Storify3
Storify’s new
site design makes it easier to find relevant content on the site. As part
of the more cosmetic changes to the site, Storify also became the latest social
platform to add landscape header photos to its users’ profiles.

The changes might also be designed to make Storify less of a
distribution tool and more of a destination platform. A quick review of active users shows that few have updated their profiles to
capitalize on the new header design. It’s a telling sign that more Storify
users tap the social curation tool through content management platforms instead
of through the site

I’ve been playing with Storify to curate
content for posts. It’s a great tool — one I’ll bet you’re either not
using, or not using to its full potential. Regardless of your Storify-savvy,
here are three tips to help you pwn
Storify.

1) Curate
Cross-Platform Content
Storify is used by most to capture Twitter conversations. The
ability to pull in tweets on a certain topic, before they vanish from Twitter’s
short-term memory, to select and then organize
the best ones into a story is certainly an example of where Storify shines.

But Storify allows you to pull in content from several
platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr. You can also pull
in direct URLs to easily add content. In an age of distributed storytelling, the
need to pull in content from across multiple platforms is important.

Signal_P&G
One example of using Storify to contain a fast-emerging, distributed
story is the #SignalPG
Storify I built. It’s based on the Signal
event held at Procter & Gamble earlier this year. Storify made it
simple to curate content from Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to give a brief event
overview of the event.

2) Get
Creative With Curation (like Moleskine, Lego & MIT)
And while Storify is typically used to capture temporary
moments, like Twitter chats or events, it can be used for projects with longer
timelines as well. For a recent product launch, Moleskine tapped
Storify to create an online clip book. In addition to news, the brand captured
consumer conversation for an even more potent compilation of buzz emanating
from the co-branded product launch.
Lego-Moleskine-1
The ability to organize all of the conversation, add context
and then embed it anywhere reminds us of Storify’s utility. Creativity is the
only limitation as to where and how it can be used. This behind
the scenes tour of MIT’s Media Lab. Is a great example of using Storify to
give your audience access to something they can’t get elsewhere. And you’re not
limited to one platform in doing so.

3) Become
a Power User
This post assumes most users start and stop their use of
Storify with Twitter chats. But there are a variety of ways to get more out of
the site.

  • Plug-In: Using Storify as a browser plug-in is not
    just more convenient and efficient, it makes for a much smoother
    embed, including eliminating duplicate titles between your blog post and
    the curated story.
  • Research: If you’re using Storify just to curate and distribute
    your own content, keep in mind a variety of brands and media
    outlets use it. The end result is an untapped platform for informal
    research on a variety of topics.
  • Miscellany: From tapping into each story’s analytics
    to clicking “View All” on a user’s profile to see all of their stories, there
    are a few basic steps worth remembering. More basic steps are included in “Getting Started.” This
    story is automatically generated for every profile and worth walking through. And
    while you’re at it, if you have a profile on the site, update your header photo!

Other Brands Crushing
It On Storify
We’ve seen a broad variety of brands demonstrating how Storify can help
content marketing efforts. Here are a few that stand out in addition to the
ones highlighted above.

  • Vanderbilt: The
    Vanderbilt news room curates tweets and
    Instagram pics into a weekly buzz roundup to engage students and other
    university fans while creating promotional content.
  • General Electric: In addition to covering
    its own news stories, it uses Storify to get more long-term use out of its
    more evergreen event
    content.
  • Smashing Pumpkins: In addition to increasing fan engagement
    with Twitter Chats, the socially active band memorializes
    the content with Storify and even used Storify to leverage a fan photo
    challenge for their latest album release.

If you’re curating content and not using Storify, it’s a
free tool worth checking out. As the above shows, it’s becoming a go to for
brands, journalists and content marketers.

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