Feeding the Beast
“There’s never enough people or time to take full advantage of what the internet wants from you. It’s so hungry all the time…you can’t always feed it,” said Jesse Steinbach, Out magazine’s social media manager.
In a telephone interview, Steinbach and I discussed the role social media plays in content distribution, how it has shaped/changed the way editorial decisions are made and what his position at Out actually entails.
Using Steinbach’s reference, it’s easy to imagine social media and its insatiable hunger as a savage beast devouring everything it catches between its teeth.
Individuals toss opinions, ideas and pictures into its snapping mouth hoping something will satisfy the beast’s craving, but nothing ever does. That is the primary reason many publications have employed writers to crank out endless tweets and Facebook posts — to try and satiate the beast.
On its Facebook page, Out magazine, promotes itself as “the world’s leading gay fashion and lifestyle magazine.”
The magazine which publishes 10 times a year — not quite a monthly — covers events and stories related to queer culture, gay news and, of course, celebrities. Out is owned by Here Media. The company is also responsible for other popular gay publications including the Advocate, OUT’s more politically focused counterpart.
Jesse Steinbach began his career at Out as an editorial intern during his college years. Following his internship, he began freelancing and handling client accounts for the magazine and then accepted a full-time position in December 2014.
As the social media manager, Steinbach’s day includes writing copious amounts of copy and pumping out post after post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He estimates that almost 90 percent of the magazine’s social media is written and posted by him, alone. Other members of the staff pitch in when possible, or when asked nicely, but the small editorial staff can only accomplish so much. The publication’s daily goal is to crank out 12 continuous hours of social media content while retaining its signature voice.
When describing Out’s unique voice and content, Steinbach said, “It’s a certain balance between being more highbrow, we usually do a lot of exclusive content and photos and work that we’re really proud, but also…still working the gay/queer sex angle without coming off trashy.”
He added, “It’s sort of a death balance between being playful and witty but also, you know, being rather serous and delivering content that’s substantial.”
If results are the goal — which they invariably are — Steinbach considers Facebook to be the magazine’s most “clicked” social media account. The Out Facebook page has accumulated nearly 500,000 likes.
At the other end of the spectrum, the publication’s Instagram is still rather new, with a follower count of more than 72,400, and is used to maintain a presence and certain aesthetic rather than to drive web traffic.
As with everything in life, there’s always room for improvement. Absolutely no one can claim to have figured out social media, and Out’s social media manager is learning alongside the rest of us. As a closing comment, Steinbach said, “You never feel like you did the best job. You always feel like there’s more to do.”
