Three challenges (and solutions) to texting with your audience

The great thing about texting as part of an engagement strategy is that in its simplicity, it urges journalists to ask why they’re engaging with their community and whom they’re engaging with. (Generated AI image)

As an editor who focuses on bridging the digital divide in Philadelphia, I’m excited to see more widespread use of texting as a way to engage audiences. Two of my recent favorite texting projects include KPCC’s texting resource for people who are pregnant and the Texas Tribune’s winter storm updates from 2021 for folks who may not have internet access as a result of severe weather.

The great thing about texting as part of an engagement strategy is that, in its simplicity, it urges journalists to ask why they’re engaging with their community and whom they’re engaging with. As evidenced by both projects, among others — it makes journalists go back to basics. This never-ending cycle of news requires us to slow down and think with intention. We’ve all been there before, whether it’s with a boss or a crush: you can say that sending a message is “just a text,” but you know that it’s not really “just a text.”

In this month’s Gather lightning chat, we decided to do something a little different. We did a 45-minute “lightning” workshop on best practices for texting with your audience. It was an opportunity to connect first-time texters to experts and everyone in between. Together, we wrote a living document of best practices based on our conversations. We found similarities in strategies. Most importantly, we found similar struggles, too. With our collective knowledge, we found some possible solutions. Here are three things texters find challenging:

Increasing Sign-ups

Before you ask yourself why subscriber growth is slow, first consider whether you want to broaden your engagement or deepen it. Michael Olson at Minnesota Public Radio said it would be nice to have to reach new people but has found that for their newsroom, the text line has engaged more of a “core” audience but is also looking for more ways MPR could expand their reach.

Here are a few things people have tried:

• Have a strong value proposition when you explain your service to community members at events. Don’t underestimate the power of enthusiasm and a sign-up sheet.
• Try buying phone numbers. You might see some drop-off, but subscribers who find your service users will stay.
• Chalkbeat used “take home cards” to give to organizations they have a relationship with to distribute as a resource.
• Identify places designed for civic engagement and connect with people there, such as libraries and rec centers.
• Utilize articles that explain the utility of your text service and embed sign-ups in the sidebars of related stories.

Measuring Impact

If you’re reaching out with intention, then you have to measure impact with intention, too. There are a host of digital tools that help newsrooms assess the impact that isn’t available with SMS. Take what you can measure, like responses, to see if your strategy remains effective. If you’ve collected subscriber data ahead of time, see if you can segment your audience to parse out who is the least engaged and find a way to pull them in. At Equally Informed Philly, we collect zip codes to see if we’re reaching our intended audience since the digital divide affects Philadelphians more severely in different areas.

• Segmenting your audience could give you a clearer picture of who you’re engaging with and whether your newsroom needs to shift its strategy to address its information needs.
• Offer gift cards to subscribers to respond to annual surveys to assess engagement and to ask for feedback.
• If possible, use third-party tools to track what kind of content your subscribers are responding to and what kind of content you’re sending out. Our team at Equally Informed Philly tracks topics such as gun violence resources, community events, and city services.

Workflow and capacity

It takes a team to run a texting service effectively. But what’s just as important is how that team works together.

• Set a schedule. Minnesota Public Radio sends daily updates about the weather. Chalkbeat sends monthly updates about school board meetings. It depends on your editorial needs and what your team can handle.
• Ensure that any hand-offs and assignments are clear (ideally using task management software.)
• Make sure that you can answer in a timely manner. And if you can’t answer all subscriber texts, make sure they know that upfront and let them know other ways you’re using the information they provided as part of the newsmaking process.

Like everything else in engagement, success relies heavily on the relationships you have with your community. The strategy will always depend on your communities’ information needs. Experiment. Test. Start again. Ultimately, your subscribers will find your newsroom more accessible by being a part of the process.

Kristine Villanueva, a project editor with Equally Informed & Resolve Philly, was Gather’s Guest Curator for the month of October.