Vanessa Otero’s Post

Thank you to our good friends at Radio Ink Magazine for highlighting Ad Fontes Media recent integration with The Trade Desk which will make it much easier for advertisers and their agencies to include highly reliable, minimally biased news inventory in their programmatic buys. According to Insider Intelligence, news represented 26% of all inventory available in programmatic among the top 200 publishers in Q1 of 2023, eclipsing all other categories including sports and lifestyle. In spite of this, too many advertisers avoid news entirely or block so many keywords (when’s the last time you audited your keyword blocking list?) that they effectively block news. The Trade Desk partnership will allow those advertisers to test their way back into news. As a long time media buyer, I can assure you that any campaign that includes news will outperform every campaign that doesn’t. #journalism is struggling in America today because many advertisers have shied away from advertising in news because of unfounded fears that adjacencies to certain stories could get their brand caught up in the culture wars. The irony here is that the truth is advertising in news will deliver substantial unduplicated reach, unparalled ROAS and growth more efficently then any other type of content and will not expose brands to the risks that are keeping many advertisers away. The partnership with The Trade Desk will allow marketers to prove that to themselves without elaborate and time consuming test setups and in the process support journalism in the war on truth that is reshaping our national discourse in a way that none of us are proud of to the delight of their CFOs, employees, customers and shareholders. #journalismmatters #programmaticadvertising #programmatic Deborah Parenti, Vanessa Otero, Jed Dederick

🔎 Pseudo-media outlets are designed to manipulate audiences through misleading content, but their signals are relatively simple to spot once you know what to look for. https://lnkd.in/eABK2FQD #pseudomedia #disinformation #influenceoperations #digitalthreats

In the recently published “The State of Sustainable News Businesses report”, by The Rebooting (Brian Morrissey) and Outbrain, traffic loss was cited as the number one threat to publishers. It’s no surprise. Between the changes to the Google search algorithm and the traffic declines from major social platforms, publishers need to double down on efforts to drive direct traffic. Enter Pushly. We help publishers use push notifications to engage audiences directly, driving traffic and revenue. Publishers also cited subscriptions as the most promising area of growth. We can help with that too, btw. https://lnkd.in/eHMB-Pbc #audiencedevelopment #traffic #engagement #pushly 

Bill Long and I are discussing the future of media. He sent this article along that's so interesting to read/observe. Usually conversations about the future amongst the incumbents-that-are-being-disrupted-under-their-noses aren't that productive (for them). https://lnkd.in/esxv5HDp Here are several strategic thoughts (refined with the help of AI) about the disruption that AI, culture, big tech, etc are imposing on traditional media empires: 1) Focus on Niche Audiences: Large, mass-market approaches are struggling. Publications should focus on cultivating smaller, loyal audiences through targeted, high-quality content. 2) Diversify Revenue Streams: Publications cannot solely rely on advertising. Subscriptions, premium newsletters, and partnerships with platforms like Apple News are vital for survival. 3) Prepare for AI Disruption: AI has the potential to automate many journalistic functions. Media companies need to adapt by focusing on unique human-driven content and innovation to remain competitive. 4) Emphasize Curation: Human editorial curation is becoming a premium service, with companies like Apple News setting an example. This will continue to grow as audiences seek trusted sources in the era of information overload. 5) Build Direct Relationships: Newsletters and subscription models that foster direct relationships between journalists and their readers are increasingly valuable. This reduces dependence on third-party platforms like Facebook and Google. 5) Leverage Print Strategically: Print remains relevant for brand prestige and luxury, particularly in industries like fashion. Publications should use print strategically, not as a growth area but as a complement to digital efforts. 6) Be Prepared for Tech Giants’ Influence: Reliance on platforms like Google and Facebook has hurt media companies in the past. Media leaders must balance short-term gains with long-term strategies that mitigate the risks of platform dependency. 7) Invest in Young Talent: There’s concern about the development of young journalists, with fewer training opportunities. Investing in mentorship and skill development is essential to maintaining journalistic quality. 8) Capitalize on Events and Experiences: Publications like Semafor are successfully monetizing live events and curated experiences. Media companies should explore similar models as a revenue and engagement strategy. 9) Address Public Distrust: Public trust in the media is at an all-time low. Media organizations must focus on transparency, accuracy, and fostering dialogue with their audiences to rebuild credibility. THOUGHTS?

Today’s 8Stage is a special one. It’s completely dedicated to all of our publisher and media partners. A discovery feed full of inspiring content, quality journalism and factual reporting from brands that we trust. As a social platform, it’s our responsibility to support these best in class media brands. At WeAre8 we see this not only as a responsibility but also as a great privilege. Having worked in publishing for a large part of my career, these partnerships are important to me personally, and I’m proud to work for a company that see their survival and success as critical for both the industry and society more broadly. We’ve worked hard to build both the technology and the business models to support their growth - audiences and revenue. - Links out: every single post taps straight out to them (not just a single ‘link in bio’) - No harmful algorithms: their followers see their content - Opportunity to unlock some of our publisher fund - Our 8Stage takeovers bring publishers a new creative canvas. 10 consecutive posts at the top of our discovery feed to tell their stories - WeAre8 Media plans that include our golden8 ad unit on their sites - Coming soon: use your wallet funds to pay for your subscription or unlock content behind a paywall And it’s working. Many of these publishers are already getting more engagement on WeAre8 than they are on social platforms they have been building audiences with for 10+ years. If you want a social feed that’s full of quality content and want to support an ecosystem that works for people, society and our industry, then WeAre8 is for you. If you’re a publisher we’re not yet working with - we’d love to hear from you. With thanks to our amazing partners at: The Independent, HELLO! Magazine, PinkNews, Marie Claire, Unilad global, Hunger magazine, BBC Earth, Mission magazine, Elle au, Buzzfeed, Reserved magazine, PopSugar, Nine AU, The Latch, Man of Many, Future Women, Faux Q… #weare8 #thepeoplesplatform

'The Digital News Report 2023', provides a comprehensive analysis of the rapidly evolving digital news landscape. The report documents how video-based content, distributed via networks such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are becoming more important for news, especially in parts of the Global South, while legacy platforms such as Facebook are losing influence... Continue on DigitrendZ. #digitalnews #digitalmarketing #digitalpublishing

We're proud to spotlight our customer, Reuters—one of the world’s largest and most trusted news agencies—for their remarkable growth on TikTok! Since the start of 2023, they've skyrocketed from 1,000 to over 186,000 followers, becoming the fastest-growing news publisher on the platform. 🌟 📈 Connecting with and building an audience on TikTok is not an easy task, but Reuters has risen to the challenge, setting a powerful example for the industry. Read the full story here: https://hubs.la/Q02Lt3TQ0 For publishers looking to strengthen their presence and engage audiences more effectively, don’t miss our article on how to craft an effective short-form video strategy: https://hubs.la/Q02Lt3rP0

In this environment, publishers must focus on the factors they can control, advised Jacob. “You cannot control the platforms (ie: Google, Facebook, etc.). The platforms are going to do what they are going to do… But you can control creating great content. You can control collecting good first-party data. You know who your audience is." 📚💡 “Media is a consistency business. You have got to show up and do the same thing every single day over and over and over again. And then, years later, you’ve built a great brand.” 🚀👏 Check out this insightful article by Jacob Donnelly on navigating the digital publishing landscape:https://lnkd.in/etGqwX_K #DigitalPublishing #ContentCreation #AudienceEngagement #MediaIndustry #FirstPartyData #BrandBuilding #Consistency #PublishingStrategies 📰✍️

The survivors of the transformation of news media will all follow this path. "They lead with the lessons of community listening, platforms, partnerships, metrics, and more to infuse audience DNA in every department and team of their organizations. So everyone in your organization is now your audience team. Reporters think about social heds, newsletter decks and SEO targets as they craft their stories. Editors are strategists and trainers. Designers are responsible for visuals on-platform AND off-platform."

This concept of user need models for news media is pretty cool; a way of franchising content into categories and tracking engagement levels with those categories. I’m excited to see newsrooms applying content performance analytics like this—more engagement from audiences drives stability. Check out the interview with Ariel Zirulnick. I’ve worked on strategies like this in newsletters for non-news media companies, and while it can lead to lopsided editorial if you don’t maintain standards, it can increase performance significantly. Finding that balance in news is surely careful work.