What’s a quick tip or tool you use to stay on top of industry news, and why is it so effective?
These answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization made up of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue annually and have created tens of thousands of jobs. More information at yec.co.
1. Get involved with podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to stay up to date with the latest industry trends. Whether you listen to them, perform them or are a guest, the conversations and information exchange are invaluable. The information in the interviews is always real time because they are published regularly. Guests and hosts also benefit from forming relationships with others in the industry around the world.
– Liam Martin, TimeDoctor.com
2. Use a news aggregator
Depending on the niche market or industry you’re in, a great way to find the latest news and trending topics is to use blogs and news aggregator websites. A few examples of this can be seen at Feedly, Google News and AllTop. Each of these is great because they can be set to show only the news and content you’re looking for.
– Zac Johnson, blogger
3. Set notifications and alerts
It’s quite easy to set up notifications or alerts for headlines in your industry. You can do this with a number of browsers. I recommend focusing on the technological developments you are keeping an eye on, or on consumer trends. The fact that automated programs can collect headlines for you means you save the time you might spend searching.
– Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
4. Subscribe to a Premium Newsletter
I recommend subscribing to a premium industry newsletter. While it’s not attractive to pay for content when you can get so much for free, the truth is that the quality of information is much better in paid newsletters. You can also take a free trial and see if a particular news blog is right for you. You will encounter insightful content and new trends more quickly.
– Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
5. Follow the right hashtags
If you use Twitter or LinkedIn, make sure you spend at least a few minutes every day briefly checking the most used hashtags in your industry. This way you can stay on top of what’s happening as it’s happening. Don’t get carried away by scrolling through your news feed afterwards.
– Tyler Gallagher, Regal Assets
6. Create Twitter lists
I use Twitter lists to keep up with industry news. You can create public or private lists with any accounts you want, and you don’t have to follow them to add them to the list. You’ll then get a personalized feed on a single topic, separate from your main feed, which will likely contain many different things. You can also follow Twitter topics and view related tweets in your feed.
– Emily Stallings, Casely, Inc.
7. Follow industry leaders
Leaders educate themselves and can summarize what they are learning for you, so you don’t spend too much time in all the noise. This will help you narrow down the important things you need to know about your industry. Narrow it down to two to three people in your industry who you follow closely and can count on to know their stuff.
– Diego Orjuela, Cables and sensors
8. Browse Reddit
A creative way I stay up to date with industry news is by surfing Reddit. There are numerous industry-specific groups where members and moderators take discussions seriously. I enjoy seeing what people have to say and reading resources published by experienced people working in the field.
– John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
9. Join active LinkedIn groups
Join active LinkedIn groups relevant to your industry, where people share news articles and educational information. If you have a question, ask the group. It’s a great way to stay up to date with industry news and network at the same time. There are groups for most industries, but if you can’t find one, start your own group and invite people to join!
– Jonathan Prichard, MattressInsider.com