How newsrooms can engage audiences using Twitter Spaces

by | Sep 21, 2021 | News

@TwitterSpaces is a new way to have live audio conversations on Twitter. Twitter rolled out its Clubhouse competitor in 2020 and expanded the social audio feature to a large portion of its users throughout 2021. Very similar to Clubhouse, Twitter’s Spaces allows live audio sharing and listening. 

 

SAMIP’s participants, Food for Mzansi and The Daily Vox have been exploring Spaces and enjoy engaging in conversations with their audiences. These organisations have so far shared positive feedback, stating the benefits of engaging in a two-way exchange. Their listeners are able to tune in and step onto the virtual stage to share their thoughts and ask questions. Here is some of the feedback shared by our participants:

 

  • Enables easier two-way exchanges

Audiences are no longer just there to listen but are also able to join in on a conversation in real-time. “It is no longer a one-sided conversation, on Twitter spaces, listeners are able to respond and engage and that’s what makes it different.” says Dawn Noemdoe, Journalist and Content Producer for Food for Mzansi.

 

  • Easier to get bigger, engages audiences 

Instead of planning a Zoom webinar with your readers, and having only a handful knowing how to register and join the conversation, with Twitter Spaces, you can tap into an already significant group of engaged audiences. “Unlike other virtual platforms, Twitter Spaces is less formal with no video feature, the audience or speaker has no pressure to be camera-ready, it is just comfortable” says Fatima Moosa, Journalist and Newsletter Editor of The Daily Vox.

 

  • Access to recordings

Conversations on spaces may be recorded with an option to access the recordings at a later stage. “We are finding the recordings to be very useful. We are able to use the recorded conversations to gather insights, news content, podcasting content amongst many others”  says Dawn.

 

  • A thing to improve on 

In as much as there are many positives on the use of Twitter Spaces, there are some improvements that can be made. Audiences are unable to continue with the conversation when the main host of the Twitter Space drops off. 

 

Food for Mzansi has recently introduced #FarmSpaces on Twitter as part of their latest social media content strategy. #FarmSpaces uses this platform to engage with audiences interested in discussions about farming. The Space receives between 100 – 200 attendees and is hosted weekly on Monday evenings at 18:00. 

The Daily Vox launched the #BeTheDrivingForce campaign on Spaces in partnership with Youth Capital.  #BeTheDrivingForce Space provides the platform to explore issues and challenges faced by the youth, such as infectious diseases, the cost of job-seeking, policy activism, and the basic income grant, amongst others. The Space receives over 100 attendees and is hosted monthly. 

For more information on how to host Spaces click here, be on the lookout for SAMIP’s workshop on the practical steps on how to create Twitter Spaces for newsrooms. Follow us on Twitter @SAMIP_MDIF and click here to subscribe to our newsletter.