Instagram for journalists

Instagram for journalists

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Agenda

What is Instagram?

Who uses Instagram?

Why should we use it?

How should we use it?

How to use Instagram

Best practices

Takeaways

Conclusion

Agenda

GateHouse and InstagramInstagram isn’t new (although it’s changing and growing).

Referral traffic isn't as obvious as Facebook and Twitter.

We studied other news organizations before deciding on a strategy.

Instagram is not required for GateHouse newsrooms.

We think it makes sense for larger newsrooms and those in competitive markets.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a photo/video sharing app used primarily on iPhones and Androids that allows you to crop and apply filters to images and videos.*

You assign #hashtags in the caption so people can find your item and your followers see it in their stream.

What is Instagram?

Some stats:•150 million monthly active users *

•16 billion photos shared *

•55 million is the avg. number of photos shared daily *

•It’s the 3rd fastest growing app in the world (behind Vine and Flickr) **

SOURCES: *Instagram, Nov. 2013 **GlobalWebIndex, Q1-Q3 2013

What is Instagram?

Some stats:

•Studies suggest teens are leaving Facebook (because their parents are there!) to go to other social media sites.

•26% say they prefer Twitter. 23% say they prefer Instagram (making it tied with Facebook as the second-most important social network to American teens.)*

• 20% of female, 16% male cell phone users 18+ use the Instagram app.

• 43% of 18- to 29-year-old cell phone users say they use Instagram.

SOURCE: Piper Jaffray study 10/2013

What is Instagram?

Some stats:

•1 in 10 teens in the U.S. visited Instagram in Dec. 2011.*

•21% of teens say Instagram is their favorite social media site (61% say it’s Tumblr). This increased 5% since last year. **

•13% of online adults say they use Instagram.***

SOURCES: *Nielsen **NextAdvisor ***Pew

Who uses Instagram?

News organizations:

•Washington Post: to build community

•Chicago Tribune: posts UGC around weekly themes

•NBC News: weekly callouts related to timely events; behind-the-scenes

•New Yorker: fashion

•Wall Street Journal: callouts, fashion, staff pix, collages

Why should we use it?

Aside from “because our readers are …”As one poynter.com article sums it up: Whereas Twitter and Facebook are where you get the news, Instagram is where you feel it.

Promote your photographers’ work.*

Engage with the community.

Expose your brand.

Future potential to connect Instagram content to websites.


Large newsrooms

•All large newsrooms should consider setting up an Instagram account.

•Digital editors and photographers should play a role in posting to the account.

•Determine what type of content you can consistently post and develop a schedule for posting. (e.g. every Thursday post an archive photo, every Friday a best photo of the week.)

•Monitor comments, likes to gauge what YOUR readers want.


Small newsrooms •Admittedly, not every newsroom can sustain an Instagram account. Staff size and regular access to photos may be an issue. However, it’s not impossible.

•An account can be sustained by highlighting that week’s best photo and by using reader photos you solicit through Instagram and on other platforms.

•Consider regional accounts.

•Instagram is tolerant of infrequent posting. Once a week is doable. Just pick a day.


Set up an account•You have to do this on a smartphone after downloading the free app.*

•Click on Register

•You will need:• Username Phone (optional)• Password Photo/logo• Email Bio• Name (real)


Set up an account

•Username • All one word, 30-character limit• Can include letters, underscores, numbers• Use your publication name, abbreviating if necessary

•Real name• Unsure of character limit• Use your publication name, abbreviating if necessary


Set up an account

•Bio• 150-character limit• Make it clear you are a newspaper covering XX region or

town(s). • Include your email address.• Indicate if there’s a #hashtag a user should include in their

caption to flag a photo to you. (e.g. #wickedlocal, #rrstar).


Set up an account

•Sample account set up:• Username: WickedLocalPix• Name: Wicked Local• Bio: A network of weekly and daily websites in Central and

Eastern Massachusetts; part of GateHouse Media. Share photos with us using #wickedlocal.

• (no email listed because this is a regional account and there are only 7 characters left anyway).


Navigate the app

• The “buttons” along the bottom of the page are how you navigate around the app.


Navigate the app – Home page

• The first button is the home page.• The home page displays the photos and

videos of everyone you follow. Scroll down to reveal more.

• Each photo includes a caption, likes and comments.


Navigate the app – Home page

• The … button lets you tag an item as inappropriate, tweet it or “copy share” the URL.


Navigate the app – Explore

• The second button is the Explore page.

• You can search for users and hashtags.

• The page also displays most recently “interesting” photos, as determined by Instagram. (You’ll be notified in the News section if one of your photos is ever displayed there)


Navigate the app – Camera

• The middle button is where you add and/or take photos and videos to your account.

• When you click on the middle button, you are brought to a page that looks the same as when you take a photo on your smartphone.

• Click on the video icon in the right, bottom corner to instead take a 3- to 15-second long video and the left button to choose an existing image from your camera roll.



• Instagram videos• You can shoot a video that is one-clip long,

or record several clips that create one video.

• The maximum video length is 15 seconds (almost 2x as Vine). For that reason, it’s best to just post these to Instagram – not also to your website.

• You MUST hold the camera vertically.



• Instagram videos• Tap and hold the red video camera record button to start

filming. Let go to stop. Hold again for another clip.

• You can delete the last clip you recorded and do it again.

• You can “flip” the camera to record yourself.

• You can apply filters to the video, but do NOT do that for journalistic videos.



•Instagram videos• When you’re done, tap Next.

• The finished product is posted to your Instagram feed and is stored in your camera roll.



•Crop• All Instagram photos are square,

so cropping is almost always necessary.

• To crop, pinch and move the image to appear as you want it.

• Click Crop in the upper, right corner when you’re done.

• Add #cropped to the caption.



•Filter• You should NEVER filter a

journalistic image for ethical reasons.

• This page does allow you to rotate an image, which is sometimes necessary if it’s upside down.

• Click on the first icon.



•Filter• A new menu of options appears.• Choose the first one, arrows with

90* in the middle. • Click on the icon as many times as

needed to correct the image.• Click Next in the upper, right

corner.



•Share• This page allows you to add a

caption, tag people, add a location and choose what other social media platforms on which you want to share.

• Be as thorough as possible with your information. Searching is how non-followers find you.


Navigate the app – Camera•Share – Add a caption• You can type or paste into this

field.• Include as many #hashtags as are

relevant to help people on Instagram find your photo. • #tbt=Throwback Thursday• #photooftheday or #bestoftheday• #beautiful• #unfiltered or #nofilter


Navigate the app – Camera•Share – the rest• If you think the person is on

Instagram, tag them.• Add to Photo Map is powered by

FourSquare. Instagram may show other people in your area this photo.

• You can post to other social media (you’ll be asked to connect).*

• Click Share when done.


Navigate the app – Following/News

• The fourth button is the Following/News page. • Click on Following to check out the activity

of people you follow (e.g. what posts they’ve liked, who else they are following)

• Click on News to see activity on your own account (e.g. who liked your photos, who left a comment).


Navigate the app – Profile

• The last button is the profile page. • You can edit

your account settings here by clicking on “Edit your Profile” at the top of the page. Make changes and click Done.


Navigate the app – Profile

• You can see a stream of all of your photos and videos.

• You can also see how many posts you’ve made, how many followers you have and how many people you follow.

• A map reveals from where you’ve posted items and a listing of photos from which you’ve been tagged.

Best practices

Hashtags

•Instagram loves #hashtags. It’s the universal symbol for “show me everything that matches this keyword.” It’s just about the only way to find stuff on Instagram (besides searching for a user).

•Tap into the various communities out there – animals, trains, art, music, fashion, cities, celebrities, politicians, etc.

•Think like a user – what types of photos might you be looking for and what hashtag would you plug in to find them?

Best practices

Hashtags•Tap into existing #hashtag trends. You’ll increase the chance of people stumbling on your image. If they like what they see, hopefully they’ll follow you. • Monday: #MondayBlues, #ManCrushMonday• Tuesday: #TuesdayBoozeday, #TransformationTuesday• Wednesday: #HumpDay, #WednesdayWisdom• Thursday: #tbt or #ThrowbackThursday• Friday: #FridayNight, #FridayReads• Saturday: #Caturday, #SaturdayShenanigans• Sunday: #SelfieSunday

Best practices

Frequency

•Instagram users seem tolerant of occasional use, perhaps once a week. Do not feel obligated to post every day. But do try to be consistent about when you post so people can look forward to your images.

•Establish a schedule for posting and assign people responsibilities. e.g. digital editor posts front page images every day, photographer posts best of image every Friday.

Best practices

Frequency

•Sample Instagram posting schedule (suggestions only):• Monday: Back to work (photo from last week of someone on

the job)• Tuesday: An animal photo (call out, adopt-a-pet, candid)• Wednesday: This week’s front page (could be every day)• Thursday: Throwback Thursday (pix from the archives)• Friday: Best photo(s) of the week• Saturday: Photo promoting a story running in Sunday’s paper• Sunday: Selfie Sunday – take a selfie of someone in the

newsroom or in the field, behind-the-scenes

Best practices

Who should you follow?

•Some suggested accounts to follow for information and inspiration:• Your competition if they have accounts• Local businesses, figures, bands• CNN• huffingtonpost• newyorkeronline• myspacetom• wsj

Best practices

How can you get followers?

•It takes time to build up a following. Be patient.

•Like and comment on others’ Instagram content.

•Post beautiful photos.

•Use popular hashtags that will expose you to new people.

•Promote your account. Blatantly ask people to follow you.

Best practices

Promotion

•Include a URL to your website in the Instagram caption to let people know where to find more. It will not be hyperlinked, but it will introduce your site to newbies.• SAMPLE CAPTION: A view at the end of the assembly line at

General Motors in #Framingham on Nov. 4, 1987. ARCHIVE PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER FITZGERALD #generalmotors #gm #cars #business #tbt #nofilter #oldphoto #cropped – Find more photos at www.metrowestdailynews.com.

Best practices

Promotion•Cross promote in print. • Run a #tbt photo in print the same day

you post it on Instagram. In the print caption, encourage the reader to find more on your Instagram account.

•Run a house ad in print promoting your Instagram account.

•Run a callout in print that includes the #hashtag to use when posting it on Instagram.*

Best practices

Promotion

•Add a Hotlink/Featured link on your website.

•File a Zen and request an Instagram button be added.

•Post a story promoting Instagram on your site.

•Post a promo on other social media platforms.

Takeaways

Consider Instagram

•Share your photographers’ great work.

•Engage with the (younger) community.

•Establish a schedule; share the workload.

•Follow the pack – tap into existing # trends.

•Be creative and have fun!

Conclusion

This is another social media platform that we should attempt to get a foothold in while it’s still growing.

Since the demands of participation are not as strict as a site such as Facebook, it seems worth the effort to try to be involved.

It’s a way to spotlight cool photos and videos. It’s another way to get our brand in front of people who may not otherwise know us, and to plant the seed in their mind that we are a reliable source when they are looking for information.

Questions?

Contact:

Nicole Simmons

[email protected]

Instagram: WickedLocalPix

Twitter: Digital_Nicole

508-626-3923

mailto:[email protected]

Instagram for journalists

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Instagram for journalists