In a post-social media era for news, Ben Smith, former BuzzFeed News editor and founder of Semafor, discusses how digital journalism is adapting. This episode explores the decline of social platforms as primary news drivers, the hunt for new traffic sources, and strategies for building sustainable news organizations focused on audience engagement over viral chasing. It's a critical listen for media professionals navigating the evolving digital landscape.
Key takeaways
Social media platforms are no longer reliable primary traffic drivers for news organizations; diversify distribution channels.
Focus on building a dedicated audience through direct relationships (e.g., newsletters, events) rather than solely chasing viral traffic.
Journalists and news organizations need to actively cultivate their own brands and distribution independent of social media algorithms.
Monetization strategies must evolve beyond advertising, considering subscriptions, events, and other direct audience support.
Investigate new content formats and platforms (e.g., vertical video, niche communities) to reach audiences where they are, while maintaining editorial integrity.
Ben Smith is the former and founding editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News, the founder and editor-in-chief of Semafor, and the author of a new book called Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral, which is about the rise and fall of the social platform age in media, through the lens of Gawker Media and Buzzfeed and, in particular, their founders, Nick Denton and Jonah Peretti. I say the fall of the social platform age pretty literally: just before we spoke, Buzzfeed actually shut down Buzzfeed News, saying it just wasn’t making enough money, Facebook and the rest are all in on vertical video, and the chaos at Twitter means a lot of baseline media industry assumptions are now up for grabs. Ben and I talked about a lot – where do journalists build their brands now? Where does traffic even come from anymore? What’s next? Of course, we talked about Semafor as well. Ben and his co-founder, Justin Smith, raised $25 million and launched a news website, newsletters, and events covering the US and sub-Saharan Africa, with plans to expand into other regions. I wanted to know what lessons from Buzzfeed Ben brought into Semafor and, honestly, how he’s thinking about building an audience instead of just trying to get traffic. This is a good one. The book’s great, too. Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23470662 Links:
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Social media platforms are no longer reliable primary traffic drivers for news organizations; diversify distribution channels.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Focus on building a dedicated audience through direct relationships (e.g., newsletters, events) rather than solely chasing viral traffic.
What does this episode say about organic & seo?
Journalists and news organizations need to actively cultivate their own brands and distribution independent of social media algorithms.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Monetization strategies must evolve beyond advertising, considering subscriptions, events, and other direct audience support.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Investigate new content formats and platforms (e.g., vertical video, niche communities) to reach audiences where they are, while maintaining editorial integrity.
