The Social Media Club is funded by the Facebook Journalism Project

Social Media Club

Are you charged with maximizing social media’s usefulness and impact for your local media organization? Do you strategize social content and directly lead initiatives to test, learn and educate others in best social media practices? If so, this educational networking environment is designed with you in mind.

Why a Social Media Club?

Within an ever-changing digital landscape, social media is a vital tool for local publishers to distribute and discover content, engage with their audience and expand their brand footprint. As social media platforms evolve, local newsrooms can utilize the Social Media Club and the Local News Resource Center to navigate updates and understand how these changes could affect workflow, traffic referrals, storytelling, and more. The Social Media Club offers additional insight into how Facebook, Instagram, CrowdTangle and other tools are being used to meet newsroom and business goals, offered from real-world experiments, research and initiatives. The Social Media Club is supported by the Facebook Journalism Project.

How it works:

  •  The club meets 6-8 times per year on topics of importance at the intersection of local news and social media.
  • The groups include a mix of social media managers, engagement editors, and other roles that spend significant time working on social media, especially in the newsroom and for audience development.
  • Club members come from across LMA and LMC membership in all industries: newspaper, television, digital and radio.
  • Details and conversation starter questions are sent ahead of each call to encourage participation and sharing.

Benefits for social media leaders:

  • Video calls are facilitated by Emilie Lutostanski, director of LMA’s Local News Resource Center. Topics are determined by the groups as well as the latest trends, challenges and updates in social media.
  • Members connect directly with peers to understand successful projects and tests on social media, as well as discuss ongoing challenges, strategies and product opportunities.
  • In-person group and individual meetings take place in conjunction with LMA conferences.
  • The club’s Facebook group offers ongoing support and conversation between calls.

What topics are covered?

  • Club members contribute to agendas for each meeting based on the questions, concerns and needs of the group.
  • Topics focus on social media solutions, innovations, trends, products and strategies.
  • Guests and club members will be invited to share learnings, advice and questions.

Featured topics could include:

  • Instagram stories, highlights, and how they can work for publishers
  • Using social to drive loyalty, subscriptions and membership
  • Determining the best social messaging for content
  • Local news engagement and content trends across Instagram and Facebook
  • CrowdTangle how-tos, tips and tricks
  • Commenting and moderation strategies
  • Live video successes and opportunities
  • Building a thriving community Facebook group
  • Using and sharing user-generated local video
  • Media law related to social media
  • Scheduling social posts including available tools
  • Saving time reporting analytics

Role of the director of the Local News Resource Center:

Emilie Lutostanski is the director of LMA’s Local News Resource Center, a partnership with Facebook, Instagram and CrowdTangle.

Emilie has helped newsrooms, nonprofits and businesses heighten audience engagement and build trust with readers through social media for more than ten years. She has experience working in radio and newspaper newsrooms including as a producer, reporter, editor, managing editor, and digital product manager.

Prior to joining LMA in 2018, she oversaw a complete website redesign and facilitated a content shift that led to record-breaking traffic, engagement and ad sales at Community Impact Newspaper. Her work has been recognized by Editor & Publisher Magazine, the National Newspaper Association and LMA’s 2017 Digital Innovation Competition, including for best social media strategy.

In leading the Social Media Club, Emilie facilitates group discussion and learning opportunities among social media leaders in addition to working directly with newsrooms as part of the Local News Resource Center. The director’s role is critical to the success of the Social Media Club and will ensure the club is highly valuable and engaging. Significant time and planning goes into ensuring every call evokes interesting discussion and yields action items.

Criteria to join the Social Media Club:

  • You are charged with the social media strategy at your company or in your newsroom. We have a mix of titles, but this club is intended for social media managers, engagement editors, community managers and those in similar roles. Social media understanding, transformation and strategy should be a key function of your job, but not necessarily the entire job.
  • If you are focused primarily on digital revenue, content strategy, and/or audience acquisition, we have a Chief Digital Club for you.
  • An application must be submitted to understand your unique social media needs, skills and expectations.
  • Members commit to attend and actively participate in video meetings. The club thrives when its members are engaged and eager to share, which results in valuable takeaways for everyone.

Apply here to join the Social Media Club! 

In addition to the Social Media Club, please feel free to contact us through the Local News Resource Center to get ad hoc social media support, training and resources.

The Local News Resource Center is made possible by funding from the Facebook Journalism Project.