Related Content
•
CoSIDA.com/CoSIDA360 Magazine Archive
Note: This story appeared in the Summer 2019 August edition of CoSIDA 360 Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
How To Find & Coach Your Content Champions
by Dawn Dugle – CEO of Dugle Media
Follow @MsWr1te
Dawn Dugle proved popular with #CoSIDA19 Convention attendees with her three sessions on writing, including her keynote “We Are Writers: Insider Secrets for Stress-Free Storytelling.”
I was just a young morning show television producer when my news director approached my desk one day and said: “Hometown Friday, make it happen!”
He then turned and started to walk away.
“Hold on a second, what is ‘Hometown Friday’?” I asked.
“That’s for you to figure out — but make it happen!” He said, and went back to his office.
The reporter sitting in the next cubicle from me said: “I think he just said ‘We sold something to an advertiser, now you get creative license to make something happen’.”
“Funny! I heard that too!” I laughed.
We decided “Hometown Friday” would be a live remote show from the towns in our viewing area that we only visited in times of terrible tragedy. This new segment gave us the opportunity to highlight what was going right in those areas.
But how would we fill four hours of a morning show with stories from a place I’ve never been? The answer was in the Unofficial Mayor of Town.
Every place has one.
It’s the person who can tell you where to find the best meal in town.
They know all the stories (and the secrets).
They’re a treasure trove of information, and it doesn’t take investigative journalism skills to find them — all I had to do was to call the Chamber of Commerce in town and ask: “Who is your ‘unofficial’ mayor?”
They always had a name.
And that person became my Content Champion — someone who will find and share stories with you — before you have to ask.
Finding Your Content Champions
A Content Champion can be found anywhere. They can be the ‘coach in the huddle’ on your various sports teams — the student-athlete that’s the leader of the team.
Your coaches and assistant coaches are also possible Content Champions. They’re working with your student-athletes every day and see the struggles, challenges and success stories that are worth sharing.
People in the community, or even your super fans, can be Content Champions.
And don’t overlook your own friends and family. Often those close to us know enough about what we do, but can give us a different perspective on it.
You don’t need a lot of Content Champions, but you do need quality Content Champions. They are connected to enough people and that means they’re connected to countless stories.
One of the best stories we ever covered when I was in Tampa was the story of the dining hall supervisor at the Buccaneers Football Camp who shared what the guys ate during camp, and how much of it. (I can’t remember the exact number of eggs they went through in a given day, but I do remember the visual of them stacked up, ready to be used. It was huge!)
To the dining supervisor, it was just another day. But to us, it was a great “behind the scenes” story that illustrated what it takes to be a professional football player.
Coaching Your Content Champions
Summer is a great time to look for your Content Champions and begin to develop that relationship.
- Set aside time to take your potential Content Champion to lunch or coffee.
- Ask them about their work or their connection to the team. One question I like to ask is: What’s a good day for you? (The answer will always surprise.)
- If they’re a superfan or a member of the community, ask them why they support the team, what is it that keeps them coming back again and again — even when the team isn’t winning.
- Explain to your Champion what you’re trying to do, and the stories you’re looking for.
- Show them how to use their phone to take a proper photo or video (horizontal, get closer to the subject).
- Give them your direct email and cell number and ask them to send you stories.
There will be times when they send you stories that may or may not be quite what you’re looking for. But that’s okay. Thank them for sending it, and explain it’s not quite there, but to keep sending in stories. They will get the hang of it sooner rather than later, and you will end up with a great resource in that part of the community or on campus.
From Champion to Influencer
When your Content Champions are knocking it out of the park, you want to make sure to give them a shout out on social media as you share the stories they shared with you. They will then turn around and share that post or tweet with their friends, and give you an organic expansion of your social media post.
If you have someone who is really helpful, thank them for that help by doing something nice like: give them some swag, or tickets, or a behind-the-scenes tour, something that would make them feel special. They will also take photos and videos and share on social media — another way to increase your reach organically.
These Content Champions can then also become your social media influencers — people who will amplify your message. They don’t need millions of followers on social media, just a few hundred. And the more you shout them out, the more people will follow them, and the more your message will increase.
Making the Time
I realize when you’re a sports information director, you have a lot on your plate. And if you’re at a small school, you’re the only person writing the stories, doing the social media, putting together the stats and the media kit, folding t-shirts, handing out swag and maybe even changing light bulbs. (The similarities between sports information and news are uncanny!)
It can be overwhelming to look at your daily to-do list and wonder where in the world you have the time to go find your Content Champions and cultivate that relationship.
But I argue this is exactly why you need to make time to do this now. Set yourself up for success by finding people to feed you stories. The important stories that will make your job easier down the road. Your future self will thank you for it.
Dawn Dugle is a former journalist and an award-winning storyteller who presented on writing, editing and storytelling at the #CoSIDA19 Convention. She is CEO of Dugle Media, an executive consulting firm specializing in sports information.
Want to add something to this topic? Add your thoughts on the
CoSIDA Connect Open Member Forum.