SECTION TWO
media came accessibility to Web development, allow-
ing any average Joe or Josie to build a website and …
become a publisher! Fast-forward to 2017 and now
everyone can be an “expert” in any given vertical if they
own a website and gain a following on Facebook.
This phenomenon can be disturbing, dejecting and
disenchanting to card-carrying members of the “real”
media. But the only way to fight the good fight of pro-
fessional content dissemination is to fight smarter, and
that means going social.
LEARN THE PLATFORM, BE YOURSELF
Dip your toes into social media by starting with one
platform. If you have a knack for the written word,
break the ice with Facebook. Photography is your
thing? Sign up for Instagram. Videos are your strong
suit? Get a YouTube channel.
Once you’ve signed up, it’s time to get to work—and
it is work. I see so many folks get discouraged because
they start a social media account, post some content—
often very high-quality content—and then expect a
hungry audience will come running. Not so fast. You
can only leverage these platforms to their full potential
by researching their tools (free and paid, internal and
third-party) and becoming proficient in manipulation
of the platform.
Need me to draw a tangible parallel? OK: Writing
consistently compelling headlines and ledes in print
will attract and retain a loyal readership—people who
will look for your byline every time they drop a nickel
on your pub. It’s much the same on a platform such as
Facebook, where posting valuable, eye-catching, timely,
unique information or entertainment is essential. Every
once in a while those tidbits go viral.
dogs and pay attention to their moves, because at least a
good fraction of their moves will be calculated; they’ve
already become masters of the game.
Most importantly, be authentic and stay
humble. When you decide to open up the
social media curtain—whether you’re well
dressed or comfortably naked—just be your-
self. The social community can smell a fraud
faster than you can click “Like.” Your genu-
ine voice is everything.
Wait a minute. You were expecting me to reveal the
“secret tricks” of being a social media savant? Sorry,
there’s no magic bullet. Just like your degree in jour-
nalism or communications, or your hard-won success
as a freelancer who clawed your way onto a masthead,
your skills and rep in social also need to be earned. It’s
all within reach. Without naming names, I’ve watched
a number of old-school outdoor writers dive headfirst
into social media without the first clue of how to “do
it,” and now they command some of the biggest and
most qualified followings in their respective niches.
They got there by adhering to another timeless adage:
Strap on your boots and go to work.
-Josh Dahlke is Vice President of Operations and Content for Scout-
Look—a mobile app provider and content producer catering to hunters
and anglers. He’s a freelance contributor to several national hunting
publications, and also host of an online hunting film series called
THE HUNGER. When his three freezers aren’t full of wild game, he
suffers from anxiety and depression. ###
However, social media requires you to take
it a step further—you must be an active
member of the community, participate in
conversation, and be personable.
On top of that, you need to dissect the science of
the platform and discover how to push your content
without being too pushy. Watch some of the top social
HORIZONS | 17
PHOTO CREDIT: KRISSIE MASON