The Yearbook World of Scott Geesey
from Jostens Yearbooks of central/northern Pennsylvania
ARCHIVE - SEPTEMBER 6, 2020
A NEW PLAN FOR COVERAGE THIS YEAR: Think People and Topics, Not Groups and Events
Hello! By now every school is starting classes, even those who traditionally start after Labor Day or have delayed their start this year because of, well, you know what...
Welcome back! And "welcome" is the right word here even with this bizarre situation we've been dealt. There's no doubt that this will be the most challenging school year EVER.
But instead of bemoaning the year, let's embrace it. Along with doing everything we can to minimize and finally eliminate this pandemic, let's take an opportunity to make some positive changes in your school AND your yearbook.
In my case I'm starting some interesting new ideas to help train staffs and make even better books. Even if everyone gets thrown home again like we had back in the spring, we can still create an epic book to remember a truly epic year.
Be sure to check out my latest episode of my Yearbooking Report monthly series here in the right column. This is one to watch and listen to, featuring an interview on remote teaching from a veteran yearbook adviser who did this ALL of last year, not just in the spring, and over 2,000 miles away from her school! Get the highlights in the video, the full story in the podcast.
It's time to take yearbooking in a new direction...
The great majority of yearbooks out there essentialy look the same ever year.
No, the pages may look a little different but the coverage is the same. Same groups, same events, sometimes even in the same order, year after year after year.
But back in the spring we learned something the hard way - groups and events can sometimes get cancelled. And it could happen again this fall and winter - in some places it's already happening.
Many yearbook advisers have seen sports seasons, events and other items cancelled and then want to cut pages in their book because of it. I think this is the wrong strategy.
Here's a thought - has an event ever bought a yearbook? Has a group ever bought a yearbook? Of course not. PEOPLE buy yearbooks and they should be the focus of our coverage.
Let's make your 2021 yearbook completely unique by covering two main items: coverage of people, and coverage of topics. What do we mean here?
COVERAGE OF PEOPLE: Of this I'm certain and I've discussed this for many years - EVERY single person at school has some story to tell. EVERY person. So why not tell many of those stories in the yearbook?
When I've had this discussion with students, most immediately think I want them to do reams of writing because that's how they see stories told. Yes, that's one way to tell a story but there are many others.
You can tell someone's story with just a picture and a caption, and the picture doesn't have to be big. The caption could be just two lines. You could also tell stories through quotes or graphics.
Our standard 3X rule still applies here - how many people can we picture in the book at least three times? That's another way to tell stories.
Let's make it a goal this year to compile as many stories of as many different people as possible. Then let's find ways to cover as many of those stories in the book or elsewhere (social media, for example.) Make storytelling a primary goal this year because our audience WANTS their stories told and remembered.
COVERAGE OF TOPICS: Let's think about this - when all yearbook coverage is about the same groups and events every year, most people get missed. While I personally love football, very few people at school are actually on the football team. Most of the rest of the student body may not really care much about football coverage...or volleyball, or soccer, or any other sport.
The same goes for events. Homecoming is a big event at schools every fall...but only a handful of girls are up for Homecoming Queen. Most of the rest of the student body probably doesn't care, doesn't involve them, doesn't concern them.
Instead of the same old events every year (which could get cancelled,) let's switch our coverage to interesting topics that ANY student could be connected to. You could create interesting single page or double page spreads filled with pictures, reactions, quotes, information, graphics and more.
Some quick examples? Why not do a spread on interesting trends for 2021? Get reactions from students on some trend they're doing, get a picture from them (even a selfie,) and some bit of information or a quote from them about the trend.
Why not a spread on how students are coping with this crazy situation we're in this year? Put the word out for responses via social media, Google doc, Survey Monkey or other ways. Consider including students that normally might not be covered much in the book, a great way to spread your coverage across your audience.
We at Jostens have compiled a LONG list of story and topic ideas for schools to use, and that list grows every week because we are surrounded by ideas to use. Ask your representative about ideas or search the Digital Classroom on Yearbook Avenue for a list.
And while you're in the Digital Classroom, use the search bar there and enter "story starter surveys" to utilize great ideas on storytelling. Get information on using technology to easily gather needed into to use on your pages.
AND USE SOCIAL MEDIA: And we'll repeat this one from last time because most yearbook staffs still don't use this great FREE resource...
If your yearbook doesn't already have at least one social media outlet, IT'S TIME. This is now crucial not only to share stories and gather information with your school audience, it's also a great way for people to just stay connected during this insane year. With mental health issues rising and many students getting disconnected from school, again this is CRUCIAL.
And advisers, you have enough to do - I KNOW you have one or two students that would jump at the chance to be your yearbook social media coordinators. Get platforms started, always promote to everyone at school, then post something at least twice a week and maybe even every day. Trust me, the kids will know what to do here! Plus use our monthly Jostens social media calendars on Yearbook Avenue to help.
Think what you could do with an outlet: tell more student stories with a simple picture and a caption. Ask for images your group needs. Have fun with periodic contests. Share out survey or poll questions for responses. Give shoutouts to those who need them. Promote your yearbook and ads sale, and Yearbook+. Be a positive outlet for your entire school.
One hint: create both Facebook and Instagram outlets, both owned by Facebook and easy to push the same content to both platforms. Facebook skews to an older audience (think parents) while Instagram goes to a younger crowd (students.) Cover and stay in touch with them both!
And NOW is the time - September is perfect for planning and organizing your new yearbook setup. Instead of the same old coverage that most of your audience really doesn't care about, let's move in a bold new direction to create a more fun, more readable book that more students will be interested in.
Who knows - in this most challenging year you may be creating your best yearbook EVER. Let's make it happen!