Planning

Meeting audiences on the right platforms, at the right times, across hundreds of brands requires a lot of planning tools and techniques. Learn more about what’s available.

Learn what an evergreen plan is, and why you should care about it and how to develop a content strategy for your news outlet.

IMPACT Tracker 201

Learn what you can do now to design your journalism for greater impact, whether you’re leading a newsroom, reporting, taking pictures or planning a launch strategy. Featuring a team led by Anjanette Delgado of Detroit Free Press.

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    • Covering Natural Disasters: Preparedness Training

    There are multiple resources journalists can prepare ahead of a natural disaster. Data + Journalism author and trainer Mike Reilley of University of Illinois-Chicago walks USA TODAY Network journalists through tools you may not have considered using.

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    • How to Find and Plan Trending Stories

    Cincinnati’s News of NOW team walks through the process and tools they use in this session on trending stories.

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    • Develop an audience plan for a big winner in the making

    Audience plans are an outline of social, alert, boost and publish plans for a story we expect to be a big win.

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    • Unlock the value in evergreen stories

    Re-sharing allows us to grow subscribers through bringing forward interesting stories that retain enduring value.

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    • Packaging, proofing and design center workflows for the CCJ

    Making it all come together is a complex orchestra.

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    • How to move searchers through the subscriber funnel

    Using your unique content to turn visitors into subscribers.

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    • How to use heat maps

    Heat maps are a great resource to help determine the best times for publishing a story.

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    • Digital strategies and best practices

    Readers in our growth audience segments tell us these are key parts of the day when they’re seeking to engage in news.

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    • Your handy guide to Presto in production

    The updated figures are below. The grand total is $242K, or $20K per period. It works out to $101 per paycheck for those involved.

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    • Digital and print planning basics in the CCJ

    Planners manage multi-platform content calendars that reflect tactics based on our audience strategies to deliver maximum impact for our newsrooms’ content.

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    • Overview of the roles and interactions of audience and other teams in the CCJ

    The audience team will be on the frontline for Network content sharing – statewide, within the CCJ, with the regional teams and to USA TODAY – which will help local reporters’ work reach a wider audience and also supplement local production with relevant, interesting stories from other markets.

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    • Project-manage like a pro

    Here’s how to deliver on a big project with many moving people and parts. Ten tips in 60 minutes that will help you simplify and win.

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    • Your power as an informal leader

    You don’t need to have rank and seniority to exert leadership. What you prioritize, what you value, how you listen, how you communicate, whose voices and views you feature, who you lift up, small gestures of mentorship, open-mindedness to advice and counsel — these all are informal acts of leadership.

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    • Strategic thinking and planning

    We look at how one of our biggest news organizations in one of our biggest markets does BIG things. From guiding probing investigative projects to introducing a new pay model to staging a marathon, The Free Press team will share how it sizes up and capitalizes on big opportunities. Hosted by executive editor Peter Bhatia and senior news director/digital Anjanette Delgado.

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    • Improving our relationship with readers

    A primer on the the audience funnel. First, we will do an audience health checkup and what we can do to help move readers through the loyalty funnel. Then we explore what a reader NEEDS from our content  – and making sure we deliver.

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    • Digital subscription strategies for small and mid-sized newsrooms

    We share metrics, best practices and ideas to try.

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    • How editors and managers can help keep reporters and photographers safe during protests

    Guidance for managers, starting with planning before a charged event, to communicating and adapting as conditions change to after-action debriefs.

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    • Small newsrooms, big ambitions

    Just because your newsroom is small doesn’t mean your goals need to be.

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    • Understanding our target audiences

    What are “Family Forward” and “Know the Score,” and why are they so key to unlocking potential subscriber growth? This first in a series of dissecting our total potential local readership will delve into the content these two groups say are most likely to win their business.

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    • How the USA TODAY Network “works”

    A primer on how to get local stories in USA TODAY (and vice versa), how to take advantage of shared resources like Center for News Design, Digital Optimization Team, recruiting, training, etc. — and whom to call on for help.

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    • Protected: Table Stakes follow-up: community-funded journalism

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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    • Protected: Table Stakes: Design-do loops

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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    • Protected: Table Stakes scorecards activity

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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    • Find your shark (high interest topics in your community)

    When a fatal shark attack happened at a local beach, the Cape Cod Times was ready. Find out how the paper maximized the moment with preparation that began years earlier.

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    • Developing an evergreen plan

    What is evergreen, and why should you care? This webinar answers questions on how to develop an evergreen content strategy for your newspaper, and why.

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    • #DoJournalismWithImpact (for editors)

    How are you planning? Quick tips and examples on who’s doing this best, and seeing what the end result is. We’ll talk about the CND Google budget, and brainstorming sessions.

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    • Understanding the hybrid subscription model

    Here, we’ll provide data, talk best practices, provide examples and hear any questions or concerns you might have about the hyrid subscription model.

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    • Don’t forget social (for reporters)

    Reporters need to be where their audience is on social media. Ensure you are active on the right social platforms so you’re prioritizing your time to attract your readers.

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