Newsrooms' success will depend on decisive action

Ten years ago, I sat in rooms with journalists discussing how the industry needed to have an improved focus on audiences. Two years ago, I wrote that newsrooms would ‘write for people, not platforms’. I’m not certain we’ll have the privilege of another ten years to keep discussing this. 

So what has happened since my last prediction? The power of building a niche has become all the more obvious, with those that doubled down early taking their wins (for now) whether that’s still platform traffic, newsletter conversions or building communities. AI is all over our feeds, our work, and sometimes policy. Reliance on Google is still somewhat strong for many (cue Google Zero panic in the boardrooms) and Meta revived from the dead thanks to Facebook’s new monetisation model. Audiences want to hear from ‘people like them’. Publishers have started their second pivot to video. 

Technology around us moves faster than ever before, and with it, new habits are built for which we have to adapt. And yet, a constant remains… audiences seek value. Something worth their time. 

Many in the industry seem to be waiting for the silver bullet, the solution we can apply in four easy steps. But fragmented audiences, fragmented revenue lines, and fragmented business models mean fragmented decisions. This year, newsrooms get to choose their own adventure, and some may just make it through. 

We will see the publishers that understand their value proposition use new technology to launch products in various directions (not necessarily many) and optimise their workflows. Many will be making the most of the creator economy, expanding their reach and engagement across communities. It's never too late to go back to the basics and plant seeds for growth. 

However, I fear too, we will see some publishers demising to the noise. In a race without direction, they’ll be wasting money copying someone else’s playbook and forgetting to listen to the signals their own audiences are sending. Been there, done that.