(As printed by the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association with permission of WBHS “West Wind.”)

Student journalists find that social media accounts are the best way to get their news out there to a student body that’s always online.

When talking with different students and advisers attending NCSMA Summer Institute, you find that programs either have a thriving student media account, or they have it but need to learn how to use it.

“We do a lot of polls, events going on around the school, and reminders,” said Andy Bowman, North Buncombe High School ’25. Bowman is on his school’s Black Hawk News team and helps maintain the outlet’s social media. “There are a lot of updates there for people to see and utilize that seems to help them keep up with what’s going on. We also use our Instagram to post our broadcast episodes.”

There are endless benefits that a program can gain from using social media. Some are:

Student outreach: Having social media accounts that people can regularly check can increase knowledge about important things that are going on in the community or around the school.

Participation: When having social media allows students to be more involved in what kind of content you produce. Whether it be TikToks, written articles or video broadcasts, it involves the students and makes them feel heard.

Builds capacity to have a more well-rounded newsroom: Social media allows you to have different people work on other things. For example, if you need an announcement posted, it will enable the student in charge of the social media or the social media team to create a design for the announcement in many different forms.

Attracts audiences by meeting them where they already are: For many groups, having something that a student can read on their phone has been an excellent way for them to get more attention to their website, news magazines and class.

The best advice for wanting to start and keep a successful TikTok is to do it and have fun while you’re doing it.

“It’s very easy to start,” said Donna Diaz, Riverside High School ’24. “Have fun with it; it doesn’t matter if 100 people watch it or if no people watch it.”

If you are in a program that would like to begin a social media presence or add to it, here are a few tips from student journalists at the 2023 NCSMA camp that can help build successful social media accounts:

Consistency is vital; the more you post, the more likely people will keep returning and liking your posts. “If you’re looking to work in social media, you have to be consistent, and if you have an idea, go with it,” Diaz said.

Be bold and post things that are out of your ordinary; post the funny skit you made to promote your new news magazine.

Post people, not just announcements. People like seeing themselves and are likelier to like and reshare things about themselves. “Sports. Our school likes sports,” Diaz said. “Things like Basketball, Football, and Soccer normally get a lot of attention.”

While most schools have the freedom to use whatever social media platform they can, there are some limitations. At North Buncombe High, located in Weaverville, just north of Asheville, student media is not allowed to use TikTok, explained Jenny Zimmerman, Broadcast Journalism, Yearbook, and English Teacher at North Buncombe High School. The county took the action after Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order to ban TikTok on state devices Jan. 12.

“My school system set a rule that said there should be no school-sponsored TikTok accounts,” Zimmerman said.