Buying a local newspaper is something many generations growing up or maturing don’t do anymore nowadays. Social media is constantly updating on your smartphone during your commute or at the gym, on your computer at work and your tablet at home. And often with the television in the background. For an increasing number of people today, there’s simply no space left for newspapers in their routine. Yet the need for local news remains strong, though people’s attention shifted elsewhere.

Thus our approach had to be different from the established model: a digital native publication, apolitical, community oriented, and commercially sustainable. We called it The Lincolnite. And once we finished our degrees in journalism, we had to give it a go. After thousands of people checked out our project within the first month, we decided to turn it into our startup. We became digital journalism entrepreneurs.

Founders of The Lincolnite, Daniel Ionescu and Elizabeth Fish

That was just under four years ago. Today we’re an award-winning local news website reaching more than 171,000 people every month, a great community which we are proud to serve. Through daily reporting and engaging with our community, we have learnt a few key things that might be useful on your community or local journalism journey, which I’ve tried to boil down into three main points.

Use social media effectively

Crafting social media posts keeps you tuned to your community. Twitter and Facebook are not just a place to share headlines for your articles. They’re a great place to communicate with your audience and get their reaction. When news breaks, a straight headline is appropriate, but a few hours later you can engage and ask genuine questions, and you’ll be surprised how people will start opening up. Don’t forget to always capitalise on your social media to drive traffic to your website by including a link to your articles wherever appropriate.

Tell the stories of your community

Creating engagement with social media will also bring with it people who want to tell you their story or are doing something for the community. Following up on such leads will become a constant source of human interest and community relevant stories. Ensuring you have a good balance of such stories will solidify your role in the community you service.

Moderate, don’t manage your community

When comments start pouring in, the larger your audience, the more likely there will be some people who disagree with you or with the articles your write. Some will be more vocal than others, and developing a thick skin will be helpful. If you make a mistake, as can often be the case with breaking news, owning up to it and correcting as soon as possible will gain the trust of your community.

It’s equally important to encourage the use of real names when allowing comments on stories, as this will foster a better level of conversation. If someone asks follow-up questions in comments, make sure you’re quick to reply. You can be strict on foul language, but considerate with those who have different views – which can often be the case with religious or immigration issues for example. Also remember that the conversation is not happening in your comments section only. Apply the same guidelines across your social media presence, because people will ultimately choose which platform they like to engage on most.