15 Questions to Answer Before You Write a Single Word of Website Copy

Bizzy Coy is a freelance copywriter and humorist whose creative writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and who is the author of "Personal Space." She has received fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, and NYSCA/NYFA, and has written for clients including Disney, Condé Nast, and Broadway.

4 min read • Originally published March 6, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Bizzy Coy is a freelance copywriter and humorist whose creative writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and who is the author of "Personal Space." She has received fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, and NYSCA/NYFA, and has written for clients including Disney, Condé Nast, and Broadway.

4 min read • Originally published March 6, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Your website needs brand-new copy, and you’re just the person for the job. But before you type a single word, ask yourself these 15 important questions:

1. Who is your website’s main audience?
Here’s one of the most effective website copywriting tips: know who you’re talking to before you start writing. Create an image in your mind of the type of person you want to visit your site—your perfect customer. Everything you write should be aimed at that person.

2. What do you want your audience to know about you?
Sometimes it’s hard to determine what to put on your website and what can be communicated through other mediums. Determine the most important things you want your core audience to know about you (or your product, service, company, etc.). Don’t overwhelm them with too much information.

3. What action do you want your audience to take?
Do you want them to buy your product? Sign up for your service? Apply for a job at your company? Donate to a worthy cause? Join your email list? Follow you on social media? The possibilities are endless. Copywriting and marketing professionals refer to this as a “call to action.” Make sure you know exactly what actions you want your website visitors to take, and that the web copy tells them exactly what to do.

4. Who are other visitors who might come to your website?
You might have a secondary audience who comes to your site for reasons unlike those of your core audience. For example, if you’re a freelance copywriter, your website mainly talks to potential clients who want to hire you. But, your secondary audience could be other freelance copywriters who stop by to read your blog about copywriting tips.

5. Do you want your secondary audience to know anything different, or do anything different?
Make sure you prioritize your main audience, but don’t leave your secondary audience out of the loop. Write crystal-clear copy that tells each group what they need to know and what you want them to do.

6. What is your brand’s tone of voice?
Ask yourself: what tone will appeal most to your main audience? Are you friendly and approachable? Funny and witty? Serious and professional? Heartwarming and deeply personal? Wacky and creative? Innovative and cutting edge? Casual and irreverent? Luxurious and high-end? The tone you choose will dictate the kind of language you use.

7. Are there any words or phrases your main audience might use to search for a website like yours?
Web Copy Best Practices 101: Add search-engine friendly keywords to your copy that will guide people to your site.

8. Have you visited other websites similar to yours?
Time to check out the competition! Take some time to research what other people are doing in your field. Looking at other websites from within your industry is a great way to understand what your audience might expect from you.

9. What do you like about these other websites?
Don’t steal anyone else’s copy verbatim, but allow yourself to be inspired by good web copy examples. Maybe you like one site’s clever menu names, and another site’s bold call to action on the home page. Note what you like so you can remember when you start writing.

10. What DON’T you like about these other websites?
Jot down the things you don’t like. Are there too many navigational items in the header? Is there way too much copy on the home page? Not enough information on the “about” page? Are you confused about where you’re supposed to go and what you’re supposed to do? Keep these dislikes in mind for later.

11. What’s special about your website/brand/product/service?
Now that you’ve checked out the competition, you should have a better sense of where you fit in the landscape and what sets you apart. You should communicate this in your copy, so your audience knows why you’re unique.

12. What do you like about the web copy you have right now?
If you already have a website, take a minute to see if there’s any existing copy that you really like and want to keep. Sometimes you don’t have to do a total overhaul—just a quick brush-up.

13. What don’t you like about your website copy?
The more clearly you articulate the problems with your existing website, the easier it is to avoid making the same mistakes twice. When in doubt, ask a friend or colleague to take a look and give you their honest opinion.

14. What’s the most important message a website visitor should see?
What’s the big concept or main message you want to convey right away when someone lands on your site? Your home page is your most important real estate, so use it effectively.

15. How confident do you feel about writing your website copy, on a scale of 1-10?
If you rank your confidence at an 8 or above—congrats, you’re ready to get your wordsmith on!

If you’re feeling more in the 1-2 range, take a step back and consider hiring a professional to handle your writing needs. There are hundreds of freelancers and copywriting services who are standing by to help you.

If you’re in the 3-7 range, you’re almost there—you just need a nudge in the right direction. Take some additional time to educate yourself on copywriting best practices so you can write your site with confidence.

Topics:

Climb the Ladder

How GIFs Became a Powerful Tool in Modern Journalism

How GIFs can go beyond the absurd and provide value in digital journalism

@AndreaWillWrite

Andrea Williams is an author, journalist, and columnist for The Tennessean with over 16 years of experience in journalism and 20 years in copywriting and communications strategy. Her work spans national outlets and high-traffic digital brands.

4 min read • Originally published March 13, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Learn how to identify multimedia content trends with our Digital Journalism course—register now.

@AndreaWillWrite

Andrea Williams is an author, journalist, and columnist for The Tennessean with over 16 years of experience in journalism and 20 years in copywriting and communications strategy. Her work spans national outlets and high-traffic digital brands.

4 min read • Originally published March 13, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Ever since the dancing baby GIF hit the scene in the late 90s (which some of you may be too young to remember), the world has been fascinated by GIFs. And with the rise of social media, that fascination has evolved into full obsession. In fact, reaction GIFs have become a popular way to communicate thoughts and emotions without ever saying—or typing—a single word. (Just ask former President Obama, who’s illustrated mic drop was ranked number one on Variety’s list of the most popular GIFs of 2016.)

But GIFs are more than the equivalent of visual one-liners. They can actually be a powerful storytelling tool for digital journalists.

The Multimedia Journalist’s Guide to GIFs

In an article for ProPublica, Lena Groeger did an excellent job of explaining not only the history of GIFs (the earliest iterations of the technology date back to the 1800s), as well as the science behind them. Apparently, the human brain loves the comfort of predictability, whether it’s a favorite song that plays incessantly on the radio or a looping image of a cat filing its nails (which is totally a thing). And it’s this intersection of science and technology that can truly revolutionize digital journalism.

Natalie Dudas-Thomas, social media producer at WGBH, Boston’s National Public Radio member station, agrees. “The use of GIFs in journalism is still in its infancy, but now more than ever we need to find new ways to share our stories on social media,” she says. “GIFs give journalists the tools to illustrate their content in a digestible format, making the story accessible to people who may not have time to read the full article.”

In addition to increasing accessibility, GIFs also have the ability connect to and resonate with audiences in a way that an article without multimedia sometimes can’t.

Consider this GIF that depicts Europe’s refugee crisis based on data from the United Nations:

via Fast Co.DESIGN / Lucify

Or this one that illustrated the harsh realities of Brazilian pollution in advance of the 2016 Olympics:

via PRI

“A moving map or graph will catch someone’s eye much more than a static map graphic would,” says Dudas-Thomas. “An [animated] illustration of a sensitive topic you’re covering in your story may elicit a more emotional response on social media than a static image or longer video.”

Groeger’s article had a direct impact on Steven Davy, multimedia editor at PRI’s The World, who began seriously thinking about GIFs as a journalistic tool after first reading it.

Davy and his colleagues began where most do, with content ripped directly from videos. It’s a formula that’s both easy and generally high-impact, but ultimately, the team challenged themselves to go even further. And after a discussion with an illustrator about the power of hand-drawn images, Davy suggested that the PRI team begin creating their own GIF images.

“We were combining two ideas at once: the idea of something hand-drawn and this looping idea that a GIF does natively,” Davy explained. “So we started adding layers of journalism on top of promotional material by taking some of the reporting and inserting into the GIFs as conversation starters.”

Animated images were certainly a part of this strategy, but not always. Expanding on the popularity of quote boxes that had been shown to increase engagement on social platforms like Twitter, Davy’s team also began using GIFs to create extended quotes that were both optimized for social media and able to stand alone in the advancement of a story.

via PRI

Practical Considerations for Effective Multimedia Journalism

GIFs can certainly create a world of possibilities for the savvy digital journalist, but as with any technology there are very real considerations that must be addressed, beginning with resource availability. “I think the biggest consideration is time,” says Davy. “We’re all kinda slammed as journalists, but the work is important.”

Money is certainly an issue too, and most journos don’t have endless budgets that they can allocate for designers and animators. The good news is that there are free tools like Giphy or GIF Brewery that simplify the process for those without a design background or expensive software. And for those with a little cash to spare, Dudas-Thomas recommends “thinking beyond the newsroom” and tapping local artists or illustrators to create compelling images.

Copyright infringement is a potential risk, and sourcing material is always the best safeguard if you didn’t do the reporting/creation yourself. But, says Dudas-Thomas, ensuring your GIF effectively communicates your intended message is just as important. “The biggest risk you run into when using a GIF is making sure you get the tone right,” she explains. “And make sure your GIF still makes sense if taken out of context—[when] removed from the tweet you posted it with and shared somewhere else.”

Something that should probably not be considered, however, is the potential for a GIF to go viral. “Sometimes you hit a note online, and the story just kind of takes off,” says Davy. “Other times, it’s just the work of a journalist, and a story is important for the higher ideals of journalism.”

In other words, sometimes you just need to do the work that will ignite dialogue around meaningful topics.

Editor’s Note:

On March 13, Davy and Dudas-Thomas will join Katherine Griwert, FRONTLINE PBS’s Audience Engagement Editor, on a SXSW panel to further discuss how GIFs can help advance journalism.

For more on taking your online journalism skills to the next level, enroll in our Savvy Digital Journalism course today.

Topics:

Advice From the Pros

What Does a Media Relations Director Do? Role Breakdown

In a digital age where news travels fast, this media relations role is essential

Jenell Talley is a journalist and program analyst with a background spanning media, government, and editorial work. She holds a journalism degree from Howard University and a master's in human resources management from the University of Maryland.

3 min read • Originally published March 15, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Jenell Talley is a journalist and program analyst with a background spanning media, government, and editorial work. She holds a journalism degree from Howard University and a master's in human resources management from the University of Maryland.

3 min read • Originally published March 15, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

We hear you’re thinking about applying for that media relations director position you saw online. Awesome! Check out what a couple of media relations professionals have to say about the job and then go for it.

What exactly does a media relations director do?

A media relations director manages the flow of communication between a company, or client, and the media. The director builds and fosters relationships with key stakeholders across traditional and online media channels; establishes and implements strategic communications plans; and develops, writes and/or approves messaging for press releases and pitches, talking points, social media accounts, speeches, media statements, op-eds, letters to the editor, etc.

Other responsibilities include positioning clients and company leaders as subject matter experts; monitoring and tracking media coverage; organizing media briefings and press conferences; managing crisis communications; media coaching; and serving as official company spokesperson.

“Your goal is to raise awareness about your company’s brand and message top influencers,” says Diana Adair, as director of communications at retail e-commerce site Zazzle. Adair works closely with consumer magazines, such as O, The Oprah Magazine, and television shows, such as The Talk, to secure trend-based pieces about Zazzle’s products.

What skills does a media relations director need?

“First and foremost, a media relations director has to be an effective communicator because [his] entire job revolves around sharing information about [his] organization with media outlets and, through them, the public,” says Anthony Popiel, who helps handle media relations as part of his senior account executive role at Brandware Public Relations. Storytelling and creative writing skills are a must.

People in this position should also be social and amicable, he says, but not pushovers. “The best media relations directors [are] steadfast to ensure the right information is correctly communicated in a timely manner,” he offers.

Are digital media skills important?

Absolutely! You’ll be using software such as Cision and Meltwater to target media outlets, track press coverage and facilitate analytics and reporting. Understanding content marketing and how to use social media—beyond posting a perfectly angled selfie—will also serve you well.

Who is a media relations director’s supervisor?

Usually a VP of marketing or communications. Direct reports might include media relations managers and specialists.

Are there any jobs similar to this one?

PR directors and managers have responsibilities that cross over into a media relations director’s territory, says Popiel.

What else do I need to know?

Your relationship with the media is your most valuable asset, says Adair, so respect and protect it. She also advises familiarizing yourself with business and consumer media: “The most successful communication execs are able to pitch The Today Show on a fun, light segment and handle The Wall Street Journal on a tricky or financial issue.” And keep a level head, especially when managing a crisis. Remember, one thoughtless tweet can turn into a full-on disaster, she cautions.

How can I become a media relations director?

Most companies want someone with a degree in communications or PR, but don’t count yourself out if you don’t have one. Your experience and relationships are far more important, says Popiel, so scroll through your contact list and start reconnecting.

Topics:

Advice From the Pros, Be Inspired

Be Inspired

What Does an Editor Do? A Complete Guide to Editorial Careers

How to break in to, and excel, in this competitive field

Jenell Talley is a journalist and program analyst with a background spanning media, government, and editorial work. She holds a journalism degree from Howard University and a master's in human resources management from the University of Maryland.

3 min read • Originally published March 22, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Jenell Talley is a journalist and program analyst with a background spanning media, government, and editorial work. She holds a journalism degree from Howard University and a master's in human resources management from the University of Maryland.

3 min read • Originally published March 22, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Let me guess. English class was your favorite time of the day when you were a student? You wrote for your school newspaper—heck, maybe you were even on the yearbook staff—hopping on any chance you got to tell a story. After some time you realized, I don’t just enjoy writing, I excel at improving the writing of others too, and so began your quest to become an editor. To help you on your journey we tapped a few extraordinary editors to share some valuable insight.

What exactly does an editor do?
In a nutshell, an editor writes, edits and commissions stories. The day-to-day responsibilities vary depending on the medium (e.g., magazine, newspaper, website, book, social media) and workplace, but, in general, editors spend their days—and nights, when on deadline or closing an issue—pitching ideas; reporting; overseeing social media; curating content; supporting special projects; cultivating, assigning and managing a stable of freelancers; creating production schedules; and copy editing.

“One of the best parts of the job is that it really is different every day,” says freelance editor and writer and Anitra Budd. “Depending on the level of editing I’m doing—developmental, line, or copy editing—I might be reading a novel and taking notes on any plot holes, putting together a style sheet for a cook book copy edit, or doing online research to verify a term in a geology book for children.”

A part of being a successful editor is the ability to identify multimedia content trends. Get this skill with our Digital Journalism course. Register today to take this course.

What skills does an editor need?
Of course, you need writing and editing skills. You know that, and we know you know that, but we felt we should state the obvious. Done. Now that we got that out of the way, it’s imperative you understand how important attention to detail is.

“This is the cost of admission for any kind of editing,” says Budd, a former Coffee House Press editor. “If you’re not willing to check and double-check a style point or pore through a manuscript to make sure a character is always ‘Amanda’ and not ‘Mandy,’ this probably isn’t the job for you.”
Knowledge of AP and/or Chicago style, proficiency in Microsoft Office and software such as InDesign and experience with social media are important.

Who is an editor’s supervisor?
It depends where you work. Maybe you’ll report to the editor in chief or an editorial director, or maybe you’ll answer to the publisher. Editorial assistant and assistant editors will likely report to you.

What does it take to excel in this position?
“You have to juggle three entities: the writer, the reader and the text itself,” offers Budd. “When you can serve the interests of all three, and do it well, that’s where editorial magic happens.”

Adds Billboard social media editor Leslie Richin, “You need to make content come alive. You also need to make sure content reads well, and at times, add some flair. Ask yourself, would this content work better with a photo (or three), a gif, an emoji, a hashtag?”

How can I break into this field?
A journalism or communications degree isn’t mandatory, but Richin recommends one along with interning. It’s a competitive field, especially if you want to work at a consumer mag, reputable newspaper or popular website, so intern as much as possible (preferably in the industry you want to work in) to get your foot in the door.

If you want to be an editor, take your online journalism skills to the next level with our Savvy Digital Journalism course—Enroll now!

Topics:

Advice From the Pros, Be Inspired

Skills & Expertise

Why Digital Marketing Spending Is Outpacing Marketer Skills

There’s a continuing digital disconnect in marketing

By Amirah Bey

Amirah Bey is a digital marketing strategist with over 10 years of experience across global brands including Amazon Web Services, Procore Technologies, and Mediabistro. A Howard University graduate and Army National Guard veteran, she specializes in lifecycle marketing, analytics-driven strategy, and digital experience optimization.

2 min read • Originally published March 22, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Amirah Bey

Amirah Bey is a digital marketing strategist with over 10 years of experience across global brands including Amazon Web Services, Procore Technologies, and Mediabistro. A Howard University graduate and Army National Guard veteran, she specializes in lifecycle marketing, analytics-driven strategy, and digital experience optimization.

2 min read • Originally published March 22, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Digital marketing budgets are growing at a breakneck pace, but according to a new report, investments in the essential digital marketing skills needed to handle these larger budgets is lagging far behind. This is particularly true in high-engagement channels and capabilities, such as mobile, video and testing. Translation: although spending on digital technology may be up, the performance of marketers continues to remain stagnant.

BCG, in their recently published report, “A Disconnect and a Divide in Digital-Marketing Talent,” cites that worldwide spending on digital advertising topped $180 billion dollars in 2016, and double-digit growth is expected for 2020.

The consulting firm compared this aggressive digital ad spending to the results of a survey assessing the skills of digital marketers. BCG asked 2,200 marketers at 141 advertisers in 41 countries, and 2,900 employees at 126 advertising agencies in 28 countries, to assess themselves across a digital-marketing framework consisting of nine skill categories. The results were that, on average, marketers assessed themselves as inadequate.

More troubling, is that these marketers’ scores didn’t budge within an 18-month period. This signals a growing divide between mega digital advertising budgets and the strength of the capabilities that actually generate strong return on investment (ROI).

The risk for many advertisers is that they keep falling further behind, as we emphasized in 2015, since digital technologies and the complexity of their application are advancing at dizzying speed. While many companies are struggling to develop digital content and employ social media, digital marketing is already moving toward new capabilities. The most significant may be personalization, marketing to individual consumers at scale.

The moral of the story is that marketers cannot afford to remain stagnant. Without continuous learning, marketers, and the organizations they call home, will be left on the wrong side of a widening digital marketing chasm. It’s imperative that marketers learn constantly; and that advertisers, that want to continue to grow in capability, understanding and reach, give a wide berth for their marketing talent to keep growing.

Mediabistro understands this challenge and our courses are created to meet the needs of the busy, time-strapped marketer that needs to update his or her skills.

Topics:

Skills & Expertise

8 Proven Places to Find Your Next Great Story Idea

Tap into these secret sources of story ideas

By Amanda Ernst

Amanda Ernst Kallet is a senior business development executive currently leading AI partnerships at Meta, where she is a credited contributor to the Llama 3 and SeamlessM4T research publications. She previously held director-level roles at Verizon Media and AOL, and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

6 min read • Originally published March 27, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Amanda Ernst

Amanda Ernst Kallet is a senior business development executive currently leading AI partnerships at Meta, where she is a credited contributor to the Llama 3 and SeamlessM4T research publications. She previously held director-level roles at Verizon Media and AOL, and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

6 min read • Originally published March 27, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Whether you’re a freelancer trying to brainstorm that next pitch or an editor trying to fill a hole in your production calendar, it can be hard to find a new angle or story day in and day out, week after week.

You can’t always be creative, witty and hard-hitting. Sometimes you need an extra nudge, a little push in the direction of something beyond your old standbys.

So, we turned to some experts, writers, reporters and editors, who also have the challenge of finding interesting and compelling stories every day, for some advice about where they turn when their list of potential leads is looking thin.

Read on and you just might find some inspiration for your next byline.

1. People

Not the magazine, we’re talking about actual flesh and blood humans. Writing and reporting can be a lonely profession, but actual socializing can do more than just give your brain a break from deadline pressure.

“If I want a piece that has the possibility to do well, it needs to be more grounded in real life. So, it helps to remove myself from the Internet for a bit and have a conversation with someone face-to-face,” said freelance writer Lindsay Cross, who blogs daily for sites like TheGloss and Mommyish.

Cross turns to friends and family who don’t work in the world of digital journalism, like a former boss and her dad, for real inspiration.

“Both of them remind me that even though writing feels like a creative process and really closely linked to my emotions, it’s a job and a business. Sometimes it helps to remember that,” she added.

When someone asks what you do for a living, tell them what you’re working on or what you typically write about and let the ideas flow from those conversations. If you don’t want to prowl bars looking for strangers to ply for ideas, look for networking and industry events to meet new people.

Keep a notebook with you to jot down notes and ideas after you leave parties, or store notes on your phone, so you don’t forget before you wake up the next day.

2. The Competition

“Looking at the competition can help spark ideas that could fill gaps or news they’re not covering,” said Nick Barber, a tech reporter for IDG.

If you read a piece another outlet wrote about a subject, ask yourself what’s missing or try to look at the piece from the opposite point of view. “Sometimes a fresh perspective can help generate something new,” Barber added.

Pressed for time? Set up Google Alerts for any topics you’re interested in and watch the ideas flow into your inbox. And the competition doesn’t always have to be in your exact field.

If you’re a food writer, a quick check of Wired.com might unearth a profile of someone whose innovative freezing technology could be weaved into that piece on homemade ice cream you’ve been brainstorming.

Or, maybe it’s a blurb on The Wrap about Lindsay Lohan’s latest #fail that is the catalyst for your next parenting piece on teen discipline.

The idea is to keep your eyes peeled and your reporter’s cap on at all times.

3. Your Portfolio

When the story-well runs dry, looking through things you’ve written in the past may help conjure up new angles and ideas. Think about how you can approach an old story in a new way or new people you can talk to and interview.

Consider things that you wanted to cover that you didn’t have time for, or questions you were asked after the story was published that you can go back and answer.

What’s more, revisiting successful stories in new and different ways can capitalize on pieces that are already familiar with your audience and can likely lead to high traffic or interest from readers.

4. Comment Boards and Forums

“We always reach out to commenters,” said Meghan Keane, editorial director for women’s sites, including Crushable and Blisstree.

Keane’s writers and editors often ask commenters to tell stories in their own unique and personal way, either by writing it themselves or telling it to a staff writer.

“We want to reach out to people who will make stories interesting,” she added. Asking a reader to tell a story that you have previously reported about in their own words could reignite a topic that already struck a chord with your audience.

Again, scope out the boards for sites you don’t write for. Often, the readers themselves will reveal the hidden angle from an article, what a sports reporter should really have asked an athlete, or the biggest WTF moment of the latest season of True Blood.

Question forums like Quora and LinkedIn Groups can also shed insight into what’s on everyone’s minds. Keep digging and digging until you find a subject so deliciously niche that your editor just can’t say no.

5. The Calendar

Seasonal angles on stories are a no-brainer, but it’s funny how often we forget that. For example, a women’s publication can run countless versions of “The Best [XYZ] for Summer” without ever seeming repetitive.

There are also endless stories to be had around holidays, from the big ones like Christmas or Thanksgiving to smaller celebrations like National Ice Cream Day.

Just about every day of the year has been declared a “day” of some sort, so start there for quirky, fun pieces. Looking ahead to events can also help you pitch an outlandish piece to editors.

“If you want to jump out of a plane with Emma Stone while you talk to her about Spider-Man, and the movie is coming out in six months, then you might have a shot to make that happen,” Keane explained. “But if Spider-Man is coming out in two weeks, it’s probably not going to happen.”

6. Silence

Ever heard someone say they get their best ideas in the shower or while driving? This tip may seem obvious, but there have been several studies that prove that quieting the brain can do wonders for sparking creativity.

And you don’t have to be Deepak Chopra or a yogi to make it work. Start simple: Take a half-day for no reason other than to get away from your laptop. Go see a silly movie, treat yourself to lunch at new restaurant, or take a walk through the park.

In the need-it-yesterday environment of the media world, it’s easy to think that every day should be spent working toward some goal. But in fact, it could be the days where you’re lazing around doing absolutely nothing that you produce your best work.

7. Search Statistics

An online trend tracker can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Got an idea for a slideshow retrospective and need to know what America was buzzing about in 2004? Google Insights for Search will tell you.

Yahoo Buzz Index allows you to filter hot topics by category, AOL Search Trends breaks down queries by the hour and day, and even Twitter’s trending topics can shed some light.

Rather than trying to convince your editor that the artist you love is the next big thing, go online and find the numbers that prove it.

8. Threes

As the old saying goes, it isn’t a trend until it happens three times. So, if you really want to keep the assignments rolling in, it’s you, the reporter, who has to tell the world what’s hot.

If you’re a beauty writer who notices that both Katy Perry and Rihanna are rocking red bobs or a tech blogger who realizes that a few noteworthy startups have launched in Boston, start pitching—fast.

You just might be onto a juicy story that will bring in beaucoup page views and maybe even a little notoriety.

Topics:

Advice From the Pros

The New York Times Launches on Snapchat Discover: What It Means for Digital Journalism

Get an insider's perspective on what it's like to launch on Snapchat Discover

@AndreaWillWrite

Andrea Williams is an author, journalist, and columnist for The Tennessean with over 16 years of experience in journalism and 20 years in copywriting and communications strategy. Her work spans national outlets and high-traffic digital brands.

6 min read • Originally published April 3, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

@AndreaWillWrite

Andrea Williams is an author, journalist, and columnist for The Tennessean with over 16 years of experience in journalism and 20 years in copywriting and communications strategy. Her work spans national outlets and high-traffic digital brands.

6 min read • Originally published April 3, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026

Across platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, an estimated 78% of Americans have at least one social media profile, and according to The Pew Research Center, around 62% of Americans turn to social media for news.

Obviously, if you’re working in digital journalism, you can’t afford to ignore that captive audience.

For this reason The New York Times, led by Senior Editor Jonathan Ellis, is gearing up to launch on Snapchat’s Discover platform.

With a daily edition modeled after the Times’ popular “Morning Briefing,” Ellis hopes to capture a new, younger readership and continue to shape the future of multimedia journalism, one ten-second video at a time. Here’s how he’s doing it:

Why did you guys decide to launch on Snapchat Discover?

Snapchat Discover is a relatively new medium with a lot of interesting, new storytelling opportunities, so it’s definitely an exciting place.

There’s this opportunity to reach an entirely new audience—people who the Times might not be reaching right now, but who might be interested in finding a really trusted news source with a lot of great other features as well.

In terms of the actual content, how are you shifting it for the platform to ensure that you reach those audiences in a compelling way?

There’s not going to be room in any given day’s edition on Snapchat Discover to fit in everything that the Times is doing, so it’s about finding the right stories that would appeal to the audience on Snapchat. And I think a lot of that is in the curation of the story selection.

I think the mistake would be to try to pander to a certain audience, whoever that audience may be. We certainly don’t want to try to do anything that’s supposed to appeal to the kids out there. That’s just a recipe for disaster. So instead, it’s about finding the stories that matter to people.

As you build a team around this to prepare for launch, what are some of the digital journalism skills you’re looking for in potential hires?

I would say that motion graphics design is one of the linchpins of everything that we’re doing, because [Snapchat] is based on ten-second moving videos.

So you need some very creative motion designers who can not just take direction, but who can interpret the story that we’re trying to tell and come up with their own ways of telling them visually.

You also need video editors and video producers who can think about telling stories through video, research and find existing videos, work with the rest of The New York Times video team to make sure that we’re getting all of the good stuff that they’re working on into the platform, and think about original content.

I should also mention that just thinking in terms of vertical video is important. [It’s different] than what they might have always been working on in the medium of traditional, 16:9 widescreen video.

We’ve also got other editors on the team, who are sort of thinking about the story selections in general [and] applying their news judgment to what we’re putting into the edition every day.

We also have a photo editor on the team who is bringing the entire great world of New York Times photography into everything that we do. And that’s another way that we can tell these stories visually.

What are some of the soft skills needed to launch an endeavor like this?

Overall, we’ve found that this process is collaborative at its core, so even though everybody brings some specific skillsets to the table, it’s almost like everybody has to wear a lot of hats, and wear each other’s hats at various moments.

When we started working on this, we, I think, were a little too disconnected from each other, and people were working in their separate corners on their separate things, and it wasn’t jelling very well.

We realized pretty early on that to be able to produce this kind of cohesive, visual-first edition every day requires intense collaboration. People need to be sitting together, looking over each other’s shoulders, and communicating at all times with one another about what they’re working on and what ideas they have.

So instead of having everybody simply working in their own disciplines, people have to be very flexible, and [those are] the kind of people that you need on the team.

Aside from that initial hurdle of collaboration, what would you say the biggest challenges are now, leading up to launch, and can you foresee any future challenges down the road?

The collaboration challenge was obviously important at the get-go, and it still is. We’re still trying to figure out exactly the right workflows, so I think that will be one of the big challenges as we get closer and closer to launch. Just making sure we’re being as efficient as possible.

We are also trying to figure out the proper timing of all this. How do you prepare an edition that…[gives] you the latest news that you need to know that morning. And at what time does that all get prepared? The previous day, previous night or overnight?

There’s also just a lot of the refinement to be done in how we approach the mix of content that we put in each edition. What do we think is going to resonate with the audience? What’s the best way to arrange and organize all of that?

The other thing is that, until we launch, we won’t be able to gauge the audience reaction to all of this, so we’re doing this without the benefit of analytics.

Then after the launch, I think one of the things we’ll have to focus on is how our audience is responding. What’s successful that we didn’t expect to be? What’s not doing so well that we thought was going to be a big hit?

How do we adjust to that, and then, how can we build and grow an audience on a platform where you have a lot of other great media publishers? How can we make it clear to our Snapchat users that this is [content] that’s worth coming back to every day?

You touched repeatedly on building a habit with users and establishing brand loyalty. Would you say that’s the overarching goal of this initiative?

We’re excited to be a part of a platform that is changing the way that a lot of people get their news, and the way that a new generation gets its news. And we certainly want to bring to the table new ideas about how best [to] do that.

We’ll learn things about visual storytelling by doing this project, and we certainly hope that we can spread some of that knowledge throughout the rest of the organization, once we’re up and running.

I think everyone would agree that Snapchat has been so innovative in changing how a lot of people consume media, entertainment and journalism.

That’s a great thing that Snapchat does, and it’s a great opportunity for us to think about how we can change what we’re doing, as a whole, at The New York Times.

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Bizzy Coy is a freelance copywriter and humorist whose creative writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and who is the author of "Personal Space." She has received fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, and NYSCA/NYFA, and has written for clients including Disney, Condé Nast, and Broadway.

4 min read • Originally published April 5, 2017 / Updated March 19, 2026