Before your audience can engage with your Hearken-powered project, they have to know it exists.
If you've got a print product, it can help you get this new effort in front of more people.
Many of our partners plan introductory posts, but it's important to keep the messages flowing. House ads, regular short pieces on voting rounds or question-collection efforts, and the language you use in reported answers can help your print readers know how to get involved with this digital project.
Explain the process
In the story: As illustrated by these ledes from LancasterOnline's We the People, The Columbian's Clark Asks and Chicago Tribune's What's the Story. The ledes identify the source of the story (from a community member's question), the name of the series and, in the case of The Columbian, that it was chosen through an audience vote.
In a separate short blurb alongside or at the end of an article, as you see here from the Chicago Tribune and LancasterOnline:
Promoting the process
When you roll out a new effort or step in your process (a voting round starts or ends, you have a winning question, or you want to prime your audience to submit questions), tell them in print! Examples from LancasterOnline and The Colombian.
Other ideas for promoting the series in print
Design a house or promo ad to fill those pesky holes left when your stories and ad stacks just don't line up right. (You can also run a house ad online).
Craft a brief that explains the process and directs your print readers to find the series and have it available for regular use to fill out brief columns.
Write an update story that tells your readers what's on deck with your Hearken-powered work. (Since you tell them you're listening, it's good to show them what's happening with their participation.)
Physical advertising, postcards and handouts
When trying to build an audience for its new podcast version of the popular series "Bay Curious," KQED unleashed a massive marketing plan — both digital and physical. In the physical realm, the station bought ads in some BART train stations and inside 60 buses. They also designed and distributed hundreds of postcards:
It can also be helpful to have a physical version of your call-to-action — like a half- or quarter-sheet of paper — so you can collect questions from the public IRL:
