Contribly
The Participation Playbook
Everything your newsroom needs to get the most from Contribly: why participation matters, how to plan call-outs readers love, and how to get more from them once they're live.
Why it matters now
Readers can get news anywhere. They can only be part of it with you.
For two decades, publishers grew by being found. Search and social sent readers to articles, and success was counted in clicks and page views. It worked, but it left newsrooms dependent on platforms they don't control. One algorithm change could halve a publisher's traffic overnight.
Now AI answers the question before anyone clicks. In the first half of 2026, Reach saw Google traffic fall 55% and page views drop 40%, which the publisher put down to the rise of AI answers and overviews in search. When information is summarised for free, competing on information alone is a fight nobody wins.
What AI can't replicate is a relationship. The 2026 Future Newsrooms Study from FT Strategies and WAN-IFRA, which surveyed 448 newsrooms in 86 countries, calls this the Community Era: the advantage shifts to the strength of your relationship with the people you serve. Yet reporters spend just 11% of their week on it.
Participation is how that relationship gets built, in public, on your own platform. Contributors get recognition and a reason to come back. Everyone else sees a newsroom that listens: most readers never post (the long-standing 90-9-1 rule of thumb suggests around 90% of an online community only watches), but they notice when people like them appear in your journalism. And every contribution arrives with first-party data you own, not a platform.
55%
AI answers first
Fall in Google traffic at Reach in the first half of 2026, with page views down 40%.
+20%
Invite, don't just inform
More people come to your own site when a social post invites them to take part rather than simply informing them.
21%
Participants stay closer
of participants across Contribly opt in to newsletters. Newsletter sign-ups at the San Francisco Chronicle:
AI can summarise an article. It can't summarise belonging.
A reader's photo, published with their name. A debate shaped by your community. A story only your readers could tell. That is yours alone.
Sources: Reach plc H1 2026 results, as reported by A Media Operator and Express & Star; FT Strategies and WAN-IFRA, Future Newsrooms Study 2026; Contribly client data.
How to use this guide
A reference, not a read-through
Bookmark this page and come back at the moment you need it. Bold lines and visuals are for skimming. The "Why it works" notes are there when you want the reasoning, or need to bring a colleague on board.
The framework
Five pillars of successful participation
Each pillar answers one question a reader asks, often without realising it. Get all five right and participation stops being a one-off and becomes a habit.
If readers don't notice the invitation, it doesn't exist.
Put the ask where readers already are, make it obvious at a glance, and give them more than one chance to say yes.
Why it works
Readers don't go looking for ways to take part. They skim headlines, homepages and newsletters, and decide in seconds. An invitation has to be impossible to miss before anyone weighs up whether to join in. Consistent branding does something else too: it trains readers to expect being asked, so your next call-out starts with an audience that's already primed.
Where to push it
- Your own channels: homepage slot, newsletters, app, and every related article.
- Social: brand accounts, community and fan groups, and the journalist's own accounts. A named journalist asking a genuine question beats a brand logo.
- Video: make the ask part of the video itself. After a video about potholes: "Is there a pothole on your street the council keeps ignoring? Send us a photo, and we'll map every one."
- Make the ask the headline: publish an article whose title is the call-out, so anyone skimming a homepage or newsletter gets it in a second.
- One widget, many homes: reuse the same call-out across every related article.
Inside the article
1 Call to action above the fold · 2 Gallery as social proof · 3 The article · 4 Full form for readers ready to share
Make it unmistakable
A call-out badge
On article images, so readers spot participation on a homepage.
Named formats
"Debate of the Day", every day. Never a new label each time.
A site tag
So readers can find every call-out in one place.
A "Readers" byline
Linked to a page of everything your community helped create.
Notifications alert readers to new call-outs on topics they care about, by browser push, app or email. Email integration lets readers email contributions straight into a call-out.
One call-out is useful. A rhythm is transformational.
Plan a mix of regular, seasonal and reactive call-outs, so readers know you'll ask again and listen again.
Why it works
Habits are built on predictability. When readers know a debate opens every morning, or a photo challenge runs every month, taking part stops being a decision and becomes a routine. Closing a call-out at a set time adds a little scarcity, which turns "I'll do it later" into "I'll do it now". And a newsroom that runs regular call-outs builds muscle memory, so when news breaks the team is ready.
Five types to mix
Habit
Readers come back out of curiosity. If they miss it, they miss it.
Daily debate, poll of the day, monthly book picks
Seasonal
Everyone is living the same moment. It connects people.
Halloween, lambing, first day of school
Breaking
Interest is at its peak. Taking part means most when the timing is right.
Snow, floods, a manager sacked
Investigation
Readers see behind the scenes of journalism, and take part.
"How safe do you feel as a woman at night?"
Community
A lasting group you can come back to, again and again.
Irish Abroad, parents, farmers, fans
Make your habit an appointment
GVA in Antwerp runs a debate every day on whatever readers are talking about. Each one closes at the end of the day. Like your favourite show on a Thursday night: miss it, and you miss it.
Practice makes breaking news easy
When floods hit Limburg, the newsroom asked readers for photos, videos and stories straight away, and built a live, verified map of how the flood was affecting the community.
Tip: prepare call-outs for the moments you can predict, like snow, storms or transfer deadline day.
SSO-powered gamification: badges for how many call-outs readers join, their average quality score or their contribution streak. Your habit formats become a game readers don't want to drop.
How you ask decides who answers, how many, and how good it is.
Be specific, say why it matters, show what good looks like, and tell readers where and when they'll see the results.
Why it works
Every reader runs a quick calculation: is what I get back worth the effort you're asking for? A specific question lowers the effort, because people know exactly what to send. A clear why raises the reward. And people are social: nobody wants to be first, and everyone matches the standard they see, which is why seeding and modelling matter so much.
Answer the five questions readers silently ask
Who
is asking?
A named journalist beats a brand logo.
What
do you want?
A photo? 100 words? A vote? Uncertainty stops people.
Why
should I?
The why builds motivation: being featured, helping, winning, belonging.
Where
will it go?
In this same article is best. Otherwise, say exactly where.
When
does it close?
Give a date. Nobody likes waiting for a bus with no display.
Be specific
Topics that work: pets, weather, local pride, nostalgia, sport, personal experience, frustration, expertise and humour. Local infrastructure gets some of the highest engagement across Contribly.
Model and seed
- Model for quality. Show what a great contribution looks like. Readers match the standard they see.
- Seed for quantity. Nobody wants to be first. Start your gallery with real examples, like last year's winners.
Ask so you can learn
Every poll answer sorts a reader into a group you can come back to. Include an "it's not for me" option: knowing who isn't interested is intelligence too.
What makes the World Cup special?
- National pride
- The atmosphere
- The football
- Bringing people together
- It doesn't interest me
Newsletter integration: opt-ins made while contributing go straight to your newsletter platform.
Pick the format readers can actually do, right now.
Ask for what readers already have, match the effort to the reward, and start simple before asking for more.
Why it works
The biggest barrier to taking part is effort. Asking for something readers already have, like a photo on their phone or an opinion they hold, gets far more response than asking them to create something new. The format also shapes what comes back: a poll with an optional comment gets sharper opinions than an open text box, because the options do some of the thinking first.
Three questions decide it
1
Do they already have it?
Photos are already on their phones. A video means making something new.
2
How much do you need?
A quick pulse, a reasoned opinion or a full story? Match the effort to the reward.
3
What will you publish?
A gallery, a results chart, quotes in an article, a map?
Check for the four common barriers
- Effort: do readers already have it, or must they make something new?
- Time: a long story or a video needs a reward worth the effort.
- Confidence: on personal topics, say how you'll handle what they share and whether their name will appear.
- Sign-in: time it right. After a few call-outs readers are ready, especially when signing in unlocks something.
Participation isn't the end goal. It's the beginning of the next story.
Show contributors what happened, learn from what they shared, and invite them back when it's relevant.
Why it works
Every time someone contributes and nothing happens, you teach them not to bother next time. The opposite is also true. Seeing their contribution published gives readers recognition, and seeing everyone else's gives the whole audience social proof. And because every contribution carries signals about who your readers are and what they care about, the loop also makes your journalism smarter.
01 · Use the content
Show it
Every contributor sees what happened to their effort.
02 · Use the insight
Learn from it
Participation isn't just content. It's research.
03 · Use the relationship
Come back to it
Your contributors are your next invite list.
01 Show it
- Publish where they contributed: a live gallery, a map, or contribution cards in your live blog.
- Writing the follow-up? Republish all the contributions at the bottom so readers can keep exploring.
- Share the best on social, crediting readers by name. Ask for their social handle so you can tag and thank them.
- Acknowledge at scale: you can't reply to 2,000 people, but you can write "600 of you told us…"
Proof: same ask, what happened afterwards changed
Gooieneemlander (Mediahuis Nederland), autumn mushroom photo call-out, year on year. The mushrooms didn't get more interesting. What happened afterwards did.
02 Learn from it
Behavioural
What readers do: which call-outs they join, how often, which formats work.
Sentiment
What readers think: opinions, concerns, emotions, priorities, questions.
Community
Who readers are: professions, interests, expertise, lived experience.
- Unanswered reader questions become your next explainer.
- Common misconceptions become a myth-busting piece. Blood donor stories reveal why people don't donate.
- Topics that divide opinion become tomorrow's debate.
- "You told us X, so we investigated Y." Show readers they shaped your journalism.
- Your tools: AI Editor Analysis surfaces top contributions, themes and story angles, even across thousands of responses. The Community Data Dashboard tracks returning contributors, topic performance and audience interests.
03 Come back to it
- Ask permission at upload. Switch on re-contact consent in your call-out. Readers who opt in are telling you they want to hear from you again.
- With their permission, readers who shared a dog photo are your first call for the next dog call-out. Ran a first-day-of-school call-out? Those readers are the first to invite for your next parenting story.
- Readers love being personally invited. That's what turns a call-out into a two-way relationship.
SSO turns Contribly into a lightweight CRM to find contributors by topic and expertise. Notifications tell readers when their contribution is published, liked or used in an article. CRM integration feeds contributor data into your audience database.
Pick a format
Which call-out should I use?
Use the quick picker, or scan the full table below. Start from what you need from readers.
What do you need from readers?
Can you offer a prize, or a feature worth the effort?
About "Effort for your readers": the dots show how much effort it takes a reader to take part, from ●○○ a quick tap to ●●● making or writing something new. It's not about your newsroom's workload: AIR moderation and live galleries keep even ●●● formats manageable for your team.
| If you need… | Use | Effort for your readersnot your newsroom | Choose it when | Real example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A quick pulse | Simple poll | ●○○ | You want speed and volume over depth | Presidential election 2025 |
| Opinions, with reasons | Poll + optional comment | ●●○ | There are more than two answers and you want the reasons behind them | Reopening the Great Highway to cars (San Francisco) |
| Sides in a debate | Debate | ●●○ | The question splits into for and against, or a set of clear positions | Who should win the Ballon d'Or? (Diario AS); GVA's daily debate |
| Questions for us | Reader questions | ●○○ | Readers know what they want to ask, and your journalists or experts can answer | Ask our UConn women's basketball reporters |
| Experiences, in words | Text call-out | ●●○ | Words are enough and you don't need images | Have you made a resolution to learn a new language? |
| Personal stories | Reader story + optional media | ●●● | The story matters most, but a photo or video would bring it to life | World Blood Donor Day stories (Netherlands); Put your GP in the spotlight |
| Photos | Photo call-out | ●○○ | Readers already have the photo on their phone | Mushrooms (Gooieneemlander); snow; Northern Lights |
| Your readers' best photos | Photo competition | ●●● | You can offer a prize or a feature worth making an effort for | Farmers Weekly Photography Competition |
| Video | Video call-out | ●●● | Movement or sound tells the story better than a photo | The Guardian's spoken word video challenge |
| Voices | Audio call-out | ●●○ | You want readers' real voices, for a podcast or audio story | New feature: ask us for access |
| News tips and leads | News tips | ●○○ | You want an always-on line from your community to your newsroom | HBVL Reporting News |
Poll + optional comment scores highest on the Contribly Quality Score: the poll does the thinking first, so the comment that follows is sharper.
Before you hit publish
Run through this before every call-out
Two minutes now saves a quiet call-out later. Your ticks are saved in this browser, so you can come back to it.
The plan
The ask
Visibility
The Loop
Get more from a live call-out
Your call-out is live. What would you like more of?
Pick your goal to jump to what to try. Most goals connect to more than one pillar, so each one points you to where to go deeper.
I want more people to see it
Readers can only join in if they notice the invitation.
- Is it above the fold? Readers skim. A widget at the bottom of a long article is easy to miss.
- Is the ask in the headline? An article titled with the call-out shows up on homepages and in newsletters.
- Have you promoted it? Newsletter, homepage, social, and the journalist's own accounts.
- Is it on more than one page? Reuse the same widget across every related article.
- Does it look like a call-out? A badge, a named format and a consistent tag say "this is your invitation".
I want more people to take part
Plenty of readers are seeing it. Now make saying yes easier.
- Is it specific enough? Specific beats general, every time.
- Have you said why? Readers need a reason: the why builds their motivation to take part.
- Can they see others taking part? Nobody wants to be first. Seed your gallery.
- Is the barrier low enough? If they don't already have that photo on their phone, try a poll instead. Time, confidence and sign-in matter too.
I want better contributions
Quality follows the standard you set and the format you choose.
- Have you shown what good looks like? Readers match the standard they see.
- Could it be a poll + comment? The options help readers think before they write. It scores highest on the Contribly Quality Score.
- Is the question sharp? "Send us your thoughts" gets general answers. A focused question gets focused ones.
- Are you showcasing the best? People are competitive. Raise the bar visibly.
I've had a flood of responses
Great news: you've hit a topic your community cares about. Here's how to make the most of it.
- Let AIR do the first pass. Contribly's AI moderation flags what needs a closer look, so you approve the rest quickly. Too strict? Review your editorial policy in Contribly.
- Use AI Editor Analysis. It highlights top contributions, key themes and story angles, so you don't have to read everything.
- Publish to a live gallery. Readers see far more than the few you have time to feature.
- You don't have to use it all. Just say so. Tell readers you were surprised how many got involved, and share what you learned.
- Build on it. A hot topic deserves a follow-up, a regular format or a newsletter.
I want readers to come back
Return visits come from rhythm, and from seeing that taking part mattered.
- Make it regular. A habit format gives readers something to rely on.
- Show what happened. Publish contributions where readers made them.
- Give them a date. Tell readers when to come back to see the results.
- Invite them back. With their permission, your past contributors are your next invite list.
I want my team to use it more
Adoption grows from small wins the desk can see.
- Start small. One named habit format, owned by one person.
- Share the results. Show the desk the numbers from their own call-outs.
- Make it easy. Templates for predictable moments mean call-outs go live in minutes.
- Level up. CMS integration lets journalists create and moderate call-outs without leaving their usual tools.
Level up
Integrations that take results further
Everything in this playbook works with Contribly as it is. These integrations take your results further. Talk to us about which fit your newsroom.
SSO
A lightweight CRM: search contributors by topic, location, demographic and expertise, and invite them back. Unlocks badges, streaks and quality scores.
Rhythm · The Loop
Notifications
Tell readers when their contribution is published, liked, answered or used in an article, and invite them to new call-outs on topics they care about.
Visibility · The Loop
Email integration
Readers email contributions straight into a call-out, not only through an article.
Visibility
Newsletter integration
Sign-ups made while contributing go straight to your newsletter platform.
The Ask
CMS integration
Create, moderate and place call-outs from your CMS, without opening the Contribly Hub.
Adoption · The Loop
CRM integration
Pull the data Contribly collects into your main audience database.
The Loop
Your readers are ready to take part.
Want help planning your next call-outs? Book an engagement review with the Contribly team.
Book an engagement review