social media
Credit: Image by scyther5 on Shutterstock

There are various tools that enable publishers to measure metrics to see how engaged their audience is with their social posts, but are there benefits to going with your gut as well?

In this article from Mediashift, Kim Bui, editor-at-large at NowThis, explains that while she was working for Reported.ly, she worked within a team of six, trying to cover the world, five days a week, for roughly 18 hours a day. As a result, they often had to go with their instinct on which stories their audience would like on each platform.

She notes how talking and listening to your audience can help you get closer to them, and thus generate better stories than just relying on numbers such as page views and likes.

"Set aside following up on that viral story, and look for the things people are sending you on social," she writes.

"Follow up with people and then thank them when it turns into a story. This is a practice we put into play that eventually led to news tips of all kind being sent our way."

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).