#WBC18: Keynote Speaker: Lewis Perdue, Publisher and Editor of Wine Industry Insight

Becoming a Journalist Blogger: Blogging surged with the opportunity for anyone to start a blog and write about any subject they pleased. Some content was excellent but much was filled with unsubstantiated opinions, lack of research, and even personal diatribes. Times have changed. Blogs without substance simply do not have any draw to attract readers. To succeed in the modern era of blogging you need to become a "journalist blogger" - researching your facts, checking with your subjects, and confirming with third party experts - even while still providing your own opinions. Learn to do this and your blog will have value, credibility, and readers.  This keynote by award-winning journalist, long-time blogger and former journalism professor Lewis Perdue will present 10 credibility tips you can use to increase reader loyalty and boost readership.

Transcript

1. Lewis Perdue, Wine Bloggers Conference 2018 - Vincent van Gogh - Vineyards with a View of Auvers 1890
2. http://wineindustryinsight.com/?p=94895 Perdue email: lewis.perdue@wineindustryinsight.com Lewis Perdue’s presentation and supplemental material for participants of WBC18
3. Achieving your goals through trust and credibility
5. Have you killed the wine writer?
8. What has changed? • Blogging has affected journalism • Journalism has affected blogging • A lot more is expected of today’s bloggers • Journalists seem to have slacked off their standards • Attention spans have gotten shorter (really?) • Headlines have gotten longer • Fake news abounds
9. What Does The Content Spectrum Look Like? (1) Journalism/Reportorial: designed to inform -- based on verifiable facts and data with statements by or attributed to credible sources. (2) Editorial advocacy/opinion pieces: designed to inform/persuade. To be credible, expressed opinions must be based on verifiable facts and data with statements by or attributed to credible sources. (3) Public relations: Should persuade/inform in a manner that is good journalism from a client's standpoint. To be credible, superlatives and congratulatory language must be tied to verifiable facts and data with statements by or attributed to credible sources. (4) Native advertising: designed to sell and/or persuade but presented in an editorial/reportorial format. (5) Graphic advertising: designed to sell.
10. The Content Spectrum & Credibility • The elements of getting effective readership, reaction, and response for your content -- regardless of whether it is journalism or advertising -- are basically the same. • The implementation of those elements varies depending upon where your message fits in the journalism -> advertising spectrum. • Credibility is earned by a combination of: 1. Extent of "Sell.“ 2. Implied third-party verification 3. Relevant expert status of you and/or the third-party. • Given intentions, format, content and other considerations, those five categories are moving targets, analog sliders along a scale with no firm digital landmarks.
11. A blog is a digital channel that accommodates many forms of short-form (non-book) writing Blogs and journalism are alike because both publish/post: • News • Views (opinion) • In-depth analysis • Short fiction or book excerpts • Entertainment including reviews of books, movies, food, wine, music, etc. • Neither is a social network per se, but both interface with, and rely upon, social networks. Blogs and journalism are different because blogs tend to be personal - individual or small group efforts. Journalism is more formal and has an organization to support it.
12. Blogs: Readers are buying into YOU! But to do that they NEED & WANT to KNOW you Readers have gotten choosier and expect a greater level of substance in the blog and the blogger. They visit a lot of online journalism sites, but they come to blogs for a personal touch, a connection. For that reason: • Introduce yourself – “About” -- prominently, at the top of your site. This is you opening the door for your guests and inviting them in. • Be specific and detailed in the “About.” This doesn’t have to be a formal resume or CV. • Emphasize all the points that support your credibility behind your posts. • Explain why you are writing the blog. • Make sure you have easy-to-find contact information. Email is best by far, @twitter is a distant second place.
13. Email without tears • Email can bring unwanted spam from bots that spider the net. • Get a gmail account that’s “yourblogname@gmail.com • Embed HTML “mailto” code as your contact. • Do not use a mail form. People hate them and usually consider them a waste of their time. NOTE: MailChimp could cancel you for violating this “Catch 22” rule that every marketer ignores http://wineindustryinsight.com/?p=93409
15. The Full mailto Link Syntax: https://yoast.com/dev-blog/guide-mailto-links/ Create mailto links: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/cos-pages-editor/how-do-i-create-a-mailto-link
21. Hallmarks of fake news • Author’s lack of logical expertise, education, vocation or other verifiable experience in the subject matter. • Lack of credible third-party attribution • No links to the original attribution source • No links or references that allow the reader to confirm independent existence of events, documents, quotes, or other items represented as fact. • Innuendo, bias, and polemical word choices. • Assertions lacking links to credible sources
22. 7 Tips To Help You Tell Real News From Fake https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/use-these-7-tips-to-tell-real-news-from-fake_us_58a4dbf8e4b0b0e1e0e2064b 1. Be skeptical. 2. If the story is sensational, be more skeptical. 3. If the story reinforces what you already believe, be more skeptical. 4. Check the sources. 5. Check the logic. 6. Understand what you’re looking at. 7. Understand “Who benefits?” Above all, remember that people and news outlets don’t always follow their own rules regardless of whether they are Reuters or HuffPo
23. What do you want to accomplish? • Entertain • Build Reputation/Gain recognition • Change minds • Inform • Drive traffic to another site • Make money?
24. Regardless of what you want out of blogging, you get paid for clicks/visits: Visibility, influence, recognition, ad revenues are all incentives and forms of compensation.
25. Attribution: A primary way to separate yourself from fake news: • Go beyond you – Use multiple, corroborating, sources. • Use credible third-party data • Verify original sources (confirm with your own eyes • Address both sides of a controversy • Remind readers of your solid, verifiable personal credentials. Don’t brag, just link to the visible, detailed -- “About” -- blog site bio.
26. Ways that content can drive clicks & visits • Trust/Credibility –– Personal accomplishment attribution and data from multiple, corroborating, respected sources • Value – Can they use the information? • Relevancy for your targeted audience • Accuracy • Novelty – New, original (no “me too!”). Lead, don’t follow. • Frequency • Completeness • Transparency • Balanced • Tightly written (One-Minute Editor/paramedic method)
30. Attribution • Even if you ARE an expert in a given field, your cred/believability rises exponentially with each corroboration. • Stand on the shoulders of giants • Don’t ignore opposing views • Attribute early and often. • Direct quotes. • Hyperlinks to documents, articles, studies. • Screen caps from documents, articles, studies. • If a source or data is proven incorrect, update your post … but disclose that is has been updated.
33. Selecting credible sources • Background • Experience • Education • Do they have an agenda? (Company, trade organization or controlled by an organization with a stake in the outcome?). • Examine your own biases. Don’t choose sources simply because you agree with them. • Disclose any possible biases – yours or the sources.
34. Judging data • Who generated the data? Are they an established organization (Gallup, Harris, Nielsen, IRI, Pew). • Do they have an agenda? (Company, trade organization or controlled by an organization with a stake in the outcome?). • Be especially critical with surveys.
35. Study validity assessment requires that a study reveal: • The number of subjects in a study, • How the were selected, • How the questions were asked, • The exact wording of the questions, • When and where the questions were asked. • All of those affect the validity of the results and should be available whenever results are presented as valid. If a study does not publish that information along with its results, there is no way to tell if it’s fake data or not. More here: “How to tell if a survey is credible or just fake data” -- http://wineindustryinsight.com/?p=88840
37. Disclosure & transparency
38. Disclosure = credibility • Do you work for a winery or other wine or wine-related company? • Do you own stock in any business associated with the wine industry? • Do you work for a wine supplier or contractor?(bottles, corks, cans, labels, vineyard management, tanks, etc.)? • Do you work for a beer, spirits or cannabis company? • In reviews of wine, food, accommodations, travel etc., did you pay for items yourself? • Were you paid for a post or review? (FTC requires disclosure). • What are your wine review standards? Publish and link to them. Disclosure is not a trust killer, but failure to disclose is certain death when readers find out.
39. Personal data disclosures Your treatment of personal data and those of your advertising, email, survey, and other tech vendors. • GDPR • CPPA Your “Facebook moment” is waiting: Danger not just in data breach, but in user abandonment.
40. Wine review thoughts & suggestions 1. Define and publish your rules and how those may affect your rating system Explain how you reach those ratings. 2. Use a global source locator site such as wine-searcher https://www.wine- searcher.com/ to help your readers find the wine you review. 3. Open wine reviews up for reader comments. That will build engagement and commiunity. 4. Recognize that no one can experience the taste of a wine exactly as you do. 5. Keep it simple. Long, complicated descriptions confuse: http://recommendationinsights.com/?p=325. 6. For more on #5, on that see: http://wineindustryinsight.com/?p=55240
43. Longer online heads, (some with subtle click bait) • U.S., Canada and Mexico just reached a sweeping new NAFTA deal. Here’s what’s in it. (WAPO). • A Man Died After Being Infected With a Brain-Eating Amoeba. Here Are the Facts. (NYT) • Alex Trebek moderated a gubernatorial debate in Pennsylvania. It didn’t go well. (WAPO) • Éric Zemmour is France’s right-wing prophet of doom. Why is he so popular? (WAPO) • Billionaire wanted a California beach to himself. Supreme Court won’t hear his case. (SacBee) • Here are the field-level action highlights in Sac Republic FC’s victory over Portland (SacBee) • This happened while you slept: Watch coyote chase rabbit through Granite Bay neighborhood (SacBee)
44. Headlines that attract – focus on what is most relevant to your reader • CBD: An Exciting New Fall Schedule … or Not? >>>>> DEA could be loosening up on Cannabis Derived Drugs • Wine Industry Faces Changing Market, Economy >>>>> Wine Industry CFOs expect recession; grape brokers see large 2018 harvest • New Law on Winery Social Media Ads for Certain Retailer-Hosted Events >>>> Calif wineries get more social media flexibility with some retailer events • Study Finds Cat Owners Have Different Drinking Habits To Dog Owners >>>>> Cat & Owners differ in drinking habits: study • Why we’re upgrading the Crus Bourgeois classification >>>>> Crus Bourgeois President explains new upgrades to classifications • <Name One> Podcast with <Name Two> >>>>> ????????? • The Annual SVB Wine Business Survey >>>>> Silicon Valley Bank's Wine Business Survey Needs Your Participation
45. Article form and content tips • Short • Tightly written (One-Minute Editor/paramedic method) • Images • Faces • Speaks to readers’ needs, interests and motivations
46. Know your reader. • No matter how loud you yell at a crowd, you reach damn few. And the bigger the subscriber or user base of any medium you choose, the more you will pay per faceless head. You always lose when you try to be all things to all people. • But you CAN be many specific things to a number of specific target readers. Image copyright: salajean / 123RF Stock Photo
47. Narrowcasting: Get A Look At The Faces Image copyright: Kurhan / 123RF Stock Photo
48. Put A Face To Your Prospect Then answer their: “why should I care?” and “what’s in it for me?” questions
49. If you fail to answer the question, "Why should I care?" then you lose them. You must make visitors WANT to click on it by addressing what they need and/or want • Finding better, cheaper wine • Recognition • Avoiding disaster • Saving money • Finding a better/faster way to do something • Solving a problem • More information • Novelty/Curiosity • Less Hassle, • Wealth • Safety/security No one is going to click on your content out of the goodness of their heart.
50. The Zen of Information Your message must be all about meeting their needs, solving their problem. You've got to start here...
51. Wine reviews & matters of taste Recommendation Insights : http://recommendationinsights.com/ 1. THE PROBLEM: The Vino-Casino 2. GENETICS: Inherited Taste Chaos Sabotages Recommendations 3. MISINTERPRETATION: Words = Big Trouble 4. PSYCHOLOGY: Anxiety, Stress and Social Pressure Sabotage Choice 5. INCONSISTENCY: Rating The Rating Systems 6. INCOMPATIBILITY: Profile Matching 7. SCALING: Most Products Have NEVER Been Rated By Critics
52. Suing wine writers: A quick guide to libel & slander http://wineindustryinsight.com/?p=46402 Being accurate, factual, attributing statements, & quoting correctly always make a defamation lawsuit far less likely.
53. MORE ADDITIONAL STUFF
64. Make people hate you. Use these in your content & ads
65. Annoy + Penalize = Ad Blockers make you disappear
66. Restaurant Wine Sales Collapsing for Small Wineries • It's as more about the value of having compelling content aimed specifically at your target audience and a solid, concise, clearly written headline. Silicon Valley Bank Blog Case History This Is How You Get Clicks For Content Or Ads
67. 1. Rob McMillan knew what his audience was immensely interested in 2. Shaped a shortchanged but powerful headline that was impossible to ignore 3. Paid off on the headline 4. Offered strong up-front charts (picture peaks louder …) 5. Followed up on the chart with tightly written and information-packed analysis and more charts. SVB Case History: This Is How You Get Your Clicks
68. SVB Case History: This Is How You Get Clicks For Content Or Ads
69. SVB Case History: This Is How You Get Clicks For Content Or Ads
70. Landing Page Design: Faces Attract Attention
71. Faces Attract
72. Faces Attract
73. Formatting Text
75. Ad-server advertisements are born vulnerable
76. Context Matters: You Can Show Up In A Bad Neighborhood With Commercial Ad Servers • Know your neighbors -- Buy the real estate your ad will live in. • You can show up in a bad neighborhood with commercial ad servers
77. • Or you could find yourself painting your house the same color as a neighbor's. Not a great way to distinguish yourself. Context Matters: You Can Show Up In A Bad Neighborhood With Commercial Ad Servers
78. It’s more about impatience, not attention span Just a 100-millisecond delay in load time hurts conversion rates by up to 7% • Mobile has the traffic (browse, price check), but desktop rules in conversions (buy). • Both important and you lose if page load is so slow they bounce. Optimal load times for conversion
79. How quick is 100 milliseconds?
80. The Emotions of Color