Editorial Polls Series
Chattanooga Times Free Press | Chattanooga, TN
*2021 Second Street Award – Best Poll Winner
Starting in the Spring of 2020, the team in Chattanooga began including polls within their top stories. Over the course of the year, they’ve done over 200 of these campaigns, received over 20,800 responses, and added thousands of new email newsletter sign-ups. Their most popular poll, “Does the government have the right to require masks?” received over 1,200 responses. This has been their most successful initiative they’ve tried with their newsroom, and they’re excited to see how to improve on it in 2021.
Blitz Game of the Week Polls
WOI-TV | Des Moines, IA
The team at WOI in Iowa leveraged polls to help them determine which should be their Friday night game of the week. This series of polls was incredibly successful, with each week bringing in thousands of votes. The winning game would be the main feature of their Friday night sportscast.
Drag Queens Reading at the Library
Idaho State Journal | Pocatello, ID
The team at the paper was looking for a new opportunity to grow their database and engage with readers. They began creating polls to ask their readers questions about issues in their community. This poll in particular asked if you’re in favor of drag queens reading stories to kids at the local library. This ended up being a hotly contested debate in the community generating over 1,200 responses and hundreds of new opt-ins for the paper.
The Fluoride Poll
KXLY-TV | Spokane, WA
When the City Council of Spokane voted to add fluoride to their drinking water, many people in the city had strong opinions. The team at KXLY added a poll to their content about the fluoride vote which gave their viewers a chance to weigh in on the decision. More than 600 people cast a vote in the poll. Plus, it added over 200 email opt-ins to their database.
Hash House A-Go-Go | Offensive Lineman of the Year
KHKR-AM | St. George, UT
The team at KHKR leveraged the popularity of local sports to create this poll for Offensive Lineman of the Year. They were able to secure Hash House A Go Go, a local restaurant, as the sponsor. The poll brought in more than 1,500 responses. Plus, through registration, they were able to add nearly 1,000 opt-ins to the sponsor’s list.
Embedding polls is a simple and effective way to take your existing content to the next level. Plus, you can leverage the results to help inspire future content your audience cares about. Take a look at your program and see where you can start adding in polls!
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Julie is the Senior Customer Success Manager at Second Street and a former client in local media. Her best advice for driving the most success with your revenue and audience engagement strategy is to include promotions in every business initiative.