Well-known designer Ron Reason talks exclusively to www.newspaperdesign.in
To prepare for a big, but expected, news event like World Cup soccer, considering adding the following to your game plan:
1. Review your publication’s efforts in recent years to cover the event.
Pull out last year’s newspaper or magazine pages, review your web archives and even social media feeds, and examine: what worked well? What should we repeat? What might we have done differently? Your review might even result in some good tidbits to publish from the archives (at least online) for your readers, to get them exited about the event, such as “Revisit our best photos or video from the last World Cup.” This can boost web traffic and direct readers to your intentions to publish extensively on the event this year.
2. Consider your current staff resources and talent, and adjust accordingly.
Do you have more or less talent for infographics? If you have new staffers with new techniques in producing graphics, perhaps invite them into the planning and consider how they will participate. Or, might you have less space on the news pages for coverage than in previous years? If so, start planning now to write shorter summaries and direct readers to the web for more in-depth reportage and additional photos and video.
3. Social media likely has advanced since the last World Cup. What can you do differently now?
Are there newer platforms, say Snapchat, that you didn’t publish on previously? Is this something that would build new audiences? If so, consider it. Does Twitter offer new functionality that might add something to your coverage? If so, take your audience there.
4. Succeed on mobile, before your competitors do.
Mobile publishing is exploding in India, so look at innovators in other countries who have done it already and learn from them. This might mean offering push alerts, or creating an app, perhaps partnering with advertisers, to reach readers who are on the go with their mobile phones but need to stay informed.
5. Don’t forget advertising!
World Cup coverage will be very highly read. In addition to traditional advertising sales, consider anchored sponsorships of photo pages, special sections, video channels, or souvenir or poster pages that might hang in homes and business.
How to cover World Cup Soccer series
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Peter Ong
