Seeding KDHX pages on Facebook and Twitter
Introduction
Sharing KDHX.org pages on Facebook and Twitter is a vital step of publishing. We call this "seeding." It makes a significant difference in page views, so if you are publishing high-quality, news-worthy pages (especially in the music categories), you should be sharing them on the KDHX Facebook and Twitter accounts.
To do this, you'll need admin access to both KDHX Facebook and Twitter. Contact Roy or Chris Bay for access.
Important: Because you are posting as KDHX, you must be careful. Your tone should be appropriate to KDHX as an organization: Be friendly, engaging, clear; avoid snark or anything that could be misinterpreted or construed as negative; avoid excess exclamation points or unnecessary hyping.
You also should be mindful when switching between your personal account and the KDHX account. On Facebook, especially, it's easy to get confused. Keep an eye on the upper right corner. If the KDHX logo appears there, then you are using Facebook as KDHX. Do not comment or like or otherwise post on Facebook as KDHX. Only do this for seeding an article. After making the post, switch back to your personal account immediately. This will ensure that you don't continue posting as KDHX when you want to use Facebook as yourself.
The same principle applies to Twitter. Always remember to log out and switch back to your personal account when you are done seeding.
Sharing on Facebook
Copy the URL for the page.
Sign in to Facebook and use it as you the individual.
Go to: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug
Paste in the URL and debug it. This will ensure that Facebook generates the preview in news feeds.
Go to your personal Facebook page, switch to using Facebook as the 88.1 KDHX Page (click on the gear in the upper right corner to do this).
Search Google for Facebook + Band Name or Label Name etc. Locate the official FB page for the band/label etc. and like it.
Go back to the KDHX FB page. Check to see if anyone has posted anything in the last 1/2 hour to one hour. If so, you should probably wait before seeding your article. If there's a "sticky" post pinned to the top of the page (look for the yellow ribbon by it), you can ignore that post and seed.
Paste in the URL for the page you want to seed in the status box. Make sure the preview generates properly. If not, you may have to close out Facebook, debug the URL and try again.
After the preview generates, remove the URL from the status box.
Type in a brief comment, a hook to get readers interested. Make sure you tag the artist referenced and the venue referenced. Do this by typing @ and then the artist name. This should generate a range of selections. Choose the one you want. Examples of hooks:
Gogol Bordello brought its manic gypsy punk to the KDHX studios last week. The New York-based band performed four new songs, just for us -- and for you! Stream the full session now at KDHX.org.
Dustin Winter turned in these excellent photos from Monday night's show at The Firebird with ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Ume, and The Red Paintings. Check out the full set at KDHX.org.
If you're posting concert photos or reviews, be sure to mention all the artists referenced in the reviews or the photo set, and tag them all.
Proofread. Proofread again. And proofread a third time. It is very easy to make a typo in a status update. Be patient and diligent about proofreading your post before clicking the "Post" button.
After you've made the post, switch back to your personal Facebook account.
If you genuinely like the page you have seeded, go to it on KDHX.org and like it (the Like badge is towards the bottom of each article), or go to the KDHX FB page and share it on your timeline. That will send it to your personal news feed and help spread the word about this great content. Again, make sure you are using Facebook as your personal account when doing this.
Seeding on Twitter
Log in to the KDHX Twitter account.
Google for the official Twitter accounts of the artists/venues/labels as relevant to the page you are seeding. Search: Name + Twitter. Use multiple tabs for these searches so you have easy access to copying and pasting the Twitter "handles." When you're dealing with famous bands, make sure you get the official Twitter, not a knock-off.
Compose your tweet. Make it concise. Tag the Twitter handles of the artists/venue/label etc. (which you will have copied from your Google searches). Tag as many artists represented in the review/photo set etc as possible.
Important: Do not begin your tweet with a Twitter handle. If you must, put a . before it, so that the tweet will show up for everyone.
Copy and paste in the URL. Twitter should shorten this for you at the end. If you are over the 140 characters, shorten your text. Examples:
Check out our photos from @firebirdstl last night w/ @OBERHOFERMUSIC & @danafalconberry kdhx.org/music/news/concert-photos…
Great to have @OBERHOFERMUSIC & @danafalconberry at @firebirdstl on Friday. Don't miss our photos from the show: kdhx.org/music/news/concert-photos…
.@GogolBordello in the form of Eugene Hutz @MAMADIASPORA blew away our studios yesterday. Stream the exclusive session now: kdhx.org/music/live…
These are just examples. Vary your text accordingly.
Proofread. Proofread again. And proofread a third time. Then post your tweet. There's no need to be concerned about overlapping other tweets.
Log out of KDHX Twitter when you are done. Switch back to your personal account and retweet the post (you should of course be following KDHX) if you wish. That helps with exposure.
