The Weekly Bulletin | September 10, 2024

Hi SODP community,

Let’s recap on what’s been happening, the new content, industry updates, tips, and more.

TIP OF THE WEEK

The number of publishers embracing TikTok is on the rise as they attempt to appeal to younger audiences with their nigh insatiable demand for short-form video content.

News publishers in particular are trying to reach younger audiences, who have shown a lack of interest in traditional news channels.

There are dozens of different content strategies publishers can pursue, everything from news and educational content to product demonstrations and trend-jacking.

However, a number of these strategies use overlapping principles, so here are a few that are worthwhile for publishers that are either already established on the platform or are thinking of entering the space.

1. Timely content: Publishers should think of producing timely content as a version of news reporting, where the content needs to provide insight on current events. 

2. Explainer content: Explainer content is extremely versatile. While it can be used to explain the news, it can also be used for evergreen subjects.

3. User-generated content: Publishers can either encourage their followers to create content that relates to their niche — perhaps using branded hashtags — or they can simply repost existing content to their channel.

4. Reviews and demonstrations: Product reviews are a great way of capturing new audiences that are interested in a particular product. The downside is that, given the relatively short viable video length, publishers will have to be more creative in how they review products.

5. Behind-the-scenes content: This can take the form of showing the team at work, the creative process or even sneak peeks of upcoming content.

6. Parodies or skits: Publishers can create comedic content, such as parodies or skits to help them stand out and build audience engagement.

7. Series: Publishers might also want to consider creating a series of short videos in order to tell a story in more depth or even or provide valuable insights over a period of time.

INDUSTRY RESEARCH

2024 Gen AI x Comms Industry Impact Report

As you probably know, we partnered up with Media Collateral for its second edition of the Gen AI x Comms Industry Report.

Snapshot Findings

• SEO Disruption: 76% of respondents believe Gen AI will significantly disrupt or even make SEO obsolete, highlighting the need for adaptation in the digital landscape.

• Adoption: Gen AI adoption has risen to 80% in 2024, with a significant shift towards full integration into daily tasks (from 18% in 2023 to 24% in 2024).

• Future of Work Optimism: Fears of job losses have subsided. 22% of respondents now believe Gen AI will create more job opportunities, a 12% increase from 2023.

• Persistent Challenges: Fear of inaccuracies (72%) and ethical concerns (50%) remain top challenges, underscoring the need for responsible AI governance and transparency.

If you haven’t had a chance to download and review the report yet, here is your access as a member of SODP community.

JOB BOARD

➡️ Travelzoo has an opening for a Publisher. This position will report to the Head of Publishing (London or Manchester, UK). SEE MORE

➡️ People.com is seeking a full time Senior SEO/Growth Analyst, who will be working from Wednesday to Sunday, to support its newsroom (Remote, US). SEE MORE

COMMUNITY BUZZ

Industry News

➡️ Online platforms have overtaken TV channels as the most popular sources for news in the UK, according to figures described as a “generational shift” in viewing habits. READ MORE

➡️ Publishers impacted by recent Google algorithm updates might never fully recover to previous traffic levels, according to a newly published interview with Google Search Liasion Danny Sullivan. READ MORE

Social Media Discussions

➡️ Chris Long on LinkedIn:

SEO Case Study: The New York Times has a brilliant HTML sitemap. Every article ever published is no more than 5 clicks from the home page:

The New York Time sitemap is legendary in SEO. The NYT creates automated logic to ensure that every article posted gets included in their HTML sitemap and neatly grouped accordingly.

Here's how the hierarchy of the sitemap works:

Page One: Year The Article Was Published
Page Two: Month The Article Was Published
Page Three: Day The Article Was Published
Page Four: List Of All Articles That Day

Even an article written in the 1850's is still only 5 "steps" aways from the home page. This ensures that always has a path to crawl the content and no article is every orphaned or pushed down the site architecture.

When you have sites this big, figuring out how to manage your content library at scale is crucial. The New York Times brilliant solution ensure that search engines are always going to be able to discover their content.

CONTINUE READING HERE

These are the highlights for the last week.

Until next!

Vahe Arabian and the editorial team at SODP