The art & science of earned-first storytelling

300 hours of video Average of 6,000 uploaded to YouTube tweets per second every minute

95 million 4 million photos and videos likes per second posted each day

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Filter bubbles result from personalized searches when a 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

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9 . 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. ROUGHLY

Remembered the Less than path/platform half recalled where they found name of the the news story news outlet

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 “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 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”

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) LinkedIn post: Reporter Facebook post: 2,500,000 625,000

Online circulation: NYT Facebook post: 1,600,000 14,000,000

NYT tweet: E-newsletter: 38,000,000 100,000+

Reporter tweet: Print circulation: 1,530,000 3,000,000

Video: Reporter TV interview: 14,300,000 200,000-3,000,000

Newsmakers and celebrities use social and owned channels In emerging realms like podcasting, entertaining outsiders Smartphones turn passersby into photographers, and live- to communicate directly to audiences. Witness LeBron James gain credibility previously reserved for reporters. Above, the streaming provides a window into any news event. talk to fans on his UNITERRUPTED platform. comics on “My Favorite Murder” talk true crime to cultish fans.

• Narrative and cultural context for ideas • Think beyond the byline • Know the audience’s media habits • Target sources of influence who insert our story • Anticipate news cycles – and how to infiltrate them into the audience’s newsfeeds • Utilize advanced media targeting to reach the right • Leverage paid to drive and enhance earned audience in a language they speak • Optimize messaging for multiple channels to • Craft earned-first content that’s built to travel 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 , Some reporters can drive even more Every topic has authoritative voices who you Your employees and partners must deploy and Vox, but also legacy media (NPR, NYT) attention through a tweet than a story, so must engage and invest in your story their voice to the benefit of the outreach plan who increasingly dominate social feeds work to maximize their social impact through a diverse content mix • 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. “Creator of the Decade” mkbhd | Marques Brownlee Get into media! Design work and strategies to match the ways we watch, listen and share media Don’t wait for tried and true solutions. Experiment and test.