(Editor’s note: This is part 2 of a three-part Tidbits mini-series.)
The second core Web skill I wish I’d acquired in journalism school is how to generate traffic.
It took me a long time to accept the business side of journalism, but I grudgingly realized that my work and home life depend on my ability to snap into a simple (but clunky) equation. It goes like this:
- Good content attracts readers.
- Readers create page views.
- Page views attract advertisers
- Advertising generates revenue.
- Most importantly: revenue = paycheck.
So where does the journalist fit in? We’re the most important part: We generate the content that catalyzes the rest of the equation.
This isn’t a business discussion, it’s a “role” discussion. As Web journalists, we play an integral role in the creation of traffic. The more traffic we generate, the easier things get. Anyone who’s ever felt the pressure of irrational traffic projections knows the sweet relief that follows a better-than-expected month.
Unfortunately, new online journalists don’t quite understand where they fit in. They don’t know that blogging success is tied to traffic success — and that and the only way to generate traffic is to post all the time.
They don’t realize that current ad metrics lean toward page views, so sometimes you need to avoid a Flash application in favor of an HTML-based slideshow. Why do you think Forbes and CNet and every other Web-savvy news outlet offers bare-bones slideshows? Because they’re page-view bonanzas!
Simple lessons from the real world can help newbie journalists snap into the equation. The sooner that happens, the sooner they’ll find their footing.
(Next skill: Leading and moderating communities…)
