creating viral content - shazna nessa - austin newstrain - aug. 22-23, 2014
DESCRIPTION
NewsTrain instructor Shazna Nessa describes the research about what makes news content go viral and suggests how journalists might apply that knowledge to creating content that is more widely shared. Nessa is the former Associated Press interactive and innovations chief. She delivered this presentation as part of the NewsTrain workshop in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 22-23, 2014. Please see an associated handout -- Creating Viral Content. For more information about NewsTrain, a traveling workshop for journalists sponsored by Associated Press Media Editors, please visit http://www.apme.com/?AboutNewsTrain.TRANSCRIPT
When content goes viral
• What is it anyway?
• What does the research say?
• How can we use it in our newsrooms?
WHAT IS IT? GOING VIRAL
“The tendency of an image, video, or piece of
information to be circulated rapidly and widely from
one Internet user to another.”
oxforddictionaries.com
No one way to “go viral”
• Unique content
• Framing
• Ease of sharing functions on website
• Timing
How and where do people share?
What the experts say
Berger’s Framework
• Social Currency: We share things that make us look smart and feel like insiders.
• Triggers: Remind people to talk about story. “Top of mind leads to top of tongue.”
• Emotion: “When we care, we share.” • Public: Creative initiatives that are observable. • Practical Value: Make it useful; “news you can use” • Stories: Wrap a message in a narrative.
Physiological Arousal HIGH AROUSAL LOW AROUSAL
POSITIVE Awe Excitement Amusement and Humor
Contentment
NEGATIVE Anger Anxiety
Sadness
Anger and anxiety lead people to share because they are high-arousal emotions.
“We prefer a natural-language approach—something that sounds like it came from a human being, rather than a traditional headline style. Vivid descriptions and tiny
quotations can help achieve this.”
Eric Carvin, AP
“I think the best headlines and captions are the ones that give me enough detail to understand what
the content is about, while still compelling me to click through for
more..”
Lauren McCullough, former AP
Headlines: Create a “curiosity gap”
• Don’t give everything away
• Don’t dumb it down
• The image is important
• Upworthy’s 25 headlines per piece of content
• Keep testing
“Serious” and “fun” stories (NPR)
• Why More Idaho Moms Breastfeed Than Anywhere In The U.S. (Boise State Public Radio)
• 5 things to know about Michigan’s education gap (Michigan Radio)
• How Much Does It Cost to Live Comfortably in the Bay Area? (KQED)
Sharing “serious” stories (NPR)
• What’s the headline?
• What is your approach to telling the story?
• How will this be different from what others have already done?
• Why will people share it?
• What’s next?
