There’s no denying that any news media outlet measures its success by how much traffic and engagement its work attracts. However, one media outlet keeps a points system to track how much interaction their work draws and how much attention they draw on social media.
Daily Beast reporter Max Tani shared a leaked memo from the editor-in-chief of Insider’s news division Jim Edwards on Twitter. The note detailed “impact points” that should be registered and which ones are and aren’t essential.
One Insider journalist, who requested to remain anonymous, stated to The Hill that Edwards likely sent the memo to clarify confusion among staff on which media interactions matter most to Insider’s executives.
“I think the reason why they’re telling us about what counts in terms of tweets and shares is there is a lot of confusion around that,” the source said. “Sometimes they change. Maybe a publication or a newsletter at a big publication counts. Then sometimes they don’t count it. They were more or less trying to straighten that out.”
“[With] metrics, there’s a lot of tension around that sometimes. We’re subject to dips in traffic, and that’s something you can’t control. Metrics can be tough for some people to reach, and there’s a lot of pressure.”
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
