Publishers of news have moved their focus away from the big social media platforms such as Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, as sources of referral traffic.
Instead they are looking to WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Google Discover, a personalised feed of content from the web, to provide growth while referrals shrink from the older platforms.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has released its 2024 trends and predictions report based on a survey of 314 news leaders from 56 countries and territories.
Data from the analytics company Chartbeat, sourced for the Reuters Institute study, shows aggregate Facebook traffic to news and media properties down by 48%, with traffic from X dropping 27% and Instagram by 10%.
Three-quarters of publishers say they will work harder on building direct links with consumers via websites, apps, newsletters and podcasts.
Around a fifth (22%) say they will be cutting costs. Almost one in 15 say they have no strategy for this.
"With less focus on social channels a key question will be how to attract audiences," says the report.
"Some publishers and broadcasters will look to spend more on marketing (17%); others will explore or put more effort into alternative platforms (20%)."
Some are focused on maintaining a strong position on Snapchat and building a loyal audience on TikTok.
And then there’s “untapped potential” optimising content for search engines.
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