 718-3739VictoriaH@ruralite.org

Ruralite SpreadsLove with Locally Inspired CraftA rock, fabric heart and mod podge are three simple supplies that make Love Rocks—small mementos meant to help people heal in times of need.

Ruralite Services shared a box of Love Rocks with Douglas Electric Member Services Director Todd Munsey after the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in October.

“Many found their way into the hands of employees, members, friends, students and a permanent home on the UCC campus itself,” says Todd.

Love Rocks were created in late 2013 by mourning parents to commemorate the lives of their two daughters who died in a tragic accident in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Love Rocks are meant to be given as small tolkens of hope or placed in a discrete spot for a passerby to find.

The hashtag on the back of the rocks, #loverocks, links people to a network of Love Rock enthusiasts.

“Love certainly knows no bounds, but it is incredible to witness how a little rock with a heart on it can melt people’s hearts,” says Todd. “There are many melting hearts in Roseburg thanks to our friends at Ruralite.”

Learn more about Love Rocksat www.love-rocks.org.