On March 19, we hosted a workshop at the Media Lab Bayern Innovation Festival in Munich together with Charlotte Lüder from DER SPIEGEL. Editors, decision-makers, TV professionals, and local reporters all came together to tackle one central question:
How can live coverage drive real interaction and build stronger communities?
What followed was an open and practical exchange of ideas, shaped by DER SPIEGEL’s experience, Tickaroo's insights, and the perspectives of participants. Based on all of this, we’ve put together a set of tips to help you strengthen your liveblogging strategy.
Charlotte from DER SPIEGEL breaking down the newsroom’s liveblogging strategy
#1 Treat live blogs as a strategic format - not an add-on
At DER SPIEGEL, live blogs are not something that gets added when there’s time. They are a core part of the editorial strategy.
Just last week, at the Future of German Media Conference in Hannover, a journalist from DER SPIEGEL shared that over the past 12 months, 18 of the 20 most-read articles among subscribers were live blogs.
👉 What you can do:
Don’t treat live blogs as “extra coverage.” Choose topics where live reporting creates real value for your audience - moments they want to follow in real time, engage with, and come back to. Then plan them with the same level of intention as major features or investigations.
#2 Define the rules before you go live
One of the biggest risks in live coverage is losing focus. Without clear direction, live blogs can quickly become inconsistent or chaotic.
Successful teams define key parameters in advance:
- What is the goal of the live blog? (updates, analysis, Q&A?)
- What formats will you use? (polls, comments, multimedia?)
- What should a typical post look like?
👉 What you can do:
Establish clear guidelines early on to help your team stay consistent and efficient - especially in fast-moving situations where there is little time to make decisions on the fly.
#3 Start with the team you have - but structure it properly
At DER SPIEGEL, live blogs are often run by larger teams, including editors, fact-checkers, reporters on the ground, and a person they call "Regie" ("Regisseur" - "director").
But most newsrooms don’t have that setup - and don’t need to replicate it.
👉 What you can do:
- Work with what you have, but define roles clearly
- Assign responsibilities in advance (publishing, verification, monitoring)
- Avoid running complex live blogs alone
According to Charlotte, effective live blogs require at least two people - especially when covering long-running or complex topics such as conflicts or major ongoing events.
Open question: to comment or not to comment?
One of the discussion points during the workshop was whether to include comments in live blogs.
DER SPIEGEL uses emoji reactions and curated reader questions to engage its audience but deliberately chooses not to use comment sections. The reason is straightforward: unmoderated comments can quickly become chaotic or toxic, and effective moderation requires dedicated resources.
While we understand this approach, we also strongly believe in the value of comments -- their impact is hard to ignore. Giving readers a space to share their perspectives helps them feel heard and involved, and strengthens their connection to the coverage. When done well, this sense of participation can increase loyalty and encourage readers to return.
One way to approach this is through simple, structured moderation. For example, in our editor, comment sections can be added with a single click - but comments only appear publicly after being approved in the backend. This allows newsrooms to maintain a safe and constructive environment without giving up on interaction altogether.
Clear moderation guidelines play an important role in managing discussions and building trust. Communicating these rules transparently helps set expectations for how comments are handled. At the same time, community guidelines are just as essential. They define how people are expected to engage - shaping the tone of the conversation before moderation even becomes necessary. MDR, for example, actively uses commenting features while taking the necessary steps to ensure discussions remain respectful and constructive.
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Lisa from Team Tickaroo taking a closer look at one team’s Oscars 2026 live blog
Workshop as an editorial playground
The workshop quickly became a space that both moderators and participants genuinely enjoyed - filled with open discussions, questions, concerns, and new ideas.
The hands-on exercise, where participants created their own live blogs, gave them room to experiment and think outside the box. Some explored creative approaches, like turning a weather live blog into a playful guide - including tips on what to do during heavy snowfall (for example, building a snow pile to use as a slide). Others reimagined events like the Oscars as if they were a sports competition.
For many participants, it was refreshing to step outside their usual newsroom environment and try something new. It felt less like a structured task and more like a playground - a space to test ideas freely, without the constraints of everyday editorial routines.
As our CEO and one of the moderators, Naomi Owusu, put it:
“The goal was to give people space in their hectic newsroom environment, in a different setting, to rethink liveblogging.”
And from our perspective - it really did the trick!
Conclusion
What the workshop made clear is that live blogging is more than just a format - it’s a way of thinking about coverage.
When planned intentionally, structured clearly, and used where it truly adds value, live blogs can do much more than report events. They can bring audiences closer, create interaction, and turn coverage into a shared experience.
And sometimes, all it takes to rethink that approach is stepping out of the daily routine and giving yourself the space to experiment.
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