Social Media Strategy Guide
Best practices for promoting Yorkshire Reporter on social media
Social Media Strategy Overview
Social media is essential for driving traffic to yorkshirereporter.co.uk and building community engagement. This guide outlines best practices for each platform to maximize reach and reader engagement.
Goals
- • Increase website traffic
- • Build community engagement
- • Establish brand authority
- • Drive newsletter signups
Target Audience
- • Leeds residents
- • North & East Leeds communities
- • Leeds United fans
- • Local businesses
Key Metrics
- • Post engagement rate
- • Click-through rate
- • Follower growth
- • Website referrals
Facebook Strategy
Posting Frequency
Post 3-5 times daily - morning (7-9am), lunch (12-1pm), evening (5-7pm)
Content Types
- Breaking News: Share immediately with eye-catching headline + image
- Featured Articles: Include excerpt, compelling image, and link
- Leeds United Updates: Match results, team news, injury reports
- Community Stories: Local heroes, events, achievements
- Video Content: Behind-the-scenes, interviews, event coverage
- Polls & Questions: Engage audience with local topics
Best Practices
- ✓ Use high-quality images (1200x630px)
- ✓ Write engaging captions with questions
- ✓ Include 2-3 relevant hashtags (#LeedsNews #Leeds #Yorkshire)
- ✓ Tag local businesses/people mentioned in articles
- ✓ Respond to all comments within 2 hours
- ✓ Pin important announcements
- ✓ Use Facebook Stories for time-sensitive news
Pro Tip:
Join Leeds community Facebook groups (with admin permission) and share relevant articles. Build relationships before promoting.
Twitter/X Strategy
Posting Frequency
Post 8-12 times daily - Twitter moves fast, frequent posting is key
Content Types
- Breaking News: Short, punchy headline + link + image
- Live Updates: Thread major stories as they develop
- Quote Tweets: Share and comment on Leeds-related news
- Retweets: Share local businesses, community accounts
- Threads: Detailed coverage of complex stories
Best Practices
- ✓ Keep tweets concise and engaging (220 chars ideal)
- ✓ Use 1-2 relevant hashtags max (#LeedsNews #LUFC)
- ✓ Tag accounts mentioned in stories with @mentions
- ✓ Include images/videos - 94% more engagement
- ✓ Pin your best-performing tweet
- ✓ Engage with replies within 30 minutes
- ✓ Follow local accounts and engage authentically
Pro Tip:
Use Twitter Lists to monitor Leeds news sources, local businesses, and competitors. Engage with trending Leeds topics.
Instagram Strategy
Posting Frequency
1-2 feed posts daily, 3-5 Stories daily, 2-3 Reels per week
Content Types
- Feed Posts: High-quality news images with engaging captions
- Stories: Quick news updates, behind-the-scenes, polls
- Reels: Short video news summaries, interviews (15-30s)
- Carousel Posts: Photo essays, top story roundups
- IGTV/Long Videos: In-depth interviews, event coverage
Best Practices
- ✓ Use high-quality vertical images (1080x1350px)
- ✓ Write detailed captions with line breaks for readability
- ✓ Use 10-15 relevant hashtags (mix popular + niche)
- ✓ Tag locations in posts (Leeds landmarks)
- ✓ Use stickers in Stories (polls, questions, quizzes)
- ✓ Save best Stories to Highlights
- ✓ Respond to comments and DMs promptly
Pro Tip:
Create Story Highlights for: Local News, Leeds United, Events, Community, Behind-the-Scenes. Makes content discoverable long-term.
LinkedIn Strategy
Posting Frequency
1-2 posts daily during business hours (9am-5pm, Mon-Fri)
Content Types
- Business News: Local business launches, investments, developments
- Industry Insights: Publishing trends, journalism best practices
- Company Updates: New hires, milestones, partnerships
- Thought Leadership: Opinion pieces on local issues
- Case Studies: Success stories from advertisers
Best Practices
- ✓ Professional tone, longer-form content (1300 chars)
- ✓ Include industry-relevant hashtags (3-5)
- ✓ Tag mentioned companies and people
- ✓ Share articles with professional commentary
- ✓ Encourage employee advocacy (share from personal profiles)
- ✓ Engage with comments professionally
Sample Weekly Content Calendar
| Day | Focus | Content Ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Week Ahead | Preview upcoming events, Leeds United fixtures, what to expect this week |
| Tuesday | Community Spotlight | Feature local business, charity, or community hero |
| Wednesday | Mid-Week Update | Top stories from the week, engagement posts (polls/questions) |
| Thursday | Health & Lifestyle | Wellness tips, local fitness, food & dining features |
| Friday | Weekend Preview | Things to do in Leeds, events, entertainment, Leeds United match preview |
| Saturday | Sports Focus | Leeds United match coverage, local sports roundup |
| Sunday | Week Recap | Top stories from the week, most-read articles, teaser for next week |
Engagement Best Practices
Do's
- ✓ Respond to all comments and messages within 2 hours
- ✓ Ask questions in your posts to encourage replies
- ✓ Share user-generated content (with permission)
- ✓ Tag relevant accounts and use location tags
- ✓ Use platform-specific features (Stories, Reels, Threads)
- ✓ Monitor and join trending local conversations
- ✓ Cross-promote content across platforms
- ✓ Track analytics and optimize posting times
Don'ts
- ✗ Don't post identical content to all platforms
- ✗ Don't ignore negative comments (address professionally)
- ✗ Don't over-hashtag (looks spammy)
- ✗ Don't only self-promote (80/20 rule: 80% value, 20% promotion)
- ✗ Don't buy followers or engagement
- ✗ Don't post during off-hours without scheduling
- ✗ Don't share unverified information
- ✗ Don't engage in controversial debates
Recommended Hashtags
Brand Hashtags
- #YorkshireReporter
- #YourFingertipsMags
- #YRNews
Location Hashtags
- #Leeds
- #LeedsNews
- #LeedsLife
- #Yorkshire
- #NorthLeeds
- #EastLeeds
- #Roundhay
- #Wetherby
- #Garforth
Topic Hashtags
- #LeedsUnited #LUFC
- #LocalNews
- #CommunityNews
- #LeedsEvents
- #LeedsBusiness
- #LeedsFood
- #LeedsArts