ATA’s 2021 Virtual Media Summit Unveiled a New Recruiting Effort, Shared Practical How-To Info

Mark Kenyon, Wired to Hunt: “How to Create Messages for Diverse New Hunter Audiences”

Kenyon said a simple rule to content 101 is to know your audience and create for them. Think about who you’re talking to and what you need to say so they understand. Kenyon said it’s easy to forget the simple stuff, so he reminds all communicators to focus on the aspect of hunting, provide story context and avoid using jargon, especially when creating content for beginners.

“When we’re in our circle of people, around our friends that are into (hunting), a lot of us live within the top 2% of people who are passionate about hunting,” he said. “I’m surrounded. All my best friends are really into this stuff. We talk about stuff a certain way. We have references, acronyms, abbreviations, and stuff that is a part of our everyday conversation that someone who doesn’t have that background wouldn’t know. It’s like we’re speaking a different language.”

Kenyon said he changes how he talks when he creates content for new audiences who come from all walks of life, compared to when he talks to his hunting friends or followers. He tries to focus on the meat hunting provides, the sport’s history, and the adventure of the hunt, all while providing context and avoiding jargon.

“Those simple foundations can make all the difference when you speak with new audiences,” he said. “If we can connect with people who want to be hunters, that’s the first step that will lead to everything else.”

Dave Thomas, Bowhunter Planet: "How to Collaborate with Partners to Grow the Outdoor Industry"

“We need to come together internally,” Thomas said. “I mean dealers, pro shops, brands, celebrity personalities, brand ambassadors or influencers, media, all of us need to work together to spread very important messages to all these people who have come into the fold and don’t know much about hunting.”

Thomas stressed the importance of community, not competition. He encouraged everyone to get rid of negativity and stop talking among themselves, so they can focus on how to help newcomers. He believes the way to do that is to work together on a large scale. He hopes to see industry members pool funding, share central messages, and accomplish goals as a unified whole.

“Forget about money and think about heritage,” he said. “That’s the most important part of this. Without heritage, we won’t survive; nothing in our industry will. We have to keep moving forward, and you can only do that through cooperation and working together. Start thinking differently, take responsibility, and push forward.”

Nicole Qualtieri, GearJunkie: "How to Balance Sponsorships and Advertising with Media Ethics"

Qualtieri outlined five things GearJunkie does when they’re working with paid media, aka ads or sponsorships.

1. The company doesn’t accept paid reviews because it believes in integrity and expertise in product reviews.

2. It determines which metrics are important for both parties and strives to create those metrics when building campaigns. Consider things like brand or product awareness, product sales, bounce rates, and key performance indicators.

3. GearJunkie uses search engine optimization techniques to create high-performing pieces with longevity.

4. Both parties work to make the content educational or entertaining by using experts.

5. Work together to create and use various paid ad options, including articles, website banners, social media posts, etc.

These strategies improve relationships with brands and help create quality content for consumers.

Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life: "How to Grow a New, Nontraditional Audience Without Alienating Your Traditional Audience"

Robinson spoke about creating content that appeals to new audiences without leaving your current audience behind. The answer: stay true to your brand’s voice, identity and mission. Whatever you’re known for, stay true to it.

“You can cover whatever topic you want and your audience will stick with you,” Robinson said. “Even if you write about something that seems more basic and is geared toward a new hunter, as long as it looks, feels and sounds like (your brand or personal identity), you won’t scare people away.”

He also challenged the notion of what beginner content looks like.

“People think they have to create the most basic content,” he said. “That’s true because people need to learn to hunt, but also, some of that is really boring. People who are into learning about hunting don’t want manuals. They want to be inspired and see the fun side of it. They want to see stuff that challenges their ideas and philosophies.”

Robinson encouraged media members to produce stories outside of their usual content to attract new readers or viewers, as long as they feel confident in their brand or identity enough to break their own rules. If it’s important, report on it, but make sure you do it well to limit conflict and negative feedback from your audience.

“We should all be willing to take risks with our editorial content,” he said. “As new hunting culture develops, it (likely won’t) have the traditions of previous decades. Our job is to teach ethics and guidelines, but much more of our job is to embrace that hunting culture will change and explore that change. Our risks will turn into great stories and be rewarded, and if they don’t work out, we should use them as a learning experience.”