This content, developed in collaboration with partners across campus, is shared on the college’s web page; social media channels; weekly internal e-newsletter for faculty, staff, and students (Ole Insider); e-newsletter for alumni and parents (Ole Notes); e-newsletter for prospective students (Ole Update); St. Olaf Magazine; and other publications and projects.
Editorial Process
Editorial Core Team
Meets bi-weekly to review ideas and insight from campus partners, develop story ideas, and review editorial content and calendar. The Editorial Core Team also regularly meets with key stakeholders across campus to gather input and insight on editorial content ideas and needs.
Members: Director of Editorial and Communications; Assistant Director of Digital Communications; Assistant Director of Marketing; Assistant Director of Music Organizations for Audience Development; Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communications; Associate Director of Career Development, Data, and Operations; Director of Engagement, Alumni and Parent Relations; and Associate Director of Development Communication.
Editorial Planning Team
Meets bi-weekly to review the content mapped out by the Editorial Core Team, discuss video and photography needs, assess whether content is balanced over time, and plan main website home page content and needs.
Members: Director of Editorial and Communications; Assistant Director of Digital Communications; Assistant Director of Marketing; Chief Marketing Officer; Director of Public Relations; Director of Creative Services; and Associate Director of Marketing and Admissions.
Editorial Advisory Group
The Director of Editorial and Communications and the Chief Marketing Officer also meet quarterly with the Editorial Advisory Group (Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, Assistant Vice President for Advancement, Director of the Piper Center for Vocation and Career, Director of the Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion, Athletic Director, Associate Dean of Students, Faculty Member, Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations) to present, review, and discuss editorial approach and themes. This group:
- Serves as an ongoing sounding board for St. Olaf MarCom staff representing their area of expertise and insight.
- Contributes topics and ideas that are of importance to the community.
- Provides quarterly feedback on St. Olaf’s editorial strategy, plan, and performance.
Student Staff Writers and Photographers
In addition to members of the Editorial Core Team who directly develop content, MarCom has a team of Student Staff Writers and Photographers who play a critical role in writing, editing, photographing, and posting content to our channels. Students are assigned stories and photographs developed through our content process, and are encouraged to pitch stories as well. The Director of Editorial and Communications primarily oversees the writing staff and the Director of Creative Services primarily oversees the photography staff.
timelines
Social: planning and posting | 1-2 weeks
Web Stories: writing and editing | 2-8 weeks
Magazine: concept to print | 3-4 months
Podcasts: recording and production | 4-8 weeks
Video: concept and production | 6-8 weeks
key distribution vehicles
Two key vehicles for distributing our editorial content to our audience segments are the college’s social media channels and St. Olaf Magazine. These channels are part of our larger editorial planning process, and the Assistant Director of Digital Communications (who oversees the college’s social media channels and strategy) and the Director of Editorial and Communications (who oversees St. Olaf Magazine) are critical voices in the Editorial Core Team. Each of these vehicles also has a sub-process for publishing editorial content, which is outlined below.
Social Media & Magazine
We know that our social engagement is passive for most users, with people glancing and scrolling past to get a hint of a larger story through carefully selected text and images. It’s important for our social channels to reflect our DEI commitment and maintain the same anti-racist standards as our more in-depth channels.
Creating Content
Most content for our social channels comes from St. Olaf Magazine or St. Olaf News, which we summarize and frame for our social audience. Knowing a majority won’t click the link, we try to share important information thoughtfully in the post itself.
We frequently request new work from our student photographers so we have a current and accurate depiction of campus to share. Photos appear across our channels — but especially Instagram. We utilize a growing catalog of photos to demonstrate campus life today.
We aim to maintain visual diversity in our Instagram grid, and we work to elevate the individual and give them a platform within our channel through Instagram takeovers. We reach out to student groups, departments, and individuals with invitations to host takeovers of our Instagram stories. We work with our partners in admissions to time campus beauty shots and relevant content for prospective students. The content we share on our social media channels ranges from sharing important campus information and news stories to developing Instagram story filters, Buzzfeed quizzes, gif stickers, and holiday content. We monitor a variety of accounts, groups, and our comments to help gauge what the community needs, anticipate those needs, and deliver content that satisfies them in whatever moment they’re sharing.
Partnerships and Policies
We maintain a list of known social media accounts that bear some connection to the college and work with departments on campus to create individual social media policies that help them maintain an active, accurate, and respectful social media presence. We work with key partners (Music, Admissions, Athletics, and others) to cultivate a welcoming community.
Extra Resources
While conversation and interaction across our social media channels is important, and we want to engage our community, not all comments have good intentions or useful outcomes. Some things are just not up for debate, including the values we hold as a campus community. We have developed policies and guidelines to set best practices for our social media channels.
Featured stories for St. Olaf Magazine are considered and developed well in advance of publication and are in keeping with the overarching strategic goals and key messages of the college as they relate to admissions, development, academics, career and graduate school outcomes, and alumni relations. At 48 pages plus cover, the magazine has 3-4 features in each issue, as well in-depth Profiles, and smaller ‘Spotlights’ and/or ‘In Focus’ pieces that highlight a student, an event, a member of the faculty or emeriti, and alumni. Alumni news and class notes, weddings, babies, deaths, plus an Almanac-type story and a development ad make up the final 8-10 pages of the magazine. St. Olaf Magazine traditionally has a themed issue once a year, and every so often we have a ‘just plain fun’ story.
Stories are brought to the table for consideration by a variety of sources. Most ideas are developed in-house by our Editorial Core Team, taking into consideration ideas that have been suggested by our campus partners, notably staffers in the Piper Center for Vocation and Career, who inform us about notable alumni and programs. Story ideas that are not time-sensitive and seem better suited to a longer, more in-depth format are earmarked for St. Olaf Magazine. St. Olaf Magazine also accepts story pitches from professional freelance writers, who have established writing experience in higher education publications including writing for St. Olaf Magazine, as well as other professional publications.