Perhaps when reporters put together the “lead” paragraph of their stories, it is probably time to add another letter to the old and reliable formula of the 5Ws, adding the S—as in shareable.
For two semesters now I have been reminding my Columbia University journalism students to include the “most shareable” element of their story in the lead paragraph as well as on the headline of the story.
Look for the S for shareable: Especially with mobile journalism, where the first screen readers see is key to retention, the S for shareable may be one of the most important elements to highlight.
What readers share
A new Pew Research study comes out precisely the same week that I have been reminding my newspaper clients to take stock of “essential” lifestyle stories running through their content so that these stories can be promoted, leading to more sharing of them.
To summarize the Pew Research study:
- A survey of Americans who posted news-related tweets over the summer found that they were most likely to tweet about entertainment. Among the news tweets surveyed, 29% were about entertainment, while 26% were about government and politics, 12% about sports, and 8% about health
- Tweets about politics saw the biggest jump since 2015, when only 17% of news tweets were about politics.
- In 2021, 37% of the news-related tweets included the poster’s opinion about the news.
What readers like to share: I have observed first hand how these recent findings truly apply. Readers are more likely to share recipes, travel or health tips. Editors, however, sometimes believe that their own preference and obsession with hard news applies to readers. This is NOT the case.
What to look for as most shareable stories…
Americans who tweeted about the news in 2021 focused mostly on three subject areas: entertainment, politics and sports. These three subject areas were also the most common among Americans who tweeted about the news in 2015.
I advise editors to end their first news meeting of the day asking the question: what are the stories today that are most likely to attract “sharing”? Chances are that the line up of such stories will come primarily from lifestyle and content that involves how the newspaper helps readers with their daily lives.
Yes, that recipe for the best blueberry muffins, or the guide to the best 10 spots to visit without getting too far from home. Add to that exclusive interviews or personality profiles.
The Pew Research is good testimony about what readers tweet about from the news content they read.
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As an academic, I know the importance of having the right tools to advance our students, especially on the important subject of mobile storytelling. Please drop me an email if you would like to sample The Story in its digital edition: mario@garciamedia.com
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TheMarioBlog post # 3339