Collaborative Journalism Playbook
  • Collaborative Data Journalism Guide
  • Available Languages
  • Introduction
  • Part 1: How to Run a Collaborative Data Project
    • Does This Project Make Sense for Collaboration?
    • What About Crowd-Powered Data Projects?
  • Part 2: Assembling the Partnerships
    • Establishing Partnerships
    • How to Find and Approach Potential Partners
    • Contracts, MOUs and Other Formal Agreements
    • Building Your Form and Database
    • Addressing Security and Privacy Concerns
  • Part 3: Launching the Project
    • Onboarding Partners
    • Launching a Crowdsourcing Form and Collecting Responses
    • Reaching Your Target Audience
    • Incorporating Callouts Into Stories
    • Coordinating Tips With Partners
  • Part 4: Maintenance
    • Reporting and Analyzing Data
    • Measuring Success
    • Avoiding Pitfalls
  • Part 5: Winding Down the Project
    • Winding Down the Project
  • About
    • Resources
    • Acknowledgments
    • About the Author and Project
    • Worksheet: Planning a Crowd-Powered Collaboration
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  1. Part 3: Launching the Project

Incorporating Callouts Into Stories

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Last updated 5 years ago

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There are several effective ways to incorporate the tip form into stories that are produced from the project or that are related to the project.

First, any time you or a partner produce a story relevant to the topic of the project, be sure to either write a prominent callout linking to the form, or better yet, embed the form itself at the bottom of the story if the form builder you’re using supports it (Google’s does). Ditto for including an on-air callout pointing people to the form online.

When stories relevant to the project are shared on social media, consider composing a thread (which can even just be two tweets) in which you promote the tip form in the second or subsequent tweets after the initial story.

When you or partners produce reporting from the project, it's important that the project is referenced, and you can link back to the tip form in those mentions, too.

If there's breaking news about the project, or breaking news about a subject related to your project, you and your partners should consider sharing information about the project on social media with a callout to the form. And while monitoring social media posts about the project or its reporting, be sure to follow up with commenters leaving tips in the comments, pointing them to the tip submission form.

In short, the more often you get the form in front of potential tipsters, the more likely you are to receive a steady stream of tips. And people tend to respond to stories that they recognize in their own experiences, which is why it's important to make it easy for readers to submit tips after reading, listening to or watching a story.

For example, Documenting Hate partner WNYC posts a link to the tip form at the bottom of stories about hate crimes, even when that story didn’t originate as a Documenting Hate tip.

Albert Samaha, a reporter at BuzzFeed News, shares the tip form after his newsroom publishes a story using tips.