I‘ve been a little more preoccupied than normal over the last week or so preparing for the next big step in the evolution of my small campus podcast, The William & Mary Powwow. I started the show about a year ago mainly to see if I was capable of producing it, and I’m happy to say that since then it’s grown into a small success.
Trying to fit a new media-oriented news source into an already oversaturated campus, though, has been a bit of a challenge. Over the last few days, I’ve been asking myself, “How do I provide a unique experience to a wide audience while remaining relevant?” I’ll share some of my answers today.
New media setbacks
First of all, due to the relative recency of new media technology, starting an alternative campus news source necessitates butting heads with preexisting heritage media networks. Campus newspapers started over 50 years ago have both the reputation and manpower to succeed even regardless of content, to an extent. New productions are not as lucky. The road to mainstream adoption within a community is a treacherous one for two reasons: not only does the population at hand need to trust you as a news source, but they also must come to trust the method of delivery as well– the technology underlying the content.
With these disadvantages at hand, space, attention, and time to make social media-driven news work is scarce. Fortunately for us, though, there are things that can be done.
Solutions to making social media work
The first step to filling a niche is recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of established news sources within the community. Take out a sheet of paper and write these down, so they’re easier to visualize. You might realize, for instance, that one campus newspaper is loaded with financial resources and manpower but as a result is more closely tied to campus administration than the community might appreciate. Take advantage of this by covering gutsier stories.
Another source might cover great topics but is extremely poor at responding to readers. Capitalize by providing content in tune with the entire community, rather than just the newsmakers, and integrate outside input (suggestions, recommendations, criticism, and guests) as often as possible.
Choosing a vehicle of delivery is also a critical decision. I opted for a podcast, personally, because of the low barrier to entry, novelty of the medium, and scarcity of other mainstream audio productions on campus. You might want to roll your own Reddit or Digg to take advantage of the wisdom of crowds. Perhaps a monthly video show is up the campus’ alley, or a daily Top 5 list; use your observations above to carefully craft your production to target your community even more efficiently.
At any rate, taking the time to set up your content can be just as important as the time that actually goes into producing it. If there’s one thing I would have personally done differently in preparing the Powwow, I think I would have gauged campus interest a little more quantitatively: trying to field some sort of poll or survey to assist in planning. This sort of research will both pique interest in your work before it even starts up and will also ensure a modicum of success at the same time, as individuals have already agreed to attend to your content.
When was the last time you launched an unusual form of content, technology, news source, or similar item? Feel free to share your own experiences!
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