changing the conversation: brands as newsrooms

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Brands as Newsrooms5 Lessons from

The Huffington Post

Lauri BakerHead of Branded Content,

The Huffington Post

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The Huffington Post

#1 Most Social Publisher on the Web

CREDIBILITY

• 500+ editors and reporters• 55k bloggers• 1,600 stories per day

• 78M Global Unique Visitors• 87M Monthly Social

Actions• 3M Daily Referrals from

Social

David Wood “Beyond the Battlefield”

2012 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

“content at the speed of culture”

1. REAL-TIME PACE

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

REAL-TIME IMPERATIVE

OF CONSUMERS WANT BRANDS TO RESPOND TO THEIR

QUESTIONS WITHIN AN HOUR*

42%EDELMAN CREATIVE NEWSROOMS

TWEETS PER DAY400MFACEBOOK POSTS

PER DAY

1B

EMAILS PER DAY200M

TEXTS PER DAY5.6M

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

ALWAYS-ON MARKETING STRATEGIES

IT’S TIME FOR A NEW CONVERSATION ABOUT FOOD

“…this isn't about Chipotle vs. McDonald's. Instead, it's an indication that people are more aware than ever of the impact that

food has on people, animals and the environment…. sharing Chipotle's vision and making people curious goes only so

far. The next step is feeding that curiosity with information”

Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle CMO(Native Ad Brand Blog)

7.8KPAGE VIEWS

4.1KSOCIAL ACTIONS

72%PAGE VIEWS FROM SOCIAL & SEARCH

52%INTERACTION RATE

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

ALWAYS-ON MARKETING STRATEGIES

IN THE FIRST 4 WEEKS….

3.5MPAGE VIEWS

1.3MSOCIAL ACTIONS

1M+UNIQUE

VISITORS

88M

TWITTER MENTIONS

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

“social accounts are the new front door”

2. ART + SCIENCE

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

CONTENT MARKETING 2.0 = NATIVE ADS

60XMORE BRANDED CONTENT IN OUR NEWSFEEDS VS.

TWO YEARS AGO*

EDELMAN CREATIVE NEWSROOMS

90%OF PEOPLE TRUST

RECOMMENDATIONS VIA THEIR SOCIAL

NETWORK

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

“traffic is not an accident. It’s a decision”

3. SOCIAL CONTENT

2XPOSITIVE CONTENT /

GOOD NEWS IS TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE

SHARED

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

CONTENT (NATIVE AD) BEST PRACTICES

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STAND OUTSet yourself apart by having an unusual perspective or reversing the conventional understanding of an issue. Use surprising stats and interesting facts to bolster your argument.

INFORMBreak down complicated issues for readers and provide solutions they haven’t thought of before — make sure tips are original and unique, not common sense.

HUMANIZEHuman interest stories that tie a face and a name to a cause are more likely to capture a reader’s attention and motivate them to take action.

BE TIMELYEvergreen content is good, but real-time content in sync with the news cycle is better.

DON’T OVERSELLBuild reader trust by providing good content that gets them in the mindset to think positively about your brand. There’s no need to force-fit product mentions into a piece. It should always feel organic.

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

“be a part of the conversation”

4. PARTICIPATION GENERATION

300MHUFFPOST COMMENTS

IN 8 YEARS

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REAL-TIME PACE ART + SCIENCE SOCIAL CONTENT TECHNOLOGY MATTERSPARTICIPATION GENERATION

“it’s a link-based economy”

5. TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

REAL-TIME CONTENT

ORGANIC TRAFFIC

INTEGRATED SOCIAL SEAMLESS

SYNDICATION

REAL-TIME ANALYTICS

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THANK YOU!Lauri Baker

Head of Branded Content, The Huffington Post

lbaker@huffingtonpost.com@LJayNYC