I’m going to tell you a tale I keep coming back to that’s just as relevant today as it was 30 years ago when I learned it.
It was the late 1990s and I was getting to grips being a junior reporter on The Halesowen News in the Black Country. I’d called the neighbouring Stourbridge office to book a photographer to take a picture of a building for a story.
“We don’t take pictures of buildings, Dan,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “Buildings don’t buy newspapers. People do. Put people into the picture.”
So, I made some phone calls to ensure that people connected to the story could be in the picture.
It was a lesson that stuck with me. It was the reason I’d be ringing round schools in the circulation area to arrange a spread of pics for an Easter bonnet parade, Comic Relief or Christmas Nativity shows.
Why people? Because people bought newspapers to see themselves, their children and their friends.
Why people in online content? Because people like to see themselves, their children and their friends. They can connect with that content. They share, like, comment and connect.
Besides, if people see people like them in content they are most likely to connect with it.
Human stories in an age of AI
Earlier this year, Reuters published their journalism trends report. In it, a third said they would be doing less evergreen content because if could be done more efficiently by AI. They were going to concentrate on more human stories because humans were better at that. In the survey, 72 per cent of news publishers said they would be making more human stories.
You don’t have to look far for this content.
Here, Merseyside Police are shown on patrol in Liverpool city centre ahead of Jewish celebrations. A member of the public is pixelated.
Here is an AI image of Merseyside Police officers in Liverpool City Centre talking to a man in a baseball cap with the part of his face pixelated.
I asked ChatGPT to knock it up.
The image is a little too perfect. The officers’ caps aren’t quite right and I’m not sure if there’s a giant wheel in that location.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
In my dealings with police and AI the common theme is trust. Will this damage trust? If it will they won’t do it.
More work in, better results out
If it takes seconds to post, it probably won’t be effective.
You can ask Canva to knock-up an image with some text and you can tick a box. But the long shadow of poor engagement will also damage the reach of your next piece of content.
You may need to send a couple of emails to help create that people content. So, send those emails.
Better but less is a useful way to operate.
Examples
Show human stories
NHS England on LinkedIn celebrates Windrush Day with a human story on Vince who came to Britain from Jamaica in 1958. It is told from the perspective of his daughter Marisa. These are the people that came from the Caribbean to give a life of service in Britain.
Show dedicated staff
Ian the Walsall school patrol officer is recognised by being shortlisted in this BBC Midlands competition. The BBC-made content shows how taken aback the veteran lollipop person and there‘s a vox pop of reactions from kids.
It’s lovely.
Show service users
National Parks in the UK often struggle to square the circle between the people who live there, businesses and visitors. By showing the Peak District is open to everyone more people are encourage to go and explore. In this Reel, the Muslim Hikers show in effect service users enjoying Kinder Scout.
Or here, with Edinburgh Science on Instagram.
Cannily, it looks like they’ve taken the camera roll from a freelance photographer they’ve engaged and produced a video of the images.
For more, I deliver training to help you make sense of the changing landscape.
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