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Nebraska City News-Press put out a callout for spider photos, and got at least half a dozen responses, which is better than many of their callouts.
WHAT THEY DID: Nebraska City Executive Editor Tammy Pearson said she noticed more spiders than usual a few weeks ago, so she shot some photos and put them online along with a callout for readers to send their spider photos. She first thought of the nature callout, but Dan Swanson, assistant editor, suggested a more specific callout for spiders and bugs. "I suggested we do 'nature,' but he convinced me to try something more specific. I think it was a great idea," Tammy said. Here's the callout:
TAKEAWAY: You can try a creepy callout, which sounds pretty cool when you think of Halloween coming up before you know it, or just think of reaching out to readers in ways that make sense for your community. While GateHouse News Service has many ready-made callouts, you can add your own twist. Try something different! Maybe a more specific callout will work for you, too.
Jean Hodges served as a reporter and editor for more than 20 years and led groundbreaking projects that won national acclaim before coming to GateHouse to launch the company's news service. She worked most recently at the Chicago Sun-Times' Daily Southtown, covering the south side and south suburbs of Chicago. Before that she worked at the Killen (Texas) Daily Herald, the Clovis (N.M.) News Journal and the Ely Standard in Cambridgeshire, England. She now works with GateHouse news organizations on content strategies, Web initiatives, plus she leads training programs such as webinars and LEDE, GateHouse's leadership program.
