Tumblr is a relatively unexplored world for media organizations — especially in television — but today there’s a new TV station giving Tumblr a try. KABC in Los Angeles just debuted this Tumblr a few days ago with the goal to provide “insight to the newsroom and give you the latest Southern California news.”
And it even reblogged a story right out of the gate (Tumblr allows you to grab a blog post from someone else and “reblog” it with credit) — a very Tumblr-friendly thing to do.
Another example of a local TV station on Tumblr is Seattle’s KING TV, which started several months ago. Photos and videos are the most popular part of Tumblr — in fact, it’s really a visual blogging platform — and KING publishes and reblogs a steady stream of cool pics and Seattle moments, as well as the occasional behind-the-scenes tidbit.
Alexis Madrigal, who’s a senior editor at The Atlantic, does a good job explaining what Tumblr is — and isn’t — for media companies. “It’s not duplicative,” he says, pointing to ProPublica’s awesome Tumblr, Officials say the darnest things. “This Tumblr is not what ProPublica does, but it is what ProPublica is. Their primary business is long-form journalism, but they are (more generally) watchdogs of the powerful. Their Tumblr fits in beautifully with their mission.”
The best Tumblrs are informal, funny and even a little brash. In the end, it’s all about short-form, visual content that people will want to share. For example, TODAY’s Tumblr showcases entertaining moments in and around the show.
For media companies, Tumblr’s return-on-investment has always been a little elusive. It doesn’t drive Facebook-sized referrals, but the social blogging platform is growing fast — serving up 5.4 billion page views over the last 30 days. While your Tumblr may not drive a lot of traffic, as your stories are reblogged, brand impressions can add up fast.
If you have a unique idea tied to your brand, you’ll like Madrigal’s other advice: keep it “low effort.” Even a few minutes a day can yield a great Tumblr experience.
