What is Social-Second?
The term "social-second" refers to stories that were initially reported on non-social media but later repurposed and given a second life on a social platform. Social-second stories can act as teasers for an original piece from another medium. This practice is often used to expand the reach of the original story and promote it to a broader audience.
Moreover, with social-second stories, newsrooms may also leverage content from other news outlets while providing appropriate attribution to keep their audience informed about topics they may not have the opportunity or ability to cover independently.
Here are some tips on how to produce social-second solutions journalism that resonates with young audiences:
Use storytelling techniques: Using storytelling to make stories relatable and emotionally resonant. Human interest stories, personal anecdotes, and case studies will help illustrate your points and engage your audience.
Provide appropriate attribution: If you are using content from other news outlets, make sure to provide appropriate attribution. This not only gives credit to the original source but also shows your audience that you are trustworthy.
Provide actionable steps: Young people are more likely to engage with content that provides actionable steps they can take to make an impact. When producing social-second stories, consider providing practical tips and advice that your audience can use to address the issues being discussed.
Be transparent and authentic: Transparency and authenticity from news sources is incredibly valuable to all audiences, but particularly younger audiences on social media. Be clear about your sources, methods, and perspectives, and avoid sensationalism or clickbait tactics. Focus on providing factual and trustworthy content that helps your audience make informed decisions.
Experiment with formats: Young audiences are more likely to engage with content that is presented in a variety of formats, including text, images, videos, and podcasts. Experiment with different formats to see what resonates with your audience and use those formats to produce future engaging social-second stories.
“Putting the most interesting information in the very beginning of your video helps. Since it is a solution, I feel like it will garner a lot of interest, especially if it's addressing a particularly interesting problem.”
- Joey Sendaydiego, Vox Producer
Producing social-second solutions stories can have several benefits:
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Repurposing content for social media can help expand the impact of your original reporting and increase your influence in the digital space.
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By generating more backlinks, shares, and engagement on social media, social-second stories can help increase the visibility of a news organization's website and drive more traffic to their content.
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Social-second stories can be produced quickly and easily by repurposing existing content. That can increase engagement with your audience.