Should I take this promotion?
October 25, 2016 1:10 AM Subscribe
I've just been offered the chance to become (the newly minted position of) "social media editor" at a local newspaper. Aside from a vague job description and lofty goals and expectation attached to it, I have other qualms and concerns that I hope you want to read about in order to help me make an informed decision:
Some background:
Been working at a small English language newspaper for about two years initially as a reporter; a few months in, with approval from management, I initiated more active use of a preexisting but derelict Facebook account for our paper in effort to broaden exposure. While our initial base of fan interaction was low, we have generated more likes in the past year than in the seven years since the page was created.
Now, management is now seeing the potential for building a larger social media presence and wants to greatly expand and institutionalize an operation that was run somewhat haphazardly with no clear lines of authority. My direct superior spoke to me recently about the prospects of this position, social media editor and recommended to management that I be considered as a top choice.
Concerns:
The position would take effect in January, but would require work in liasoning with reporters, advertising and other departments; the management seems to have placed their focus on increasing organic page likes and daily content, and it would seem like the overall roadmap toward that goal would need to be carved out by me.
Their basic expectations are posts consisting of: news updates, edited videos from reporters, advertorial content and other ways to engage and interact with the readership.
After thanking my boss, I asked for a few days to give him a response. I have talked with a few trusted colleagues and they think I am well suited, but I'm on the fence and require further insight.
For me, it's an exciting and daunting prospect. There's really a chance to use social media to set us apart from other publications in my region, and the prospect of building this change is somewhat gratifying.
Another reason why I'm considering the position involves making my time more structured, which has been extremely difficult as a reporter. Theoretically speaking I would be free to work from anywhere and would only need to take part in a weekly meeting.
On the other hand part of reason behind my hesitation to say yes immediately is I am daunted by the task and its responsibilities. I have only cursory knowledge of how social media works other than the prior task of posting my own stories and encouraging other reporters to follow suit.
I'm also deeply concerned about power rivalries among news and advertisement departments, I.T. and whether I will become the (un)witting mule between turf wars. I'm worried also that management will prize quantity of content over quality, profit motive over newsworthiness.
My questions beyond the obvious one of: "what should I do?" are the following:
-Besides my current observation of other comparable media outlets, what can I read to broaden my knowledge of this endeavor?
-Is this a trap? Part of me feels like if I'm signing up to be a glorified Facebook page manager. Is there experience garnered something that can be used elsewhere in the future?
-What are some ways I can talk management into considering reasonable expectations on increasing the paper's social media presence without overburdening an outstretched labor force?
-With the organization and preparation, is it reasonable to ask for a raise even if the position does not begin until January? (and I haven't seen one ever since I started here)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my somewhat unorganized thinking~
Some background:
Been working at a small English language newspaper for about two years initially as a reporter; a few months in, with approval from management, I initiated more active use of a preexisting but derelict Facebook account for our paper in effort to broaden exposure. While our initial base of fan interaction was low, we have generated more likes in the past year than in the seven years since the page was created.
Now, management is now seeing the potential for building a larger social media presence and wants to greatly expand and institutionalize an operation that was run somewhat haphazardly with no clear lines of authority. My direct superior spoke to me recently about the prospects of this position, social media editor and recommended to management that I be considered as a top choice.
Concerns:
The position would take effect in January, but would require work in liasoning with reporters, advertising and other departments; the management seems to have placed their focus on increasing organic page likes and daily content, and it would seem like the overall roadmap toward that goal would need to be carved out by me.
Their basic expectations are posts consisting of: news updates, edited videos from reporters, advertorial content and other ways to engage and interact with the readership.
After thanking my boss, I asked for a few days to give him a response. I have talked with a few trusted colleagues and they think I am well suited, but I'm on the fence and require further insight.
For me, it's an exciting and daunting prospect. There's really a chance to use social media to set us apart from other publications in my region, and the prospect of building this change is somewhat gratifying.
Another reason why I'm considering the position involves making my time more structured, which has been extremely difficult as a reporter. Theoretically speaking I would be free to work from anywhere and would only need to take part in a weekly meeting.
On the other hand part of reason behind my hesitation to say yes immediately is I am daunted by the task and its responsibilities. I have only cursory knowledge of how social media works other than the prior task of posting my own stories and encouraging other reporters to follow suit.
I'm also deeply concerned about power rivalries among news and advertisement departments, I.T. and whether I will become the (un)witting mule between turf wars. I'm worried also that management will prize quantity of content over quality, profit motive over newsworthiness.
My questions beyond the obvious one of: "what should I do?" are the following:
-Besides my current observation of other comparable media outlets, what can I read to broaden my knowledge of this endeavor?
-Is this a trap? Part of me feels like if I'm signing up to be a glorified Facebook page manager. Is there experience garnered something that can be used elsewhere in the future?
-What are some ways I can talk management into considering reasonable expectations on increasing the paper's social media presence without overburdening an outstretched labor force?
-With the organization and preparation, is it reasonable to ask for a raise even if the position does not begin until January? (and I haven't seen one ever since I started here)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my somewhat unorganized thinking~
Hi! I used to be a social media manager for a Voice Media-owned alt-weekly
Re: ways to structure the role and divide the labor between editorial and advertising, your concerns are absolutely valid. There will be some crossover, snd there will be a transition from quality journalism to quantity. Things like lisicles do really well on social, unfortunately. But so do videos. Someone in advertising needs to be responsible for their part of the content, not you, but you should be the liason. I would create a CLEAR schedule of who posts when, with advertising making up NO MORE of 30% of the content. Since I worked at an alt weekly and we produced a lot of events, we had a lot of self-promoting to do. I kept my hands clean of that.
Consider that if you really like writing you probably won't have much time for it. You'll be mired in reading other stories, trying to send them out to be linked by bigger publications, and responding to comments on Facebook and Twitter form readers. Yes, this can feel like a glorified Facebook Page Manager role, but I had a lot of fun doing it, and it felt very freeing.
We had pageview quotas each month, and I was VERY intimate with Google Analytics. You'll want to know what's driving traffic to your site and why. Someone will need to set GA up on the paper's website. Without analytics there is no point in doing any of this — you'll just be stumbling in the dark. Once you ahve a baseline of data you can sset quotas going forward with an eye towards a certain percentage of growth or engagement.
Consider that Facebook is making changes to make organic traffic for businesses much, much harder. They want you to pay for reach. Make sure your bosses know this too. However, you still have lots of other social options like Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope and more.
When I was doing this job, reporters were required to have their own Facebook and Twitter pages and to share their own content. With a few exceptions, few of the writers had follower acocunts as high as the paper itself, but every little link helps. Our various verticals (music, food, etc) also had their own accounts. For the most part I managed all of this. (Hence the "no time for writing" advice.)
Absolutely ask for a raise. Even if you don't take this position on, ask for one.
posted by Brittanie at 5:02 AM on October 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Re: ways to structure the role and divide the labor between editorial and advertising, your concerns are absolutely valid. There will be some crossover, snd there will be a transition from quality journalism to quantity. Things like lisicles do really well on social, unfortunately. But so do videos. Someone in advertising needs to be responsible for their part of the content, not you, but you should be the liason. I would create a CLEAR schedule of who posts when, with advertising making up NO MORE of 30% of the content. Since I worked at an alt weekly and we produced a lot of events, we had a lot of self-promoting to do. I kept my hands clean of that.
Consider that if you really like writing you probably won't have much time for it. You'll be mired in reading other stories, trying to send them out to be linked by bigger publications, and responding to comments on Facebook and Twitter form readers. Yes, this can feel like a glorified Facebook Page Manager role, but I had a lot of fun doing it, and it felt very freeing.
We had pageview quotas each month, and I was VERY intimate with Google Analytics. You'll want to know what's driving traffic to your site and why. Someone will need to set GA up on the paper's website. Without analytics there is no point in doing any of this — you'll just be stumbling in the dark. Once you ahve a baseline of data you can sset quotas going forward with an eye towards a certain percentage of growth or engagement.
Consider that Facebook is making changes to make organic traffic for businesses much, much harder. They want you to pay for reach. Make sure your bosses know this too. However, you still have lots of other social options like Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope and more.
When I was doing this job, reporters were required to have their own Facebook and Twitter pages and to share their own content. With a few exceptions, few of the writers had follower acocunts as high as the paper itself, but every little link helps. Our various verticals (music, food, etc) also had their own accounts. For the most part I managed all of this. (Hence the "no time for writing" advice.)
Absolutely ask for a raise. Even if you don't take this position on, ask for one.
posted by Brittanie at 5:02 AM on October 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Good lord the typos. I'd just woken up from a nap when I responded. Sorry.
posted by Brittanie at 7:17 AM on October 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Brittanie at 7:17 AM on October 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Is there a budget for promoted posts and Tweets? With Facebook something like 17% of your followers see your content if you don't promote it.
posted by radioamy at 10:39 AM on October 25, 2016
posted by radioamy at 10:39 AM on October 25, 2016
What do you see as your career trajectory going forward? Do you want to be a reporter who mostly is engaged in the traditional work of Doing Journalism (e.g. writing articles, performing investigative research, covering events, interviewing people, etc), or are you interested in social media marketing specifically?
If the latter, then I think this would be a great move for you. This is getting to be more of an expected job, and unlike a lot of other areas of journalism, it's something there is a need for and which is not going anywhere. It's not something you can crowdsource or get people to do for free for the exposure.
Is this a trap? Part of me feels like if I'm signing up to be a glorified Facebook page manager.
Well, yes, it's a trap in that if you take this job, you'll no longer be a reporter. You'll be a social media strategist. Which is a different job entirely from doing journalism.
However, no, it's not a "glorified Facebook page manager" job, because presumably they're hoping that you will work to develop new approaches, learn other social media platforms, and help manage the overall digital engagement program, which of necessity is a lot more than just updating Facebook a lot.
I would say that if this isn't something you're interested in getting professional development on, you shouldn't take the job. If you are intrigued by the idea of learning more about this stuff and focusing more on it, then yes, take the job.
You kind of sound like you don't want the job and like social media doesn't interest you that much.
posted by Sara C. at 3:49 PM on October 25, 2016
If the latter, then I think this would be a great move for you. This is getting to be more of an expected job, and unlike a lot of other areas of journalism, it's something there is a need for and which is not going anywhere. It's not something you can crowdsource or get people to do for free for the exposure.
Is this a trap? Part of me feels like if I'm signing up to be a glorified Facebook page manager.
Well, yes, it's a trap in that if you take this job, you'll no longer be a reporter. You'll be a social media strategist. Which is a different job entirely from doing journalism.
However, no, it's not a "glorified Facebook page manager" job, because presumably they're hoping that you will work to develop new approaches, learn other social media platforms, and help manage the overall digital engagement program, which of necessity is a lot more than just updating Facebook a lot.
I would say that if this isn't something you're interested in getting professional development on, you shouldn't take the job. If you are intrigued by the idea of learning more about this stuff and focusing more on it, then yes, take the job.
You kind of sound like you don't want the job and like social media doesn't interest you that much.
posted by Sara C. at 3:49 PM on October 25, 2016
Update from the anonymous poster:
Thank you for the responses thus far, you guys have helped me calm down a bit and think. After a day and a half, I am leaning in the direction of taking the position, but I think I also need to set down some of my ideas, visions and concerns to my boss especially since the landscape and preexisting framework is virtually nonexistent.posted by LobsterMitten at 4:41 PM on October 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
From the responses I've received thus far, it looks like I need to do a lot of reading and research especially on market analysis (I have no clue). I've seen a few free online courses (i.e. edx) on communications strategy, are these in any way helpful?
Finally: I know this probably varies a lot, but what can I expect in terms of time commitment? Is it possible to a have a degree of predictability doing this line of work? (I'm sure it's much more so compared to my current beat reporting)
Potomac Avenue: Very helpful points~ I think your third point is crucial and will try to get a handle on that however possible.
Brittanie : Thank you for the insight! From the standpoint of a current reporter, what I really want is to make social media work for the people in the field, and not just a burden. I think cultivating interaction between reporters and readers would be something I would aim for, through individual twitter accounts, etc.
Could you explain more about your company's page view quota? I will definitely need a crash course on GA.
radioamy: Yes, there is a budget for promoted posts, and I'll need to do more research on targeting, etc.
Sara C.: I think the struggle for me is what you mentioned about career trajectory choices and arriving at this fork in the road- I'm more excited than I was initially, but I think part of me doesn't want to put down the writing aspects completely.
Thank y'all again for your time!
Anon, if you want to memail me I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
posted by Brittanie at 12:54 AM on October 26, 2016
posted by Brittanie at 12:54 AM on October 26, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
1. Find whitepapers and blogs about best practices for social media management for publishers. Might be some decent stuff on the blogs of companies which make software for social management like Hootsuite or Hubspot.
2. It's not a trap but it is sort of a glorified facebook manager. Except given that huge %s of people get all their news from Fb in some ways you are the engine that drives the entire business. Again, way more transferable a set of skills than trad journalism.
3. Don't just research what strategies drive organic growth of followers and engagement, check out what paid advertising different outlets have done and continue to do to get new readers. Even if there is no budget, knowing what promoted tweets or sponsored posts on a more popular feed might cost right off the bat will help you demonstrate that growth takes patience or money and if they don't have the latter they gotta have the former.
4. Yes always ask for a raise.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:28 AM on October 25, 2016 [2 favorites]