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Brands as Newsrooms5 Lessons from
The Huffington Post
Lauri BakerHead of Branded Content,
The Huffington Post
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The Huffington Post
#1 Most Social Publisher on the Web
CREDIBILITY
• 500+ editors and reporters• 55k bloggers• 1,600 stories per day
• 78M Global Unique Visitors• 87M Monthly Social
Actions• 3M Daily Referrals from
Social
David Wood “Beyond the Battlefield”
2012 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
“content at the speed of culture”
1. REAL-TIME PACE
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
REAL-TIME IMPERATIVE
OF CONSUMERS WANT BRANDS TO RESPOND TO THEIR
QUESTIONS WITHIN AN HOUR*
42%EDELMAN CREATIVE NEWSROOMS
TWEETS PER DAY400MFACEBOOK POSTS
PER DAY
1B
EMAILS PER DAY200M
TEXTS PER DAY5.6M
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
ALWAYS-ON MARKETING STRATEGIES
IT’S TIME FOR A NEW CONVERSATION ABOUT FOOD
“…this isn't about Chipotle vs. McDonald's. Instead, it's an indication that people are more aware than ever of the impact that
food has on people, animals and the environment…. sharing Chipotle's vision and making people curious goes only so
far. The next step is feeding that curiosity with information”
Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle CMO(Native Ad Brand Blog)
7.8KPAGE VIEWS
4.1KSOCIAL ACTIONS
72%PAGE VIEWS FROM SOCIAL & SEARCH
52%INTERACTION RATE
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
ALWAYS-ON MARKETING STRATEGIES
IN THE FIRST 4 WEEKS….
3.5MPAGE VIEWS
1.3MSOCIAL ACTIONS
1M+UNIQUE
VISITORS
88M
TWITTER MENTIONS
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
“social accounts are the new front door”
2. ART + SCIENCE
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
CONTENT MARKETING 2.0 = NATIVE ADS
60XMORE BRANDED CONTENT IN OUR NEWSFEEDS VS.
TWO YEARS AGO*
EDELMAN CREATIVE NEWSROOMS
90%OF PEOPLE TRUST
RECOMMENDATIONS VIA THEIR SOCIAL
NETWORK
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
“traffic is not an accident. It’s a decision”
3. SOCIAL CONTENT
2XPOSITIVE CONTENT /
GOOD NEWS IS TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE
SHARED
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
CONTENT (NATIVE AD) BEST PRACTICES
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STAND OUTSet yourself apart by having an unusual perspective or reversing the conventional understanding of an issue. Use surprising stats and interesting facts to bolster your argument.
INFORMBreak down complicated issues for readers and provide solutions they haven’t thought of before — make sure tips are original and unique, not common sense.
HUMANIZEHuman interest stories that tie a face and a name to a cause are more likely to capture a reader’s attention and motivate them to take action.
BE TIMELYEvergreen content is good, but real-time content in sync with the news cycle is better.
DON’T OVERSELLBuild reader trust by providing good content that gets them in the mindset to think positively about your brand. There’s no need to force-fit product mentions into a piece. It should always feel organic.
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
“be a part of the conversation”
4. PARTICIPATION GENERATION
300MHUFFPOST COMMENTS
IN 8 YEARS
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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION
“it’s a link-based economy”
5. TECHNOLOGY MATTERS
REAL-TIME CONTENT
ORGANIC TRAFFIC
INTEGRATED SOCIAL SEAMLESS
SYNDICATION
REAL-TIME ANALYTICS