Social Media of OT – Belén Pueyo
Belén Pueyo takes care of the Social Media of OT. She has been one of the people responsible for the return of the program to become a national phenomenon. The key? Mark a strategy that from the beginning sought to take the program beyond television, although, as she tells us, the results far exceeded her expectations.
We spoke with Belén about the keys that have turned Operación Triunfo into a mass phenomenon. She tells us the specific actions that were planned for each social network or how the profiles of the participants were managed while they were in the academy.
We also took this opportunity to ask her how she would evaluate the use of the social networks of the ex-contestants or how to manage a reputational crisis of such influential profiles.
How did you start planning OT’s Social Media strategy? What were your objectives?
We started with great enthusiasm and above all with a very clear premise, the most important thing is the followers of the program and they must be able to have easy and immediate access to all the content.
Our goal basically was being able to take the program beyond television, although we could never have imagined everything we could build little by little.
I imagine that the results exceeded your expectations, can you share some information with us?
For example, we set out as a challenge to reach 100,000 subscribers on YouTube during the first edition and now we are about to reach one million.
What specific actions stand out in each social network in the OT Social Media strategy?
The most important thing was to be able to offer the audience a 24h open channel on a platform that is as well known and accessible to everyone as it is Youtube. Apart from direct, we were very fast uploading content on demand and that allowed us to always have videos on trends and give more visibility to the channel.
The rest of the networks were supports for the channel and what we were looking for was constant interaction with our followers, who felt that we were there and that communication was totally bi-directional.
What influence do you think the networks have had on the success of OT’s return? In particular, in what social network have you reaped the most success?
We have had more hits on YouTube and Instagram. And, in my opinion, I think that the fact of being able to get the content to a very young audience has made the target of the chain and the program rejuvenated and managed to generate a fan phenomenon like the one that was experienced in the first edition of Operación Triunfo.
An important point is that they did not have access to the internet while they were in the academy, do you think it would have affected them to know all the expectations that they were creating during the program?
Of course. It is the main ingredient for this program. Not knowing what is happening makes them behave as they are and that they do not forget the competitiveness between them. In addition, we are fascinated to see their faces of surprise when leaving the contest and see that they have more than half a million followers and the blue tick (verified).
How were the official profiles of the contestants managed during the program?
Two people from the digital team were responsible for uploading all the content as quickly as possible. We had an internal system to obtain the images and texts that the contestants wanted to publish.
Participants like Amaia Romero are known for their spontaneity, how do you prepare yourself so that at any moment you can create a Trending Topic?
We did not prepare in any way because the Trending Topics simply came up. Of course, the one that we prepared daily was # OTDirecto, which we adapted to the day in which we were and we got positioned every day among the most commented.
Right now all the ex-participants use their networks like any other person of their age, with more or less polemics, have you ever freaked out after seeing one of their post?
Yes, and sometimes I even try to advise them and others is they themselves who ask me for help on some issues. I am delighted to be able to help you in any way!
What advice can you give us to design a Social Media strategy for a television contest?
Take into account what is the target audience of the program and what we want to achieve with social networks. We must also bear in mind something that I have commented before, the “trick” of networks is to receive feedback from someone. If you create the networks and only dedicate yourself to spitting content without evaluating and responding to the comments of the users, you are wasting your time.
