writing for new media
DESCRIPTION
A presentation about writing for new mediaTRANSCRIPT
Writing (video) content for new media
I will shortly introduce myself
My name is Dori Adar. I make music and Video content. For the last 4 years I’ve been workingas an editor in chief and manager of Flix.co.il,The biggest UGC video site in Israel.
This is how I look while mingling.
The presentation
This presentation will give you some points to think about while creating content for the “new-media”.
Web video = TV, only shorter and cheaper.
By now, I hope, everybody knows that’s a wrong formula
The same content will come out differently in every medium
What’s the difference between web video and TV?
Network is the content’s source
I Guess There are many, and many
more... High production costs
Many people at production crew
Push content
Linear broadcasting
Crowd is the content’s source
Pull content
Relatively low production costs
VOD
Could be a one man crew
But the major difference is how we consume it:
Why do we watch it?
Mainly, just because it’s there
We probably clicked on something
How do we watch it
Where do we watch it
We consume this content everywhere, anytime
At the office On our way While socializing While watching TV
In school Everywhere else
But we almost never WATCH it
We watch
We read
We scan
And we do a lot of stuff while at it.
We scan a page in less then 3 seconds
We think twice before we click
We’d like everything to be short and summarized
Click for “summly” intro
We produce content – All the time
What kind of content?
All kinds
Where can we find it?
All over the place
A quick summery:
• The web is full of content, like never before.
• Most of the content is coming of people, not networks
• We watch/scan this content everywhere, all of the time
Hence, here are some things to think about due to this situation…
#1 – Nobody gives a #$%& about your content.
This should be your key assumption.Curiosity will not bring people to watch your content.
Be clear, and use the social relevance rank
Let’s take a look at the social relevancy rank
Alex iskold wrote the “social relevancy rank” in 2009
Friends and following Taste neighbours InfluencersFriends of friends The crowd
1 2 3 4 5
But the most relevant content is..
Yours. The new message you got, how many likes did you receive, who offered you
friendship and how does he/she looks like, etc’.
My social rank looks like this
The crowdFriends and following
2 Taste neighbours
3 Friends of friends
5Influencers
4 6
You are HERE
How do you get here?
Your content
1
make your content – their content
I’ll try to show you how in the next four rules.
But never forget your key assumption.
#2 – distribution is A PART of your content
The ways of distributing your content are an INTEGRAL PART of the content itself
Because spammers tend to fill our distribution line with trash (mails, events), we have to find new and creative ways to
distribute.
Use guerilla methods
This will enforce you to summarize your story and combine it with a bright distribution idea that can be done cheaply.
Use guerilla methods
InfluencersDone right, this should get you here
“If I die” story
Is an “after death” application where you can leave your last words to spread after your final exit.
Agency chose “Death can find you anywhere” to be this app slogan. And how would Death find us in 2011?
Using Forsquere check ins, Mizbala located real time locations of some social media influencers. They called the venues and asked for them. Guess who answered when they picked up the phone?
A recorded message from death, telling them to hurry up and write their last words. And by this, giving them a creepy story to tell their crowd. One of them, Adam Ostrow, even told it here:
Use guerilla methods
This is a very good example how a story was created out of it’s distribution method
Influencers And made the content –their content
#3 : Use platforms as a part of your story
Use and abuse your audience’s platform to tell your story
Use platform in a creative way
It’s a common thing to give a character of a TV series a social profile.But the character has to act by the rules of the platform.
Ari gold would fit perfectly in Twitter Where as Dexter is much more of an instagram dude..
It wouldn’t work vice versa….
Just remember
You have to know how the platform work to use it
Stay focused
Bring the right audience Posting a classified ad linking to your content can be a good idea, but be careful not to mislead people
Good content is not ONLY video
#4 – Write dynamically!
Use users reaction to your content to make more content. I hate to use Oldspice example again but it’s the best there is...
Use current events and hot viral video to your advantage. How would you tell a story this way, for example?
Giving one of your characters/writers a twiter/forsquare account, would make it easier. In general, text/photos are the best tools for this rule
#5 : Don’t force engagement
Act natural
3 ways to engage with your content
Make itShare itLike it
Where as is a quite a reachable target,
and are more complicated
Assuming you followed some of the rules above, this might be easier to achieve
If your content is video, remember the different ways of consuming it
A good, shareable video would be one you could watch over and over again.Make this your test standard.
If it’s a meming the community could do you good. Just don’t do lg15, god forbid
Is harder to achieve. If your content is good, it might happen on it’s own
But if you want to encourage your audience to create, PHRASING is the key.Of these 4 CTA’s (calls to action), which 1 is the best?
1. What’s the first gadget you fell in love with?2. Tell us about your favorite gadget3. What gadget you will never buy?4. Tell us how your “dream gadget” would be like
1. What’s the first gadget you fell in love with?
This question is a good CTA because : 1. it’s accurate.2. It makes you think.3. Gives enough room for creativity and personal touch (unlike “choose a gadget”).4. Alas, not-so-creative-people could answer it easily too.5. Barrier to entry is very low (unlike producing a video).6. The content that this question will lead to is fun, scannable content.
#6 : persistence
It might take some time until your content catches fire.Don’t give up, but also don’t go wild on too many platforms.Use only what you can maintain.
All together now!
Be persistent.
1 Nobody gives a #$&! About your content.
2 Distribution is a part of your content.
3 Abuse different platforms to tell your story.
4 Write dynamically.
5 Don’t force engagement.
6
And of course..
Tell a good story