Social media is essential for writers, reporters, or publishers. However, it can also be a huge liability if used improperly. Trying to reap the rewards while dodging the landmines can be a delicate dance, and many newsrooms have suffered the consequences of an ill-timed or poorly worded social post.

It is critical to create social media guidelines for the newsroom that will keep your staff aware and accountable while allowing them to flourish online. After all, a successful reporter benefits the whole newsroom.

Let’s discuss some guardrails you can implement to help your reporters and your organization succeed on social media.

Implement a social media policy

A social media policy is a great way to set expectations and get everybody on the same page. Below are some things you should consider covering in a social media policy document.

Official vs. Unofficial Accounts

Outline the difference between these accounts and their usage. Make sure you establish the authority of the official account to speak on behalf of the company. What topics are off-limits? Which positions are in line with company expectations?

Conduct

Conduct can be trickier because much of it can be subjective. Some things are easier to define: Bickering and negativity toward others in your industry are never a good look.

Other things to consider are workplace confidentiality and transparency about one’s role within the company—exposing sensitive details and misrepresenting one’s position can be problematic. In addition to your company’s policies, inform employees of any regulations, codes, or violations they may not know at an industry level.

If you write behavior guidelines, ensure the language clearly outlines what constitutes offensive conduct. What are your company values, and how do you expect your employees to uphold them on their unofficial channels? The weight of these decisions will depend on many variables, and they should all be considered and carefully outlined.

Conflict Resolution

Establish a procedure for times when social media causes conflict. Employees should know who to go to if they have questions or need support and when to raise a flag. Who is responsible for issuing statements when needed?

Company property

For people like news anchors, reporters, meteorologists, or other forward-facing staff, ownership questions will arise regarding social media channels. If someone brings a large social media following to the job, they want to maintain ownership.

On the flip side, if a company spends a lot of time and money building a social media following for their TV staff, they may feel entitled to that social media property. Establish ownership from the beginning, and don’t leave any gray areas. This can lead to problems later.

Other company property considerations:

• Which accounts should be tied to company email addresses, if any
• Company time spent on social media
• Social media on company devices

Create a voice guide

A voice guide is necessary for anyone who does forward-facing communication on social media. Consistency among employees and social media channels is essential to a coherent brand presence. Voice guides show your team exactly how they should word their content to maintain a consistent style across all platforms. Some things to include:

• Important terminology: Everyone should use the same words to refer to the same things. Going outside the box will not show brand consistency and make it hard for your audience to follow. 
• Similar tone: Be clear on the tone you want your social media team to use and the level of formality you expect. Casual and conversational can work fine, but if that isn’t appropriate for your audience, make sure your team is on board.
• Multi-platform style: Your team should be familiar with the content style expected for each platform. Platform demographics will differ. Creating examples of each for reference could help keep your team on track. 
• Identify channels: Establish content creation, internal communication, and publishing expectations. Define your use of channels (email, team software like Slack, and social media platforms) and be sure the expectations are clear for how and when to use them. 

Keeping social media healthy

Social media burnout is a very, very real issue. Employees responsible for social media management are prone to 24/7 monitoring, which can be mentally taxing. Setting some parameters around responsibilities is important to help your team stay healthy and engaged.

Help your team set boundaries around social media

Personal and professional social media can be almost impossible to separate, which leads to being always on. We all need a life outside of a screen, and it can be very easy to get sucked into the vortex of social analytics and engagement. Your employees should not feel obligated to watch work analytics while they’re off, even if they happen to be scrolling.

Here are some policies that may help set boundaries for your team:

• No social media on personal devices. If you don’t provide company phones, don’t expect your employees to install every work account on their phone for monitoring. That can be done at work.
• Mandated time away from posting/engagement. Rotate content creation and scheduling duties where possible. If it isn’t possible, ensure they are also not responsible for after-hours monitoring. Everyone needs time to breathe.
• 24/7 posting doesn’t mean 24/7 work. Utilize scheduling tools! If scheduling is too tedious, True Anthem can help.