The Growing Influence of Content Creation

On January 7, the Washington Post quietly announced they laid off most of the business operations staff, including their PR teams, another sign content creation is a priority in today’s digital media landscape. This development is consistent with the changing landscape in traditional media and one that everyone should pay attention to. It is yet another sign of how media is changing towards a more digitally-driven, content-creator centric ecosystem. Anyone looking to grow an online community should pay attention.

The Future of Media Looks Different

2024 saw a host of media outlets laying off staff. Some, like the Los Angeles Times took a hatchet and laid off 20 percent of its newsroom staff while others like the TechCrunch and Wall Street Journal made strategic cuts. In total, thousands of journalists and support staff had to leave their roles.

Granted, this could be a factor of the struggling economy in 2024. However, these layoffs are a continuation of the shrinking of national and local traditional media outlets. At the end of the day, the unit economics of media as we know it is changing.

This is evident in other ways. For instance, in July 2022, more viewers streamed shows than the audience that tuned into cable. Social media audiences continue to grow. As of October 2024, there were 5.22 billion social media users worldwide, representing 63.8% of the total global population. This marks a 5.2% annual growth rate, with 256 million new users joining social media since the previous year.

Why the change?

There a litany of reasons for the change. As mentioned, the unit economics of traditional media doesn’t seem to work in today’s digitally-driven world. Another reason could be trust. An October 2024 Gallup poll found that for the third consecutive year, more U.S. adults have no trust at all in the media (36%) than trust it a great deal or fair amount. Another 33% of Americans express “not very much” confidence.

Ultimately, what’s changed is the advent of the smartphone. As a child, I would always hear my mother tell me not to be “glued to the TV.” Well, in today’s age, we’re no longer glued to the TV but to our smartphones. Humans have access to virtually everything at their fingertips. And with the power of social media algorithms that are designed to engage users, humans aren’t looking away.

Whether we like it or not, social media has captured the attention of society, and it is impacting how individuals collect information.

‘Creators Will Lead the Way”

This quote from Washington Post Communications Chief Kathy Baird caught my eye. She stated that The Post will “stop the dedicated practice of publicity for our journalism across broadcast and traditional media outlets.” Instead, she claimed “talent-driven journalism is the future of media, and personalities and creators will lead the way.”

This means, the Washington Post will not invest in promoting their journalists anymore. Alone, this decision isn’t significant. However, when considered within the larger picture of a dying traditional media ecosystem, it’s proof content creators have won the attention of the masses.

Startups and anyone else looking to build a brand must start investing in content creation.

How Startups Can Benefit

The Washington Post’s announcement barely made the news, but it is yet another reminder to start posting, and do it more often. Below are some ways startups and others can take advantage of today’s changing media landscape.

Diminishing Traditional Media Brand Value

The value of media brands is its audience. The Wall Street Journal attracts an educated, wealthy business audience, therefore, being featured in front of that audience validates you or your brand. Large and prestigious publications like this are still worth pursuing. However, as smaller publications decrease in influence, more people will be chasing a small subset of these prestigious outlets, making it increasingly difficult to get covered.

Ultimately, chasing traditional media and the time and resources spent doing it may not be worth it anymore.

Journalists are Becoming Content Creators

The Washington Post said it themselves: creators will lead the way. Therefore, the coverage you covet and chase should be judged on their audience. Such as, how many followers do they have across the main social media platforms. Or, what type of followers do they have. Their content creation efforts will dictate their value.

This also means you can be a de facto journalist as well. So long as you cover interesting topics, or becoming an expert in your niche, you can build an audience just like these journalists. If you build a large following through your content creation, you won’t need a journalist from a brand that has a smaller audience.

Opportunity to Build Relationship

With journalists focusing on content creation, pushing them to be on social media more, if you want that coverage, you should be on social media too. The more you post on social media, the higher likelihood these journalists will find you and lean on you for information. Furthermore, engage with them on these platforms. Post comments to their articles or opinions. By providing respectful, insightful comments, you can build a relationship that may yield positive results over time.

Conclusion

The Washington Post announcement was yet another indicator individuals and brands look to grow should dedicate most of the PR and marketing resources to organic social media. These teams and individuals should no longer think of themselves as thought leaders, but content creators.