Journalists and the interest with Pinterest
With the emergence of varied social media sites, it is vital for journalists and news organizations to have media dexterity to be comfortable in utilizing different media sites. Pinterest is an unconventional media service that offers great tools.
Launched in 2010, Pinterest is most well-known for its home hacks. People say Pinterest and the first thing that comes to mind are unique recipes. New York Times writer CJ Chivers had similar first impressions of Pinterest.
“After I signed up for Pinterest, people told me it was a site for cupcakes and wedding bouquets,” he said.
Limiting Pinterest to recipe sharing does the site a disservice. The potential of using the site as a journalistic tool has not been reached. The blueprint is like other social media sites where the images and videos are the hook. The layout is an archive of related images and other visuals.
The allure of the layout allows news organizations to deliver multiple different visuals at once. Breaking news stories live off the visuals that make the viewers feel immersed in the story. Pinterest allows the news sources to feed more image sources that would be cut on traditional mediums.
The Dallas Morning News has taken advantage of Pinterest. In 2012, they used the Pinterest Board to cover the images of fires rising around the Big Tex statue. The Pinterest Board layout makes the news content more expansive like a photo album.
Another example of utilizing Pinterest is covering the different damages of the Winter Storm Texas endured throughout early 2021. Captivating images of the destruction caused by the storm that no other competitor is sharing provides a big advantage to the source site.
The model example of news sharing and content promotion with Pinterest is Smart Magazine. The magazine uses Pinterest to further share their recipes and reviews. Taking advantages of the images to an ideal target audience makes this usage superb.
A journalist in action could attract employers and a stable audience. Pinterest’s signature photo archive allows a journalist to create and reference their own portfolio. Not only can Pinterest be used as a resume, but also as a source to find what stories are trending.
Pinterest carries as much versatility as any other social media site. It is a great map to determine what is going on in the world. Social media producer Lauren Krabbenhoft encapsulates the mystique of Pinterest.
“I’ve thought a lot about Pinterest boards as travel guides.”
Five reasons young journalists should use Pinterest
1) Compilation of Images-Your images related to stories will be given more accessibility and attention.
2) Find Stories-You can identify what stories are relevant at the time.
3) Ready Made Portfolio-Your photos and images are archived. Employers have your content available at a click.
4) Reach New Audience-Some people would never see your content. Now you increased the pool of viewership.
5) Interact Journalists-Another way to make connections and meet new people.
