GATEHOUSE MEDIA

Rethinking your digital budget GATEHOUSE MEDIA

COPYRIGHT 2016 GATEHOUSE MEDIA, LLC. SOME RIGHTS RESERVED

INTRO

Agenda ü Adopting a digital mindset: Why is it important? How do I set digital goals? ü Web posting guidelines ü Web posting schedule template ü Walkthrough Wilmington’s budget ü Coordinating multiple sites (Joel Axon, Gainesville/Ocala) ü Using metrics to put your social media plan together ü Determining your best timeline (Jason Kolnos, Cape Cod) ü Empowering your team to post content (Anna Derocher and Kevin Hass, Rockford)


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset Journalists need to consider online presentation through photos, videos, interactive tools and graphics — as well distribution and how to tailor content for each platform.

We need to evolve past the print mindset. News isn’t written for tomorrow anymore. When you wait until something runs in print to put it online, it’s already lost its relevance.

Digital pushes us to think proactively. When we think digital-first, our content is ready for our readers when they’re seeking it out, not after the immediacy is gone.


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OUR BELIEFS

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Our readers are thinking digital-first. We need to be where our readers spend their time. When we think digital-first, we think about delivering content to the platforms where our readers invest their time.


OUR BELIEFS

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Digital pushes us to think proactively. When we think digital-first, our content is ready for our readers when they’re seeking it out, not after the immediacy is gone.


OUR BELIEFS

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Digital pushes us to think proactively.

Digital-first frees up valuable print space.

When we think digital-first, our content is

When we put briefs and news updates

ready for our readers when they’re seeking

online, we have more space in print for the

it out, not after the immediacy is gone.

in-depth, proactive reporting readers value.


OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü Set overarching goals. Grow audience through pageviews, time on site, engagement. Maximize mobile. Take innovative approach to storytelling.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü Set overarching goals. Grow audience through pageviews, time on site, engagement. Maximize mobile. Take innovative approach to storytelling. ü Establish specialists. Champions in each newsroom who will tackle top priorities – mobile, audience growth, engagement and innovation.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü Set overarching goals. Grow audience through pageviews, time on site, engagement. Maximize mobile. Take innovative approach to storytelling. ü Establish specialists. Champions in each newsroom who will tackle top priorities – mobile, audience growth, engagement and innovation. ü Reconsider content itself. Mobile is a complete game-changer. What worked in print and desktop often doesn’t work on our phones. We will think mobile first.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü Set overarching goals. Grow audience through pageviews, time on site, engagement. Maximize mobile. Take innovative approach to storytelling. ü Establish specialists. Champions in each newsroom who will tackle top priorities – mobile, audience growth, engagement and innovation. ü Reconsider content itself. Mobile is a complete game-changer. What worked in print and desktop often doesn’t work on our phones. We will think mobile first. ü Reimagine workflow. Morning meetings will start with mobile metrics to build on successful stories. Digital content will flow throughout the day. Stories for print will deadline earlier. COPYRIGHT 2016 GATEHOUSE MEDIA, LLC. SOME RIGHTS RESERVED

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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü  Breaking news. Have a plan in place. Utilize social platforms. Write content knowing it will be consumed by people on phones.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü  Breaking news. Have a plan in place. Utilize social platforms. Write content knowing it will be consumed by people on phones. ü  Projects/in-depth. Make digital part of project planning at the outset. Utilize free, easy-to-use tools.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü  Breaking news. Have a plan in place. Utilize social platforms. Write content knowing it will be consumed by people on phones. ü  Projects/in-depth. Make digital part of project planning at the outset. Utilize free, easy-to-use tools. ü  Event coverage. Be more selective. Focus on previews.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü  Breaking news. Have a plan in place. Utilize social platforms. Write content knowing it will be consumed by people on phones. ü  Projects/in-depth. Make digital part of project planning at the outset. Utilize free, easy-to-use tools. ü  Event coverage. Be more selective. Focus on previews. ü  Meeting coverage. No more 20-inch meeting stories. Use meetings as fodder for enterprise with context. Report important decisions as they happen.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü  Breaking news. Have a plan in place. Utilize social platforms. Write content knowing it will be consumed by people on phones. ü  Projects/in-depth. Make digital part of project planning at the outset. Utilize free, easy-to-use tools. ü  Event coverage. Be more selective. Focus on previews. ü  Meeting coverage. No more 20-inch meeting stories. Use meetings as fodder for enterprise with context. Report important decisions as they happen. ü  Engage. Be all over comments on social media and website. Respond, learn, encourage conversation, share with others in the newsroom.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset ü  Breaking news. Have a plan in place. Utilize social platforms. Write content knowing it will be consumed by people on phones. ü  Projects/in-depth. Make digital part of project planning at the outset. Utilize free, easy-to-use tools. ü  Event coverage. Be more selective. Focus on previews. ü  Meeting coverage. No more 20-inch meeting stories. Use meetings as fodder for enterprise with context. Report important decisions as they happen. ü  Engage. Be all over comments on social media and website. Respond, learn, encourage conversation, share with others in the newsroom. ü  Innovate. Try new technologies to expand your reach, stretch your storytelling.


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OUR BELIEFS

Adopting a digital-first mindset Setting digital goals

Recommended Facebook posting goals by staff size • 0-2 full-time newsroom staff: 2 posts per day • 3-4 staff: 3 posts per day • 5-8 staff: 4 posts per day • 9-18 staff: 6 posts per day • 19+ staff: 8 posts per day

Recommended web posting goals by staff size • 0-8 staff: 10 stories per day • 9-18 staff: 20 stories per day • 19+ staff: 40 stories per day


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DIGITAL BUDGETS

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Web posting guidelines Weekends vs. weekdays Traffic peaks were slightly more exaggerated on weekends vs weekdays – but peak hours were similar. Posting recommendations are consistent regardless of day of week.

Weekend traffic peaks

Weekday traffic peaks


DIGITAL BUDGETS

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Web posting guidelines Posting for desktop traffic Recommendations: post longer, more in-depth pieces very early in the morning, before the 8 a.m. spike in desktop traffic

Desktop traffic by the hour


DIGITAL BUDGETS

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Web posting guidelines Posting for mobile traffic Recommendations: frequently post shorter stories, starting at 5 p.m., before the 8 p.m. spike in mobile traffic. Posts should promote and focus on mobile-friendly content – video and photo galleries.

Mobile traffic by the hour


DIGITAL BUDGETS

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Web posting schedule template Recommendations for weeklies or newsrooms with eight or fewer full-time staffers

5 a.m.

7 a.m.

11 a.m.

3:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

Morning news roundup: Links and recaps of top stories to start the day

Sports analysis or preview: Not a game recap, but proactive reporting

Go-and-do, entertainment-driven article, alternative story format, OR events calendar highlight

Beat coverage, news update

Update or follow up on most popular story of the day

6:00 a.m.

10 a.m.

1:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

Today’s top story: Long-form news; narratives; traditional hard-news reporting; longer news features; solid beat coverage

Beat coverage, news update OR brief

Tomorrow’s weather forecast

Promote best multimedia of the day: videos, photo galleries, interactive maps, etc.

Sports results, recaps

ß Clock symbol indicates post should be written and scheduled in advance COPYRIGHT 2016 GATEHOUSE MEDIA, LLC. SOME RIGHTS RESERVED

DIGITAL BUDGETS

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Web posting schedule template Recommendations for newsrooms with nine or more full-time staffers

5 a.m.

6 a.m.

7 a.m.

8 a.m.

9 a.m.

10 a.m.

Best story of the day: in-depth, enterprise, breaking news follow-up

Sports analysis or preview: Not a game recap, but proactive reporting

Top crime story, with background/ context



Go-and-do, entertainmentdriven article or alternative story format

5:30 a.m.

6:30 a.m.

7:30 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

9:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

Morning news roundup: Links, recaps of top stories to start the day

Long-form news; narratives; hardnews reporting; longer news features; solid beat coverage






DIGITAL BUDGETS

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11 a.m.

Noon

1 p.m.

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

4 p.m.




Tomorrow’s weather forecast



11:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

3:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.






Short dining/ entertainment piece


DIGITAL BUDGETS

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5:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

7 p.m.

8 p.m.

9 p.m.

10 p.m.

11 p.m.

Promote best multimedia of the day: videos, photo galleries, interactive maps, etc.


Update or followup on most popular story of the day

Sports results, recaps




5:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

10:30 p.m.

Evening news roundup: Links and recaps of top stories from the day







EXAMPLE BUDGET

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StarNews digital budget Monday, June 6 Centerpiece 8 a.m.

Check Parsley

9 a.m. 10 a.m.

Photo gallery/video Miss USA

Tropical storm Colin coverage

2 p.m.

Shakespeare on the Green photos

3 p.m. 4 p.m.

Local brewery feature/list

5 p.m. 6 p.m.

Tropical storm coverage

7 p.m. 8 p.m.

Nonprofit feature

9 p.m. 10 p.m.


Double suicide

Double suicide

Mugshots/Tropical storm coverage

Mugshots/Tropical storm coverage Leon Wright fought from Normandy into Germany for DDay Chef pop-‐up dinner feature

Local brewery feature/list Share to ILM Beer page

Local brewery feature/list @ILM_Beer

Wreck driving off Wrightsville



Civil War shipwreck ar=facts

Grave-‐moving resolu=on discussion moved to later date


Coast Guard Sta=on Oak Island

Agenda item, Drowning vic=m ID


MyReporter contest, stray emu

Stray emu, MyReporter contest

0615CIS

Pets story callout

Pets story callout

0612PASSAGES, 0615TANK

0610COMSTY

Agenda item

Border Collie rescue (good news story) Border Collie rescue (good news story) Mugshots/latest arrests

Mugshots/latest arrests

NHCounty budget mee=ng


Nonprofit feature

Nonprofit feature

Brunswick County budget mee=ng


FRONT PAGE

FRONT PAGE

11 p.m. Midnight

Stories ready for copy edi=ng

Chef pop-‐up dinner feature Chef pop-‐up dinner feature

1 p.m.

Twi9er/tags

Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green Leon Wright fought from Normandy into Germany for DDay

11 a.m. Noon

Facebook


Budget mee=ngs

EXAMPLE BUDGET

StarNews digital budget: Centerpiece stories Monday, June 6 Centerpiece 8 a.m.

Check Parsley

9 a.m. 10 a.m.


ü  Stories that resonate

Chef pop-‐up dinner feature

Popular or trending stories are found using Parsley; these stories are reposted or follow-ups are written


ü  Detailed storm coverage/ breaking news

11 a.m. Noon 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m.


ü  Features


ü  Strong photo galleries, videos

5 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m.

Nonprofit feature

ü  Entertainment/lists

9 p.m. 10 p.m.


11 p.m. Midnight

Online centerpiece section


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EXAMPLE BUDGET

StarNews digital budget: Centerpiece stories Monday, June 6 Centerpiece 8 a.m.

Check Parsley

9 a.m. 10 a.m.


ü  Planned centerpieces: 8


•Big stories, like tropical storm coverage, can be reposted to centerpiece section throughout the day as updates are added


•In small newsrooms, this number would be closer to 4

11 a.m. Noon 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m.


5 p.m. 6 p.m.


7 p.m. 8 p.m.

Nonprofit feature

9 p.m. 10 p.m.

•Top news stories that are already developing or features that have already been written

ü  Stories published to web: 50-60 •Includes stories that can’t necessarily be planned for in advance: breaking news, spot news, briefs, beat reporting •Includes stories that can be planned for, but wouldn’t run in centerpiece position: meeting coverage, crime updates •In small newsrooms, this number would be closer to 10-20


11 p.m. Midnight


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EXAMPLE BUDGET

StarNews digital budget: Multimedia Monday, June 6 Photo gallery/video 8 a.m. 9 a.m.

Miss USA

10 a.m.

Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green

11 a.m. Noon 1 p.m.

Wreck driving off Wrightsville

2 p.m.

Civil War shipwreck ar=facts

3 p.m.

Coast Guard Sta=on Oak Island

4 p.m.

ü  Previously shot galleries ü  Same-day event photo galleries, videos

5 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m.

ü  Interactive tools, maps, digital tools should also be planned for in budget

8 p.m. 9 p.m. 10 p.m. 11 p.m. Midnight


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EXAMPLE BUDGET

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StarNews digital budget: Social media Monday, June 6 Facebook

Twi9er/tags

8 a.m.

Double suicide

Double suicide

9 a.m.



10 a.m.

Leon Wright fought from Normandy into Germany for DDay


11 a.m.



ü  Various news stories

Noon



•Breaking news

1 p.m.



2 p.m.



3 p.m.



4 p.m.



5 p.m.

Pets story callout

Pets story callout

6 p.m.

Border Collie rescue (good news story) Border Collie rescue (good news story)

ü  Recurring stories

7 p.m.



8 p.m.



ü  Next day front page teasers

9 p.m.

Nonprofit feature

Nonprofit feature

10 p.m.



•Longer follow-ups on breaking news, in-depth stories •Briefs, beat reporting, spot news, meeting updates

ü  Features, entertainment/lists ü  Multimedia ü  Callouts for reader engagement, sources

ü  Planning for engagement: hashtags, tagging users

11 p.m. Midnight FRONT PAGE

FRONT PAGE


EXAMPLE BUDGET

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Twi9er/tags

8 a.m.

Double suicide

Double suicide

9 a.m.



10 a.m.



11 a.m.



Noon



1 p.m.



2 p.m.



3 p.m.



4 p.m.



5 p.m.

Pets story callout

Pets story callout

6 p.m.


7 p.m.



8 p.m.



9 p.m.

Nonprofit feature

Nonprofit feature

10 p.m.




FRONT PAGE

ü  Plan to post stories throughout day, but save best stories for times when your audiences are most engaged Use Facebook Insights, Twitter analytics

ü  If old stories are trending, play it up by promoting them again on social media Take cues from Parsely, Google Analytics

ü  Plan out and schedule posts in advance for as much of your day as is possible; other stories and developments can be posted as available ü  Plan out live tweets and Facebook Live videos in digital budget; also plan to promote these events in advance on social media


EXAMPLE BUDGET


Twi9er/tags

8 a.m.

Double suicide

Double suicide

9 a.m.



10 a.m.



11 a.m.



Noon



1 p.m.



2 p.m.



3 p.m.



4 p.m.



5 p.m.

Pets story callout

Pets story callout

6 p.m.


7 p.m.



8 p.m.



9 p.m.

Nonprofit feature

Nonprofit feature

10 p.m.




FRONT PAGE


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EXAMPLE BUDGET

StarNews digital budget: Copy deadlines Monday, June 6 Stories ready for copy edi=ng 8 a.m. 9 a.m. 10 a.m. 11 a.m.

0610COMSTY

Noon 1 p.m.

Agenda item

2 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m.

0615CIS

5 p.m.

0612PASSAGES, 0615TANK

ü  To make sure stories are ready to go online at the times you have planned, set deadlines for copy editing

6 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. 9 p.m.

Budget mee=ngs

10 p.m. 11 p.m. Midnight


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EXAMPLE BUDGET

StarNews digital budget: Takeaways ü Plan for the “where,” not just the “what” •Figure out what your big stories will be, and plan to give those stories centerpiece treatment. Centerpiece stories should also include video, photo and interactive elements whenever possible.


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EXAMPLE BUDGET


ü Plan for social – don’t just post stories as they’re available •Pay attention to your social insights and analytics to make informed decisions about what stories play well for your audiences at what times of day. •Putting together a plan for social makes you more efficient – you’ll spend less time throughout the day trying to figure out what to post. •There may be a lot of overlap between social platforms. That’s OK, but use different language, hashtags across platforms. •Don’t just plan which stories to post. Also think proactively about photos, videos and callouts for engagement.


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EXAMPLE BUDGET


ü Plan for social – don’t just post stories as they’re available •Pay attention to your social insights and analytics to make informed decisions about what stories play well for your audiences at what times of day. •Putting together a plan for social makes you more efficient – you’ll spend less time throughout the day trying to figure out what to post. •There may be a lot of overlap between social platforms. That’s OK, but use different language, hashtags across platforms. •Don’t just plan which stories to post. Also think proactively about photos, videos and callouts for engagement.

ü Set deadlines for reporters •Don’t leave the budget up to chance. Set deadlines for reporters to turn in their copy so that things are ready to go up well before their budgeted time.


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IN ACTION

Gainesville/Ocala What they do Coordinate multiple newsrooms

Why it’s important ü Keep two newsrooms on track ü Maximizing resources Joel Axon/ Digital Editor


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IN ACTION

Gainesville/Ocala Concerns they had ü Very different markets ü Resources ü Coordination

How they do it ü Comprehensive planning document Joel Axon/ Digital Editor


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DIGITAL BUDGETS

Using analytics to inform digital planning Why is it important?

ü Follow the numbers •Follow the metrics to see what’s important to readers – their clicks will show you what they’re most interested in reading. •If a big story isn’t getting traction with readers, be aware so you can experiment with presenting it in different ways; sometimes, a story won’t resonate until it’s packaged and promoted correctly.


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DIGITAL BUDGETS



ü Trending stories •Analytics allow you to see if old stories are trending again. This can be a sign that there’s been new developments on the story, and tells you where to start digging for follow-up stories. •If an old story is trending, you can pull from that story to quickly put together a follow-up piece for posting later in the day.


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DIGITAL BUDGETS



ü Trending stories •Analytics allow you to see if old stories are trending again. This can be a sign that there’s been new developments on the story, and tells you where to start digging for follow-up stories. •If an old story is trending, you can pull from that story to quickly put together a follow-up piece for posting later in the day.

ü Get it in the workflow •Planning for follow-up stories and blocking out time on your budget to consult analytics means it’s already in the workflow, and not an extra thing that may or may not get done.


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DIGITAL BUDGETS

Using analytics to inform digital planning Getting started with Facebook Insights

ü Accessing Insights •On a page you manage, click Insights on the menu bar on the top of the page.

ü Overview section •Refer to this page for a quick look at recent post reach, page views, page likes and video engagement. •Available date parameters: Today, yesterday, last 7 days, last 28 days; adjust for different views •Gives a quick overview of your recent performance in comparison to last day, week, etc.


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DIGITAL BUDGETS


ü What is reach? •An important metric that tells you how many people have actually seen your posts in their newsfeeds. •This number will increase as you figure out what posts play well with your audiences, and as your followers engage with your posts.

ü What is engagement? •Includes reactions, comments and shares •Viewable in Reach section of Insights

ü Why monitor reach and engagement? •Some fluctuation in these numbers is expected, but it’s important to know your average reach and level of engagement so you can set goals and track improvement. COPYRIGHT 2016 GATEHOUSE MEDIA, LLC. SOME RIGHTS RESERVED

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DIGITAL BUDGETS


ü When is your audience online? •Graphs available under Posts section of Insights •Critical part of building digital budget for social – plan to push most engaging, important news at times when readers are frequenting Facebook.

ü Post-level data •Individual post performance data available under Posts section of Insights •Breaks down post type, reach, engagement for individual posts

ü Bring it all together •Create your own spreadsheet to track Insights data – use this sheet to analyze which posts are getting the most engagement. •Use your conclusions to inform digital budget COPYRIGHT 2016 GATEHOUSE MEDIA, LLC. SOME RIGHTS RESERVED

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DIGITAL BUDGETS

Using analytics to inform digital planning Getting started with Google Analytics

ü Why Google Analytics? •Valuable for monitoring long-term trends, generating daily/weekly reports, analyzing referral traffic, desktop vs. mobile traffic •Use as a reference when putting together morning roundups of top stories from previous day

ü Installing Google Analytics •Create a Google Analytics account (google.com/analytics) •To set up tracking for your specific site, visit the Admin panel •Under the Account dropdown, select or create an account •In the Property column, select Create new property; select website and enter the website name and URL •Click Get Tracking ID – this is the code that you’ll place on your website to install Google Analytics •Finally, paste the tracking ID before the tags on the HTML page for your site. This code needs to appear on every page for which you would like to track analytics. COPYRIGHT 2016 GATEHOUSE MEDIA, LLC. SOME RIGHTS RESERVED

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DIGITAL BUDGETS


ü Google Analytics overview •First page to load when you visit your site’s GA page (access from google.com/analytics) •Overview of sessions, users, pageviews etc. on your whole site during a specific timeframe •This timeframe can be adjusted (top right corner)


45

DIGITAL BUDGETS


ü Need-to-know terminology for Overview page •Session: Total number of sessions is the total number of times site visitors viewed your site for a period of time •Users: The number of individual people who visited your site within the specified timeframe •Pageviews: Total pages viewed within specified timeframe •Pages / Sessions: Avg. number of pages viewed per session •Avg. Session Duration: Average length of a session •Bounce Rate: Percentage of visits that end without a visitor clicking to a new page


46

DIGITAL BUDGETS


ü Viewing most popular pages •On the sidebar menu, click Behavior > Site Content > All Pages •To view top pages by page title, click Page Title next to Primary Dimension


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IN ACTION

Cape Cod Times What they do Devised specific plan for their social media postings

Why it’s important ü Make sure to maximize prime audience traffic ü Best utilize staff ü Keep content coordinated Jason Kolnos/ Digital Assigning Editor

ü Builds trust with readers


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IN ACTION

Cape Cod Times Concerns they had ü Knowing when “to blitz” ü Resources ü Who posts to Facebook and when?

Jason Kolnos/ Digital Assigning Editor


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IN ACTION

Cape Cod Times How they do it ü Facebook Insights (older audience, in bed by 10) ü Post stories multiple times (with different headlines or layers) ü Plan for staff members (morning person) ü Build it into the budget Jason Kolnos/ Digital Assigning Editor


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IN ACTION

Rockford Register Star What they do Allow some reporters to post directly to web or social media.

Why it’s important ü Get content online and on social media quickly ü Diversifies skills of individuals in the newsroom ü Creates and fosters a team environment Anna Derocher/ Managing Editor

Kevin Haas/ Digital Assigning Editor

ü Builds trust


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IN ACTION

Rockford Register Star Concerns they had ü Quality control ü Resources

Anna Derocher/ Managing Editor



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IN ACTION

Rockford Register Star How they do it ü Set guidelines and expectations on what stories can by posted by which staffers ü Provide training ü Review and follow up.

Anna Derocher/ Managing Editor



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DIGITAL BUDGETS

Using analytics to inform digital planning Additional resources

ü The beginner’s guide to Google Analytics: http://www.steamfeed.com/beginners-guide-google-analytics-part-1-setting-account-grabbingcode/ ü Google Analytics YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/googleanalytics ü GateHouse Newsroom: http://www.gatehousenewsroom.com


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THANKS FOR LISTENING HAVE A NICE DAY EVERYONE! GATEHOUSE MEDIA
