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The Stanley Cup playoffs soon will enter the second round. The NBA playoffs will tip off this weekend. Major League Baseball is about to complete its first month of the regular season.
It is a great time to be a sports fan, and an even better time to provide platforms for content that is focused on friendly, and sometimes not-so-friendly, banter among family, friends and foes involving their favorite teams.
UGC photos create healthy numbers for online galleries. According to Jason Piscia, online editor at The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., the newspaper’s recent callout for Cardinals-Cubs fan photos has generated 17,000 page views in the month of April.
The callouts, however, are just a start. Numerous story ideas and formats often crop up once the reader responses arrive.
To localize:
Focus on the rivalries in your circulation area and ask readers to submit their favorite photos, anecdotes, stories or traditions. Create photo galleries of the submissions and shoot video segments of the best subjects.
Create content for the print product by choosing the best responses. It can take the form of an ASF or run as a feature in news or sports.
Ask local community leaders such as council members, teachers and ministers to write a point-counterpoint before a playoff series or big game. Run the columns with their photos or, again, shoot a video segment of each one or the two together.
Select two fans and have them tweet a predetermined game. Set up a Twitter feed on your site so readers can follow.
One of the best ways to engage readers is to involve them. So have some fun with the presentation and be creative.
