The importance of social media in business journalism

Sarah Marshall, a social media editor for The Wall Street Journal based in London, was interviewed by the internal Dow Jones publication The Lead about her job.

Here is an excerpt:

WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA SO KEY FOR OUR NEWSROOM?

Sarah Marshall: Social media is key to our future. Facebook, Twitter and other networks are places where we find new readers, hook them in, and ultimately attract new subscribers. Social has huge possibilities for growth as there is a near limitless supply of potential readers, smart people who gather news from numerous sources but who are keen to spend time on quality content.

I’m of the view (and not everyone will agree) that a story lives or dies by the social headline. A well written headline will grab readers, give them a taste and lead them into a story. They then read it (or at least skim it) and share it with their contacts. Get the social headline wrong and we miss those who discover the story early on and they do not then go on to share it.

WHAT DOES A SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR DO EXACTLY?

SM: I’m sure many people are of the view that social media editors are paid to write 90-character headlines and “bounce a few tweets around”. But it’s so much more than that. We are keeping an eye on what is breaking, helping journalists grow their own followings and, to use Jay Rosen’s phrase, speaking to “the people formerly known as the audience”.

Read more here.