CHARLES CLARK
Insider
SOCIAL EDITOR & HEAD OF UK CONTENT PARTNERSHIPS
Apr 2015 - Nov 2017
I joined the Insider team within the first year of the publication launching in the UK. Growing the UK's social media channels and syndication efforts from the ground up was challenging but hugely rewarding. By the time I left Insider, its UK social channels had more than 3 million followers and we had built a huge roster of syndication partners.
From 20,000 to
3 million followers on social media
During my time at Insider, I managed a team which oversaw the rapid growth of the company's social media channels. Besides daily offerings of fresh, dynamic content, we employed other initiatives and practices to fuel our success.
Firstly, we were in regular contact with the news partnerships teams at Facebook and Twitter, who gave us advice and tips on how to best adapt to the most recent algorithmic changes.
Secondly, we set up social-sharing agreements with other publications, meaning our content was shared on other pages. In return, we shared their content while using editorial judgement to ensure it aligned with our audience's interests.
Additionally, we were reactive in our hiring practices, bringing in team members who could turn algorithm changes into opportunities.
Turning social media insights into high-traffic website content
As social editor, I had a deep insight into what social media is talking about and what content is emerging on each platform.
I regularly turned this insight into website content which subsequently went viral and topped Chartbeat when shared to Insider's followers on Facebook and Twitter.
I used two tools to spot emerging trends and content: Crowdtangle and Socialbakers.
When one of these tools alerted my team to viral content, we would assess it from an editorial angle and decide whether or not it would be suitable for a rewrite on Insider.
Negotiating content-sharing partnerships with other publications
As the UK's syndication editor, part of my job was reaching out to other publications to set up content-sharing and syndication partnerships.
Before reaching out to partners, it was important to consider whether or not their content would complement Insider's.
These partnerships were purely content-based with no budget, meaning it was important to succinctly communicate the benefits to each prospect.
During my tenure, I successfully launched several content partnerships with both globally recognised brands including Al Jazeera and The Independent, and smaller, independent blogs.