The art & science of earned-first storytelling

3

300 hours of video

uploaded to YouTube

every minute

95 million Instagram

photos and videos

posted each day

4 million Facebook

likes per second

Average of 6,000

tweets per second

Filter bubbles result from personalized searches when

a website algorithm selectively guesses what information a user

would like to see based on information about the user (such as

location, past click behavior and search history).

The implication is that brands need to generate targeted, quality

coverage that can pierce the filter bubbles around their

audience.

Forget the 24/7 news cycle. Welcome to the “garbage-fire

news cycle” – where one tweet lights the world on fire.

The result is a real-time stream of flashpoints that are:

• Instant

• Heated

• Flooded with content

• Fueled by Google-able context

• Often ill-informed or steered by opinion

9

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More people get news from

their phones than ever — 72%

of American adults in 2016

versus 54% three years ago.

More than half (51%) of

consumers say they use

social media as a source

of news each week.

Remembered the

path/platform

where they found

the news story

ROUGHLY

Q10b/cii_2016. Thinking about when you have used social media/aggregators for news, typically how often do you

notice the news brand that has supplied the content? Notice = those who always or mostly notice the brand

Less than

half recalled

name of the

news outlet

“Facebook is essentially running a payola scam where you

have to pay them if you want your own fans to see your

content. (You) make a big piece of content that you feel proud

of, you put it up on Facebook. From there, their algorithm

takes over, with no transparency. … It’s like if The New York

Times had their own subscriber base, but you had to pay the

paperboy for every article you wanted to see.”

• Partnerships between legacy and emerging media

• Platforms have become publishers

• Rise (and volatility) or news apps

• “Pivot to video” by major publishers results in traffic

implosions

• Normalization of paywalls for premium content

Social and digital is a critical part of media culture,

both as a way for journalists to disseminate

information and sources of potential stories.

• THEY CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT SOCIAL : Half of

journalists cannot do their work without social

media1

• THEY’RE MULTI-CHANNEL: 68% of journalists

use at least three types of social media 1

• THEY SOURCE STORIES FROM SOCIAL:

51.8% are using it to find and build stories2

1 Cision’s free 2016 Global Social Journalism Study

2 “State of the Media 2016 Report”

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Forget the old labels. Today’s outlets have tailored their output around specific

content formats or specialized subject matter. Aggregators, broadcasters,

vloggers – they all operate differently. The result is a diverse landscape where

stories, pitches and content must be highly customized.

(we could go on)

E-newsletter:

100,000+

NYT tweet:

38,000,000

Online circulation:

1,600,000

NYT Facebook post:

14,000,000

Print circulation:

3,000,000

Reporter tweet:

1,530,000

Reporter Facebook post:

625,000

LinkedIn post:

2,500,000

Video:

14,300,000Reporter TV interview:

200,000-3,000,000

Newsmakers and celebrities use social and owned channels

to communicate directly to audiences. Witness LeBron James

talk to fans on his UNITERRUPTED platform.

In emerging realms like podcasting, entertaining outsiders

gain credibility previously reserved for reporters. Above, the

comics on “My Favorite Murder” talk true crime to cultish fans.

Smartphones turn passersby into photographers, and live-

streaming provides a window into any news event.

• Narrative and cultural context for ideas

• Know the audience’s media habits

• Anticipate news cycles – and how to infiltrate them

• Utilize advanced media targeting to reach the right

audience in a language they speak

• Craft earned-first content that’s built to travel

• Think beyond the byline

• Target sources of influence who insert our story

into the audience’s newsfeeds

• Leverage paid to drive and enhance earned

• Optimize messaging for multiple channels to

control narrative

• Plot the flow of the story across multiple platforms

Earned-first storytelling doesn’t start with your tagline. It

starts with the culture around us and around the world.

• AUDIT: Search and analyze relevant media coverage

and conversation trends to assess opportunities

• SEEK TENSIONS: Identify and intersect cultural

tension points that spur news and debate

• ANTICIPATE ISSUES: Mitigate and manage risk from

the start

• ANALYZE DATA: Understand audience behaviors, from

search habits to channel preferences

• DESIGN AUDIENCE PERSONAS: People are unique. You

must analyze behaviors to create detailed archetypes which

help optimize our content mix and channel strategies

• FOCUS CHANNEL PRIORITIES: You can’t be everywhere at

once. Prioritize channels to maximize effectiveness

• GATHER INTELLIGENCE: Leverage media relationships

to identify topics of interest and create a plan to infiltrate

• STEAL SHARE OF VOICE: Seize news cycles with crafty,

provocative stories timed to insert your organization into

coverage

• FORECAST TRENDING MOMENTS: From the solar

eclipse to election night, some trending topics can be

spotted months in advance.

• STAY NIMBLE & PIVOT: News cycles are fluid, so rapid

response can extend lifespan of a story

• DIVE DEEP: Identify key verticals within legacy

media (NYT has 60+ specialized e-newsletters) to

appeal to specific audiences

• THINK PLATFORM: Emerging media on digital

platforms are the new normal for the streaming

generation – we must take the story to them

• GO BEYOND IMPRESSIONS: It’s not the quantity,

it’s the “quality of your quantity.” We target outlets

that spark considerations and actions among your

most valued audience

• VIDEO: With outlets making a “pivot to video” due to advertising

effectiveness, we must optimize content to fit their model.

• VERTICAL IS THE RULE: Vertical video is proven to drive 6X the

interaction rate of horizontal mobile video. Let’s consider vertical video the

rule no longer the exception.

• EDITORIAL, NOT INTRUSIVE: 93% of viewers considered blocking video

ads because of slow load times, intrusive formats and privacy concerns. To

win the newsfeed, behave more native and more editorial.

• SIZE MATTERS: Land your message, and quickly, but quality storytelling

can maintain attention.

• IMMERSIVE: New techniques to present stories – from VR, to 360 video,

and so on.

Social media provides an opportunity to accelerate news,

but also to inform and drive coverage.

• BREAK NEWS WHERE INFLUENCE GREATEST:

Social can drive instant traction and conversation,

especially with reporters who have massive followings

• OPTIMIZE CONTENT FOR SOCIAL: Deliver socially

optimized assets built to be shared to reporters

• CONSIDER FULL FOOTPRINT OF REPORTERS:

Journalists now host podcasts, conduct live stream

broadcasts, tweet storm, or appear on additional media

outlets. Work side by side with them to extend the

reach of stories as widely as possible

Yes, the usual suspects like BuzzFeed, Mic

and Vox, but also legacy media (NPR, NYT)

who increasingly dominate social feeds

through a diverse content mix

Some reporters can drive even more

attention through a tweet than a story, so

work to maximize their social impact

Every topic has authoritative voices who you

must engage and invest in your story

Your employees and partners must deploy

their voice to the benefit of the outreach plan

• AUDIENCE TARGETING: Identify where and how to

reach our key audiences

• SYNDICATE CONTENT: Leverage best-in-class tactics

to ensure content engages the right audience

• ENHANCE MEDIA COVERAGE: When positive stories

run, leverage paid to expand the audience

• OPTIMIZE OWNED CHANNELS: Design a road map

• CREDIBLE INTEGRATIONS: Partner with established

media for editorial-style content that incites reactions

• SEARCH: Optimize approach to break through clutter

• CONTROL NARRATIVES VIA CONTENT: Distribute

edited video soundbites that can easily be embedded

or shared via social

• THINK TWEETABLE: When penning quotes, make it

work hard across channels, rather then living only in

your press release.

• GO LIVE WHEN NEEDED: Live video helps

broadcast our message direct to audiences or media

• MAKE VALUE STATEMENTS: Every soundbite is

now a possible headline. If you don’t express value,

you’ve said nothing at all

Don’t over-think it.

Focus on the

skills and

expertise your

organization

demands.

Media is changing too fast

and too furious to rely on

what you knew before.

Apply fresh perspectives

to every project.

Get into media!

Design work and

strategies to

match the ways

we watch, listen

and share media

“Creator of the Decade”

mkbhd | Marques Brownlee

Don’t wait for

tried and true

solutions.

Experiment and

test.