Email better than social media at reaching readers?

[SFIND]

The CEO of the Inside news app says it is.

Journalists should use email more — and Google and Facebook less — to reach readers

I'll trust the stats he cites are accurate and take his word for it. But what can't be denied is this:

"Everyone was beholden to Google for SEO and then the Huffington Post and everybody became beholden to social networks," he said. "It's really perverted the nature of the news business. I think email cuts out all these middlemen."

"It creates a profound difference in how journalists do their jobs," he added. "If you hit 'Send' and you are just in a panic about people hitting 'Unsubscribe,' you focus on quality. If you are trying to game social media, you're like, 'What's the most salacious headline that I can trick somebody into clicking?'"

 

[jimluttrell1963]

The CEO of the Inside news app says it is.

Journalists should use email more — and Google and Facebook less — to reach readers

I'll trust the stats he cites are accurate and take his word for it. But what can't be denied is this:

Email is a huge market for us, no question. Easily blows away twitter, while SEO is still king, I'd say. But as newsletters begin to proliferate and clog email boxes, I think you're already seeing subject lines that rival those click-bait headlines you're talking about. Still, at the end of the day, I'd like to think you're right and that quality will win out.

 

[Doc Holliday]

As long as it's a real email that's directed toward the customer and not shirt that is spam, you damn right email is better.

 

[MileHigh]

I see our numbers spike with email certainly more than Twitter. I sent out two this morning and saw the traffic get a nice uptick. But Facebook is still the king. And it's the quality of the content of your post that helps pump up numbers.

 

[dirtybird]

I see our numbers spike with email certainly more than Twitter. I sent out two this morning and saw the traffic get a nice uptick. But Facebook is still the king. And it's the quality of the content of your post that helps pump up numbers.

Is that for really breaking stuff?

The places I've worked at have seen little success at all with email.

 

[Fredrick]

I see our numbers spike with email certainly more than Twitter. I sent out two this morning and saw the traffic get a nice uptick. But Facebook is still the king. And it's the quality of the content of your post that helps pump up numbers.

Mile High, this might not be the right thread for this or maybe you could send me a personal response, but you seem to have knowledge of what I've always wondered. I understand the value of Facebook and Twitter in getting clicks on stories. I do. What I've always wondered is ... how this all gets translated to the bottom line. Selling of ads. When your sales people, armed with click information, head to the car dealers and retirement home executives and grocery stores in an attempt to sell online ads ... do the potential advertisers give one flying shirt about the numbers they are being presented?? The news industry is intent on making money selling ads by selling the amount of eyeballs reading the copy and looking at the videos. My serious question to you is ... do advertisers care AT ALL about this? Or do they roll their eyes and basically say, "Look, we have our own Websites. Frankly we're not interested. Please do not contact me again." In other words, is this all just an exercise in total futility because potential advertisers do not care about what we're presenting to them? A car dealer once told me when I tried to sell him an ad, "We do not advertise in newspapers or online newspapers, period!"

 

[cjericho]

Mile High, this might not be the right thread for this or maybe you could send me a personal response, but you seem to have knowledge of what I've always wondered. I understand the value of Facebook and Twitter in getting clicks on stories. I do. What I've always wondered is ... how this all gets translated to the bottom line. Selling of ads. When your sales people, armed with click information, head to the car dealers and retirement home executives and grocery stores in an attempt to sell online ads ... do the potential advertisers give one flying shirt about the numbers they are being presented?? The news industry is intent on making money selling ads by selling the amount of eyeballs reading the copy and looking at the videos. My serious question to you is ... do advertisers care AT ALL about this? Or do they roll their eyes and basically say, "Look, we have our own Websites. Frankly we're not interested. Please do not contact me again." In other words, is this all just an exercise in total futility because potential advertisers do not care about what we're presenting to them? A car dealer once told me when I tried to sell him an ad, "We do not advertise in newspapers or online newspapers, period!"

Shouldn't you ask the advertisers at your place? Or if you don't believe their answer, ask the car dealers and retirement home execs.

 

[Fredrick]

Shouldn't you ask the advertisers at your place? Or if you don't believe their answer, ask the car dealers and retirement home execs.

That's an unusual post. What are message boards for if my friends can't answer questions for me?

 

[cjericho]

That's an unusual post. What are message boards for if my friends can't answer questions for me?

Cjericho wonders what's so unusual about it. Cjericho is no longer working in sports media. If cjericho was he would try to answer that question.

 

[Fredrick]

Cjericho wonders what's so unusual about it. Cjericho is no longer working in sports media. If cjericho was he would try to answer that question.

Cool. Thanks for the explanation.