• by Jordan Kretchmer , August 21, 2013

Newsrooms used to have lead times, but now a story can break in as many seconds as it takes to type 140 characters. In order to stay relevant, publishers are turning to social curation as a way to integrate real-time, user-generated news into their articles, broadcasts and other editorial coverage.  

By engaging readers around news instead of simply presenting it to them, editorial teams can foster a dialog with their audience that results in repeat visits, longer time on site and a more loyal, engaged readership. Effectively integrating user-generated, social content into news sites requires a thoughtful strategy and centralized technology approach. Here’s how publishers build an authentic, loyal and engaged readership to thrive in the age of real-time information.

1. Integrate social everywhere

Social can’t just be a destination within your site, it needs to be integrated into everything you do. It needs to inspire readers to engage longer and to actually get them to create more content for you. Let readers comment contextually against an image or sentence, follow their favorite journalists and topics into personal news feeds, and let them help create real-time image feeds of a breaking news events. We’ve gone beyond the days when integrating real-time comments at the bottom of an article was enough.

2. Real-time matters

Not every social curation provider offers the ability to integrate real-time content the same instant that it’s posted to social networks. This makes a significant difference when you’re trying to drive up time-on-site and build a brand known for breaking news. Seeing someone’s tweet as the election results are announced carries a lot more weight than seeing that same tweet appear 20 minutes after the winner is named. Social curation providers offer real-time updates for data feeds, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and RSS.

3. Automate to create

The best curation tools can filter data to produce the most relevant content for display without time-consuming moderator intervention. The more advanced your text and image filtering tools are, the less you have to worry about offensive content making its way to your pages.

The less time you have to put into moderation, the more time you can spend building value for your readers. Look for advanced moderation filters that go beyond basic profanity filtering, and allow for the ability to fine tune those controls to align with your brand.

4. Experiment with social native advertising

The same real-time applications that you’re using to improve the authenticity and relevancy of your news coverage can be used to create high-value native advertising campaigns. A recent study by IPG Media Lab found that consumers view native ads 53% more frequently and are 13% more likely to share native ads than banners. Additionally, consumers show 18% more purchase intent after viewing native ads. Use social curation to help brands surface their authentic brand advocates and then sell sponsorships that leverage that content in relevant areas on your site.

5. Find your voice and engage

Once you take the plunge and integrate social content throughout your site, the next step is to engage! Ask your readers to participate in stories and coverage by using specific hashtags for their tweets, photos and posts and foster a dialogue that will keep them coming back to your site.

Social media has forever changed the way content is created. Publishers that are ready to embrace this shift and start effectively using social curation can provide more relevant, timely content, build a deeper more loyal readership, and begin to thrive in the new age of publishing.