Content Discovery, Promotion and Connection: Examining the New York Times Innovation Report

The New York Times Innovation Report was never intended for widespread circulation. It is a candid, from-the-heart examination of the journalistic practices exhibited at the New York Times – and not all of it is complimentary. We operate in a realm where the internet reigns supreme and attempting to control and restrict information is essentially an impossible task, so what happened? The inevitable, of course. The report was never meant to be seen outside the company but, luckily for us publishers, we are now privy to a superbly presented document that took thousands of hours of time and money to research.

So, what can we learn from this content report from the NYT? It shows one of the world’s leading news organisations actually has a lot of catching up to do. Where Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Upworthy have excelled, the New York Times has remained stagnant. That’s not to say the organisation’s quality of journalism has declined – far from it – but the digital landscape has made content discovery, promotion, personalisation and connection more important than ever.

As many B2B and B2C businesses are becoming publishers with a view to making a solid connection with their audience, there is a lot we can learn from this report. Here are a few take-home points that we could all do well to keep in mind when publishing content.

Discovery

“At The New York Times, far too often for writers and editors the story is done when you hit publish. At Huffington Post, the article begins its life when you hit publish.” – Paul Berry, former HuffPost CTO.

Traditional journalism structures are “losing their potency”, according to the report, and the advent of online publishing means publishers need to make better use of tools to ensure their content is being discovered. The sheer wealth of content published on the internet means simply writing and publishing your content with an expectancy of your piece being read is a bygone train of thought. No longer do readers actively go to a newsagent or news stand; you have to bring the content to them.

The report outlines three opportunities the NYT– and us as publishers – can deploy to get more readers…well, reading.

Evergreen

We’re a big advocate of evergreen content here at Red Rocket Media and with the report citing evergreen content as a big opportunity for the NYT, it’s nice to know we’re on the right track.

As the NYT has such a rich archive of content, it makes sense to resurface and repackage some of their older, timeless content. For instance, a 161-year-old NYT article about Solomon Northup’s memoir 12 Years A Slave was repackaged and repurposed after the release of the Oscar-winning movie based on the memoir. Only, it wasn’t repurposed by the NYT – they only tweeted a link to their existing piece – but by rival news site Gawker, making it one of their best-read items of the year so far.

Packaging

Publishers should repackage their content so it is more useful, relevant and shareable for readers. One of the NYT’s biggest successes has been with Flipboard, a magazine-format app that collects content from social media and presents it in a magazine style.

Andrew Phelps, assistant editor at the NYT, used Flipboard to curate the most important obits of the year and it became the best-read collection in the history of the platform. It shows your content doesn’t just need to be spot on but your presentation, too.

Personalisation

Personalisation doesn’t just mean “flipping a switch” to show different stories to different readers. It means ensuring “the right stories are finding the right readers in the right places at the right times”, according to the report. A simple ‘Recommended For You’ column no longer cuts the mustard.

Buzzfeed and The Washington Post use personalisation to aplomb; content is altered based on how readers arrive on their sites. Data is tracked in real time to see which stories are drawing readers from Twitter, and then they show those same stories to other people who visit from Twitter.

A ‘Follow’ button has been muted for news sites, similar to how Twitter operates. Users would ‘follow’ their favourite columnists or types of news so it appears on the home page next to breaking/important news, ensuring readers never miss a beat. Never want to miss an Ashley Curtis blog in the future? That could be a reality.

Promotion

No longer can publishers expect their content to do the talking. All publishers need to be hands-on with promoting their content:

• The Huffington Post expects all their reporters and editors to be fluent in social media. In addition, a story cannot be published unless it has a photo, a search headline, a tweet and a Facebook post


• The Atlantic expects reporters to promote their own work


• ProPublica develops a promotion strategy for every single story published and reporters are expected to submit five tweets along with each story they file


• Reuters employs two people to search for underperforming stories to repackage and republish

As well as content writers being their own promoters, I believe a dedicated content promotions team can help spread the reach of content even further. If NYT journalist Chris Chivers makes time to promote his social accounts on eight different platforms when in war zones, then publishers have the time to do so as well.

Connection

For all the initiatives designed around discovery and promotion, connecting with your audience can often be the most difficult. Users may see your content but not engage with it, and engagement is generally considered to be one of the most difficult metrics to improve. So, what can you do?

User-generated content

The Huffington Post and Medium have both experienced significant growth because the platforms have become renowned for their opinion pieces and guest essays. Engagement here is very clear; your audience wants to actively contribute and discuss editorial on your website. How much more engaged can you get?

The only stumbling block could be the quality of content but with an experienced team of content writers and editors vetting all content, publishers could be on the receiving end of big wins and an even bigger audience.

Events

Your content writers are the star of the show. Audiences are eager to see the face behind the byline and events provide the perfect opportunity to do so. If you’re a publisher that produces vast amounts of content, it might be worth hosting an event so readers can connect with your writers’ first-hand.

Storytelling

This is not part of the report but I’ve personally found that publishers need to find their story before readers will connect with their brand in a meaningful way. Consistent, compelling content that builds a picture of your company and creates an identity with readers, helping to improve engagement.

For example Ed Woodcock, co-founder of Aesop, claims Apple’s place at the top of the branding throne is the result of its ‘almost evangelical commitment to creating technology that improves lives and the clarity with which it tells that story’.

He told marketingweek.co.uk: “Its sense of mission manifests itself in everything it does: from the design of its products and stores to the simplicity of its advertising.”

For anyone with even the slightest interest in writing, promoting and editing content, the New York Times Innovation Report is a simply fascinating read. At 96 pages, it does require an extended period of your time but it is a comprehensive document that shows how your brand – not just the NYT – can keep up with the shifting digital landscape.

The full report can be found on Mashable.

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