- Choose your platform, and explain why you think this platform would be effective for the GSR and your submission. Consider choosing the platform that you are familiar with, but that will also address a specific audience of the Greenspring Review. Who might be interested in reading your piece, and what platforms do they interact with most?
I chose to use Twitter because everyone knows there is a word limit so when there is an advertisement people will be more likely to click and explore the website to know more. I just would need to figure out what to say that will spark interest in students who love to read poems and short stories or take photography.
2. Craft a pitch that fits the constraints of the platform. Consider the common conventions for that site. Will you use text as a caption or an overlay? Do you have a character or space limit? Can you manipulate the font or color of the text? Should you include emojis and punctuation?
There is a word limit that I had to maneuver around by using symbols like “&”, however twitter’s special feature is the ability to use hashtags and tag people. So I decided to hashtag key words in order for the post to be seen by people in the specified group. For example COVID19 is trending on twitter so anything with #COVID19 will be included in the feed whenever someone is searching for it.
3. Craft media for your post. Should you use an image? A video? A screenshot? A GIF? What works best for this platform?
I used a screenshot image of my submission to make sure viewers will be able to easily read and reply back to the answer I asked. Then if they are still curious they will be able to search greenspringreview.org themselves.
4. Consider when and how often to post. What time of day does your audience use this platform? How can you increase likes and comments? How can you get more views?
If I was in charge of the social media post for GSR I would think to post everyday around 7am and 5pm because, as a student, the first thing I do when I wake up is check social media for news or anything interesting before I start my day. Then around 5pm is usually when students are finished with classes or work so they may have down time to read. In order to get more views I would have to make use of the hashtags and watch what is trending on the website to include myself in the mainstream.
https://t.co/L93eIzWWco is a literary & media magazine published and staffed by @StevensonU #students. Check out my submission "Phoenix" & share your own #creative works! Some issues were created with inspiration from #COVID19 (& some from dreams). How do you interpret Phoenix? pic.twitter.com/9vjm1Ny88r
— Akira (@LunaEsti) April 27, 2020
I like that you brought up how the low word count can actually lead people to explore on their own. I think the posts don have to be a long post, just grab the attention of others. I think you really thought about the thin of your posts as well. I definitely see people check-in social media right when they wake up and right after they are done with classes and ready to settle in for the night.
I chose Twitter for a lot of similar reasons that you have posted as well. However, I believe I might have misspoke in my article about Twitter not having a character count. Good job mentioning that and advising how you can work around the character count to still have an effective tweet!
I like how you explained your choice of hashtags. It’s good that you suggested following trending hashtags to increase the amount of users who will see and interact with your post.
As of today, not many people have posted their actual creative writing piece in their post. However, I think it worked well for you because it is a short poem that I think people will read as they scroll down their social media feed. There is also a lot of white space in the screenshot of your poem, so it does not look overwhelming. I also like how you used #COVID19 since it is trending, which will help others see your post.