Feed the Content Monster: How to Write for Multiple Audiences in Multiple Channels Leslie O ’ Flahavan, NAGC Communications School – Memphis June 3, © E-WRITE 2015

Who has a case of content anxiety? Let’s talk… © E-WRITE 20153

As communicators, we’re feeding the content monster © E-WRITE 20154

Content monster wannabe 5© E-WRITE 2015

Content monster wannabe 6© E-WRITE 2015

Content monster 7© E-WRITE 2015

Topics for today’s workshop 1.What is content repurposing? 2.Reuse web content and publications as source material for social media messages 3.Use your web content to produce evergreen social media messages 4.Write H1 headings so you can use them in social media 5.Know which types of web content do not make good social media messages 8© E-WRITE 2015

What is content repurposing? © E-WRITE 20159

What is the definition of repurposing? Changing the format, length, or publishing channel for your content while retaining its main message. © E-WRITE

From the beginning, plan to repurpose © E-WRITE

Repurposing is a way of thinking about your effort and your readers’ tastes for content “I advocate for the ‘rule of four’ – the idea that every piece of information that an organization presents should be available in multiple formats, four to be specific. The four I recommend are video, audio, text, and graphic. These four formats cover the full range of different ways that people like to get/share information and provide more flexibility in terms of which devices and channels someone can use to easily access content.. When planned correctly, information can be presented in these four formats efficiently and cost- effectively — providing organizations with a range of options for reaching, engaging, and mobilizing their key audiences.” -- Brian Reich © E-WRITE

Case study: Rule of 4? © E-WRITE

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Sometimes, we don’t repurpose the same message for different audiences © E-WRITE

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Sometimes, repurposing consumes a great deal of creative effort © E-WRITE

Case study in repurposing © E-WRITE

Case study in repurposing © E-WRITE

Sometimes, we prepare our content so our readers and viewers can repurpose it easily © E-WRITE

Govt of Canada updates news release format to make repurposing easy © E-WRITE

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How will GC’s updated news release format help them feed the content monster? “For communicators, the changes mean they can use their creativity to: – Develop catchy headlines and sub-headlines – Write concise and clear opening paragraphs that contain the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why) – Select key facts that capture the reader’s attention – Draft quotes that are meaningful and succinct – Repurpose the quick facts and quotes for Facebook and Twitter posts, and – Offer associated links that provide additional context to help the reader better understand the issue.” © E-WRITE

Reuse web content as the source material for social media messages 27© E-WRITE 2015

Reuse web content and publications for social media messages: The Old Familiars Press release Article Publication Event Report 28© E-WRITE 2015

The Old Familiars: Press Release 29© E-WRITE 2015

The Old Familiars: Article 30© E-WRITE 2015

The Old Familiars: Publication 31© E-WRITE 2015

The Old Familiars: Event 32© E-WRITE 2015

The Old Familiars: Report 33© E-WRITE 2015

Use your web content to produce evergreen social media messages 34© E-WRITE 2015

Nose-to-Tail: The Whole [Content] Movement 35© E-WRITE 2015

Search your web content for evergreen social media messages: Four New Candidates 1.“We’ve said it before, but today it’s in the New York Times” 2.“Hey kids, want to see the Parent Handbook?” 3.“Good stuff, good stuff. You might want to take a look at this” 4.“We know it’s old content, but it’s still interesting” 36© E-WRITE 2015

1. “We’ve said it before, but today it’s in the New York Times” 37© E-WRITE 2015

2. “Hey kids, want to see the Parent Handbook?” 38© E-WRITE 2015

3. “Good stuff, good stuff. You might want to take a look at this” 39© E-WRITE 2015

4. “We know it’s old content, but it’s still interesting” 40© E-WRITE 2015

4. “We know it’s old content, but it’s still interesting” 41© E-WRITE 2015

Write H1 headings so you can use them in social media 42© E-WRITE 2015

A good heading or title (usually) equals good social media message 43© E-WRITE 2015

Reuse made easy: A good heading for web content often equals a good social media mesage 44© E-WRITE 2015

Revise this heading so it can be reused for Facebook or Twitter 45© E-WRITE 2015

Know which types of web content do not make good social media messages 46© E-WRITE 2015

These types of web content do not make good social media messages Organization-focused content Obligatory content Tiresome content Mechanically archived content 47© E-WRITE 2015

Organization-focused content doesn’t make good social media messages 48© E-WRITE 2015

Obligatory content doesn’t make good social media messages 49© E-WRITE 2015

Tiresome content doesn’t make good social media messages (duh) 50© E-WRITE 2015

Mechanically archived content doesn’t make good social media messages 51© E-WRITE 2015

Questions? Comments? Contact info: Leslie O ’ Flahavan, E-WRITE © E-WRITE 2015