From Likes to Leads: How TikTok Fuels Hyperlocal Journalism
By Adriana Loya
Illustration created by Mariano Avila using DALL-E text to image generator
The most impactful stories come from community members themselves. Becoming the person they trust with their stories, however, requires building an authentic relationship. Working for NBC affiliates in major markets like Boston and Phoenix, I found TikTok to be the perfect tool.
I’ve routinely uploaded my stories to social media platforms, starting ten years ago when I graduated college, mostly re-editing them to add new soundbites, extra b-roll, or reformatting them vertically. Over the years, buried among my story’s comments and tucked between messages from my followers, were a growing number of people entrusting me with their story ideas. The pitches ranged from rumors they thought I should investigate, to issues in their neighborhood or something they’d witnessed. Other times, the pitches come in the form of a tag or a link to a video from a user already speaking out about a story— usually before the video went viral or gained traction.
Below is a play-by-play of how engagement on TikTok turned into a double shift: doing two things at once. If you stick around long enough, there are also ten steps for using TikTok to engage audiences and source stories.
Two Stories, One Shift
That was the case in May of last year as I worked at KPNX 12News in Phoenix, the local NBC station. I was working on a story about a pair of criminals targeting Latinos in Mesa– a suburb of Phoenix– who went to people’s homes and offered “spiritual cleansings” or “limpias” and stole personal belongings from their customers.
I was researching that story for my day shift when people started tagging me on a different video that was rapidly gaining views on TikTok, showing a construction worker getting physically and verbally assaulted by the general contractor managing the site. In between getting my interview with police, b-roll, and looking for a tarot card reader who offered “limpias” to interview and add to my story, I was also working to verifying the legitimacy of the construction video and getting in contact with the alleged victim.
I reached out to the person who posted the video, the people who tagged me, and those in the comments who said they knew the victim. A couple of hours later I had the victim’s name and phone number, and she was willing to speak with me.
By around 2 p.m. I was done getting all the elements for my “spiritual cleanse” scam story that was set to air during our five o’clock newscast when I saw that my producers had become aware of the now-viral video of the construction worker assault. On our “pitches” channel on Microsoft Teams our producers posted that they wanted someone to reach out. I immediately called them and informed them I had that connection ready to go.
I ended up working a double shift that day, but we were the only station that was ahead of the story. On top of having an interview with the victim, I got an exclusive interview with the company that hired the general contractor and also went to the suspect’s home to try and get his side of the story. He didn’t open the door or answer my multiple calls.
But, had it not been for those people who reached out and tagged me to investigate as soon as they saw the video, our station would have not been able to fully cover this case adequately that day, nor help the victim get the justice she deserved.
The story immediately went viral after I made a Spanish version, re-edited it vertically, and published it on TikTok with extra soundbites from the victim. It continues to get attention to this day.
The Hyperlocal Connection
As a journalist, story ideas are one of the things we love the most. As a one-woman band who shot, edited, produced, and presented my own stories for television, for the stations’ website, and for my personal social media accounts, I can say that there’s sometimes not enough time in the day to cultivate organic leads.
Even though coming up with at least three potential newsworthy story ideas daily is a regular part of a reporter’s job, sometimes they are tough to find or you simply just run out of ideas.
One key method to avoid being stumped for leads has been posting my broadcast stories on social media, particularly TikTok. That has resulted in hyper-local story ideas thanks to those who follow me.
Don’t get me wrong, like any social media manager would tell you, each platform has its uses and an algorithm to follow. But TikTok has something that has made the connection from me, a storyteller, to a community member, seamless. It fosters a unique relationship that is not possible in linear broadcasts.
Also by now, you’ve probably already heard that a large majority of the population gets their news through their phones, so it’s pivotal that journalists are present where most of our viewers engage.
So, which stories impact community members most? Oftentimes, it’s those stories that start as tips provided to journalists by those very same residents watching and engaging online.
Let social media do its work, but also keep in mind that posting won’t get you the trust journalists strive for. The quality, effort, and commitment to the story play a huge role in determining if the audience will resonate with what you are reporting and stick to your work going forward.
Leveraging Social Media for Story Leads
Embrace Community Impact: The most impactful stories often originate from the community. Prioritize stories that can create a meaningful impact on residents.
Utilize Social Media: Regularly post your stories on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to engage with a wider audience and cultivate story leads.
Re-edit Content: Enhance your stories for social media by adding new soundbites, extra b-roll, or reformatting them vertically to fit the platform’s format.
Engage with Viewers: Interact with your audience on social media. Respond to comments and messages, and pay attention to the problems they want you to help solve.
Leverage User-Generated Content: Be on the lookout for tags or direct message links to videos from users discussing potential stories. This can help you discover stories before they gain widespread attention.
Understand Platform Uses: Each social media platform has its own target. Understand and use them to maximize your reach and engagement.
Build Relationships: Use social media to build strong connections with the community, making it easier to gather hyperlocal story ideas and foster trust.
Mobile-Friendly: Recognize that a significant portion of the audience consumes news on their phones. Ensure your presence is strong on mobile-friendly platforms.
Let It Do The Work For You: Allow social media to help bridge the gap between you and your community, making the process of gathering story leads more seamless and efficient.
Creating Trust: While social media can help bridge the gap between you and your community, it’s the quality of the work you do that will ultimately help create the bond that will lead to trust.
