Useful insights for people advancing healthy, responsive and resilient journalism
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What local influencers can teach newsrooms
People in New Jersey are turning to news influencers for local and community information, a study from the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University finds, regardless of whether the influencers consider themselves or their coverage journalistic. The ways these creators build followings and share information outside the institutional structures of journalism offer insights and approaches local newsrooms should consider:
They keep it — all of it — local. About half of the 4,000 posts reviewed were highly specific to New Jersey versus generic lifestyle, trend or entertainment content. That’s not just news coverage — about 1 in 4 posts were news, current events or educational content — the predominant lifestyle and promotional content was local, as well.
They’re filling coverage gaps. Hyperlocal sports coverage, restaurant reviews, events calendars and neighborhood happenings are popular influencer topics, but they’re also beats that traditional newsrooms have largely abandoned due to cutbacks. Nevertheless, the audience is there, which is how these creators can build loyal followings and share other types of information, too.
Reliable local voices can rapidly build strong followings. It took only months for several influencers to build the type of following it often takes legacy media years to garner, but sustainability is uncertain without institutional support.
They serve as information brokers, not journalists. Most of the influencers in the study do not identify as journalists and don’t do original reporting, instead curating and contextualizing existing news coverage.
The appetite for hyperlocal “lifestyle” coverage and the ability to quickly build a strong following are clear opportunities for local newsrooms to take advantage of as well, but few journalists employed by news organizations in New Jersey’s information ecosystem were posting or building audiences on short-form video platforms, the study noted.
News in Focus Headlines and resources aligned with API's four areas of focus.
>> Copy this simple way to answer the public’s questions about your journalism (Trusting News)
Most newsrooms have their mission, policies and history listed on their websites, but Joy Mayer encourages them to adapt it into an FAQ using approachable language and a structure that answers the questions people are actually asking. She points to NowKalamazoo’s revamped FAQ page, which addresses questions on who owns the outlet, how it makes money, whether it’s biased and what its goals are. The questions are friendlier and less jargony ways to address topics already addressed in the About section.
Try it out: Pull from and expand on your FAQ throughout your coverage — specify how you chose sources for a specific story, for example, or add a bullet on “how we operate” in a newsletter or social post.
>> How one newsletter writer is building a subscription business when ‘paywalls don’t really work’ (Nieman Lab)
Journalist David Covucci’s FOIAball newsletter shares insights he uncovers by filing records requests about the world of college football. In the first year, he’s gained 7,500 subscribers — 420 of them paid. He found the most success converting readers to paid subscribers by making direct appeals, explaining how few subscribers he gets from hard paywalls and that building a paid subscriber base takes time.
One tip: Covucci is experimenting with pairing soft paywalls with catchy appeal blurbs in an effort to beat the bystander effect — people closing out of the soft paywall with the assumption that someone else will contribute instead.
>> Readers understand content partnerships and younger readers want more of them (INMA)
Ninety percent of people recognize content partnerships when they come across them, understanding that it’s sponsored by a brand, according to a survey conducted by Newsworks, a marketing body for U.K. publishers. And among people 35 and younger, 3 in 4 report they want more content partnerships. Clearly-labeled sponsored content from a pharmacy chain highlighting ailments a pharmacist could address instead of a doctor, for example, was viewed positively and inspired action by readers.
Key takeaway: News brands can lend their trusted voice to advertisers, and it’s often viewed as something important for their readers to know, not just a PR play.
