STEELE SPORTS

Last week, during the small break between fall and winter sports, I decided to revamp my social media presence on X (JohnnieP_SCT) and Instagram (johnniephillipsphoto), and the immediate results from trying to connect with our readers via new channels were staggering.

Though I only have roughly 300 followers on X and 140 on Instagram, the results of more frequent posting – especially utilizing photos of mine from the paper – showed that our community has been hungry for us to bring our content onto social media.

For reference, through my X profile, I have been averaging around 1,000 views per post with peaks of over 3,000 – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Instagram has been an even stronger vessel despite having less than half of my X follower base.

On my last two Instagram posts alone, I’ve reached over 8,000 views and hundreds of engagements.

With such an immediate and strong response, I’ve formulated a game plan.

I will be posting most of my photos along with brief summaries of matches – contingent on character counts, of course – onto my X and Instagram profiles so our loyal community of readers can follow along.

My hope is that through social media, I can catch the eyes of more members of our community who may not be reached via our print edition.

At the end of the day, my job is to inform, but I also believe that journalism is deeper than just spreading accurate information.

I’m beginning to see the power of social media as a tool for not only our coverage but as a fun and exciting way for athletes, fans and families to connect with us and share their sporting accomplishments.

Game write-ups go a long way, but I know everyone really loves photos, so expect to see plenty more memories shared in full color on my socials.