Social media and news publishing have had a tempestuous relationship since the very beginning, but after years of love/hate could the relationship be coming to a close?
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Your thoughts have probably turned to the exodus from X. The spectacular decline since Elon Musk took over have only accelerated recently as such notable titles as The Guardian in the UK, La Vanguardia in Spain, and Ouest-France all announce their departure citing their desire to distance themselves from a toxic platform of disinformation. The European Federation of Journalists has since followed suit, and many more are likely to do the same.
Bluesky and Threadz are delighted by the eXodus but there is more going on here than rejecting one platform for another. In reality it’s not just Musk, but the whole social mediascape that is changing. X had already made its platform less friendly to news publishers when it deliberately chose to deprioritise messages with links in them – the commonest way for the press to publicise their articles. After battling with news publishers in Canada, and finally hitting on the idea of simply ignoring them, this seems to have been the year that Meta decided to kill off news on its platforms altogether. News is just too much trouble it seems, particularly with those pesky publishers expecting to be paid for their work and content.
At the same time the developments in the Search arena are hardly encouraging. Not only do we have AI answering queries without directing readers to sources, but in the last few weeks Google too has been experimenting with the idea of ignoring news altogether. Have you heard of the 1%? Once a badge worn by outlaw biker gangs, this month the phrase takes on an altogether new meaning as Google experiments with removing all news in search results for 1% of users across 8 EU countries. It was going to be 9 but France was quick to point out that this breached an existing agreement and would result in a hefty fine. Google quickly excluded La Belle France from its experiment. Google says the move is to find out how to best serve audiences and publishers. Those of us in the EU news industry fear it may be mostly how best to serve Google. Time will tell.
So what does that mean?
The biggest take away from all this is that clearly we can’t rely on other companies’ platforms. At Upgrade Media we have always believed that this means publishers should dedicate resources and maximise returns from the platforms they themselves control. That could mean;
Reinforcing the human appeal of your journalism
There is a gap between editorial teams and the modern expectations of readers. A study carried out in Chile shows that journalists emphasise objectivity and independence, while readers increasingly value empathy and human relations. So the aim is to broaden the definition of ‘good journalism’ by emphasising the human aspects, thinking more about the empathetic slant to news.
Multiply the points of entry in your content
Help readers find their way to your information in the way that suits them best. Multiply the points of entry to your content through different formats/angles, whether on the homepage or via your newsletters and applications, etc. Ironically this content strategy has to be managed with care since too much choice, thoughtlessly offered, can overwhelm readers and turn them off. Create privileges by giving priority to your freemium content on your platforms (newsletters, podcasts, etc.).
Develop your offer
Offer podcasts or immersive formats to reach audiences without using social networks.
More attractive digital products
The other challenge is to make platforms more engaging: following the example of the New York Times, which has integrated algorithmic tools to manage its home page, in order to optimise the user experience while preserving human intervention. This combination is ideal for offering content that is always relevant and attractive.
Encourage digital subscriptions
It’s no longer about the arms race of ever bigger numbers of views, or clicks, it’s about the content the readers will remember. Deploying a digital subscription strategy is THE way to recreate reading habits and keep your audiences coming back for the right reasons. At Upgrade Media, we achieve digital subscription growth rates of up to 28%, year on year, by integrating the needs of the modern reader.
SEO strategies
Strengthen your search engine presence and develop content optimised for tools like Google Discover. SEO has also moved on to AIO as publishers learn how to capture the attention of AIs with long tail content.
Social networks: adapting to the new order
Although the rules are changing, it is still possible to improve your positions on social networks. The challenge is no longer quantitative but qualitative. At Upgrade Media, we are deploying charted posts that increase reach and engagement tenfold. Whether for Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok, the aim will be to bring users back to your site by reinforcing the value perceived by users. As established platforms turn their back on news or become toXic it is time to look at alternative platforms (Mastodon, Bluesky, etc.).
Diversify distribution
Look for new ways to use newsletters, and ensure timely WhatsApp integration.
Increase the open and click rates on your newsletters
If ever there was an open industry secret it was this one. Newsletters have grown in leaps and bounds and enable publishers to focus on segmentation and personalisation with near immediately observable results.
Maintain links with your audience
Every title likes to think it has the finger on the pulse of its readership but we all benefit from re-examining just how close we are to a readership that is often changing faster than the titles it reads. Offering the possibility of following the publications of a journalist or a group of journalists, a subject or an issue, will strengthen the links with your audience.
Encourage real-life contacts
Very much linked to the above we see huge importance in strengthening the direct relationship between the editorial team and its audience through events, meetings with readers or, better still, just with your subscribers. This is ever more critical.
AI to free up time
Put to one side, for a moment, the issues surrounding AI generated content and focus on the little ways that AI can reliably increase publishing efficiency. Take the example of Omni, a Swedish media company, which offers AI training for all its journalists. By involving each journalist in the mastery of AI tools, Omni is able to strengthen its relationship with its audience, thanks to a personalised, high-quality editorial offering… In fact, everything that makes for greater appeal and loyalty.
If you had to remember just one thing: don’t just publish content any more, you have to seek to build a direct and profitable relationship with your audience over the course of days and weeks, and all this can be controlled.
Take advantage of data
Put R&D and data to work for your journalism. Axel Springer found that although premium negative and positive articles generated a similar volume of conversions per article, there was a striking difference in terms of subscription cancellations. In fact, ‘those who subscribe to upbeat articles cancel much less quickly’. At Upgrade Media, our own research into subscriptions comes to the same conclusion. Talk to us about successful subscription strategies in a shifting mediascape.
About Upgrade Media: Upgrade Media is a creative agency, strategy consultancy, training center and media transformation think tank, through its brand New World Encounters.
◾️ We work for media and communicating companies to accelerate their digital transformations, evolve their organizations, print and digital products, and also develop team agility.
◾️ Check out our Upgrade Media website to learn more about our projects and approach.
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- How Upgrade Media works – and why it produces results
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