Massive Social Media Guide
This is a tool to reference while creating your Massive missives.
You’ll find the following fields in your GatherContent story templates, there to help us tell your story better, as well as credit you across all our platforms:
Who are you talking to; who is your audience? (include social handles + links)
Answer this by telling us who you’d like to read your article and who or what is affiliated with your article, ie anyone, any schools, or any institutions you might mention.
Example: “In this post I mention @NorthwesternU, @NeilDegrasseTyson, @Beyonce, and @MIT. I want people who like @PopTarts to read this.”
Three twitter posts
In this field you will write three sample tweets. Our thought in asking you to do this is that as the writer, you’ll be able to quickly find the three most relevant, interesting points in your story. While each tweet won’t be perfect, writing three will get you there — at least one will be the winner. The thinking behind this is that, by the third tweet, you’ll be warmed up and able to quickly get to the point of your article.
Examples:
- Did you know goats play video games? New research shows they love Zelda but hate Final Fantasy. Curious, we gave them Grand Theft Auto to see what happened next. How quickly the goats learned to steal cars presents a fascinating argument on how our brains might be hardwired to hot wire. LINK
- While goats don’t have thumbs, they have advanced motor coordination and hooves that allow them to play DDR at a champion level—and beat every scientist in lab. LINK
- Goats don’t play video games. That’s what we thought, too, until new research showed something strange when we left a Gameboy unattended in the lab. What we found could explain why it’s so easy for humans to binge play—and how to stop. LINK
These work because
- They are clear and direct
- They tell a mini story
- Each one is a little different
- They all have their own “hook,” or peg to guide readers to the story
Examples of what not to do:
- Goats, also known as Capra aegagrus hircus, are Herbivorous creatures that eat poaceae. LINK
- Goats are so cute when they hop and climb trees. Since they like to play, we gave the kids some video games. LINK
- Video games aren’t only for humans. LINK
- Hey folks, here’s my new story on science stuff LINK
- Goats have a complicated body-mind connection far superior to other mammals that could possibly have a role in what perhaps is an unproven method of visual processing. A cohort of federated researchers out of several universities submitted documentation for publication. LINK
These don’t work as well because
- They are not clear and lack context
- Some are too informal
- Some are too formal
- They don’t mention the exciting bits of the story — the reason to click
One FB post
The same principles apply to create a Facebook post. However, you have more length to work with, and thus can add more context or more story.
Example:
- Since the dawn of Atari, humans have flocked to gaming. Other species were left out completely until a rogue scientist decided to study the brain activity of goats playing MarioKart. In the newly released report from @MIT, the creatures are shown to have a natural aptitude for gaming — and brain patterning similar to ours — which could unlock keys to why humans find video games so addictive.
A note on tone
It’s important to use your voice, and it’s just as important to make sure your voice is engaging. Tone should be active, upbeat, and curious. The important thing to remember about tone is that it’s what is going to entice someone to keep reading. As you’re writing, ask yourself, “How would I like to be spoken to if someone was presenting me with new information?”
A note on context
While you understand the article and the topics you’ve explored, most readers are seeing these ideas for the first time. As you’re writing social copy, be descriptive and focus on telling a short story. Without the context, readers might be confused or even pass over clicking on your article because it’s not clear — and clarity and context are key.
SEO Keywords + Tags
On certain platforms, Massive will use a keyword/tagging feature, which allows people interested in a particular topic to find your pieces quicker.
Sticking with the gaming goats theme, you might add the following keywords:#goat #science #weird #neuroscience #Nintendo
Scicomm Social in the Wild (taking Massive off Massive)
A few quick tips for a better, more connected social experience
- Follow Massive on whichever platforms you are active on
- Double check in Gather that you’ve entered your Twitter Handle; this way we can tag you when we share your articles
- Don’t be shy about tagging the universities, people, or institutions you’ve mentioned in your piece — they will most likely be flattered and repost
- Get creative! Ask us to create a gif (we have a Giphy account!) for you, or post in Instastories and use the sticker feature. There are so many ways to tell a visually engaging post on social
- Use the hashtag #actualscientist!
Last updated July 2, 2018