Communicating effectively is, in essence, about convincing. In this post we will address the keys to place an interview in the most appropriate medium to conduct it. In short, how to make a convincing pitch.

The first step: does it make sense to do an interview?

First of all, we have to take an essential first step, asking ourselves what is the point of conducting this interview. As Silvia Albert recently explained in this blog, strategy is the backbone of communication. It is not uncommon for communications departments to receive an unexpected order that this or that manager “wants to do an interview”, or that a high representative of company X is coming to visit our country and “an interview must be done”. Ideally, interviews should not be done just for the sake of it or for the sake of pleasantries. Interviews have to make sense (there is a relevant message to communicate) and must fit within a communication strategy. Forced interviews usually give a bad result and end up generating a bad rapport with the media who, in some way, end up being forced to consider an interview that is not of interest to them.

Once all the pieces fit together and the strategic decision is made to move forward, it’s time for the pitch. We are going to approach it in four very simple keys.

It is a long-term job

A pitch actually begins long before it is put into practice. It is not possible to start from scratch. It is necessary to have a thorough knowledge of the media. The aim is to monitor the topics published by each media outlet, the style used to approach the publication of reports, the prestige of the media and how it is perceived by the sector of reference for the interlocutor we want to place in that media outlet. At the same time, it is not only about knowing the media, but also the journalists. We must know very well how they write, what kind of topics they are interested in, what image they have of them in the sector. A third line of action is the relationship of trust that you establish with the journalist. This relationship is based on mutual respect, transparency and a professional exchange of information. With these three pillars: knowledge of the media, knowledge of the journalists and a professional relationship of trust with them. By using them, we will be able to correctly determine which journalist and which media is the most appropriate and most likely to be successful for our interview.

Get to know your spokesperson and what he or she stands for

But this is only part of it. Not only do we have to know the medium, we also have to know our spokesperson. Knowing the character of the spokesperson, his or her professional background and personal trajectory are elements that will help us to build a solid pitch. On the one hand, we need to identify those elements that make our spokesperson unique. The spokesperson has to be special and attractive to the media. A spokesperson has to be well prepared. For this it is always advisable to have carried out a training of spokespersons.

And beyond the personality of our spokesperson, there is the company he or she represents. In the end, we cannot forget that our spokesperson is the representative of the company to which he or she belongs, whether it is a large multinational, or even a personal project of the spokesperson himself. In other words, there are two ‘spokespersons’ to be deployed: the person to be interviewed and the company he or she represents. Therefore, we need to define and know in depth the values, mission and key messages that the company wants to convey.

Being in this world

We understand how important it is for our spokesperson to transmit the messages he/she wants to convey and the importance that our spokesperson attaches to the company he/she represents, but all this must be adapted to the circumstances of the moment, to current events. That is why it is necessary to know how to fit the messages we want to convey within the topics that are relevant to the audience. In other words: convince that our proposal is relevant and pertinent at the time it is taking place. We must make a thorough exploration of the true value and uniqueness of our interview and keep abreast of the topics of conversation that are moving the press. What is presented to the journalist has to be a unique and valuable opportunity for him or her that he should not let slip away.

Clarity and conciseness

That quality is more valuable than quantity is something that has been known in Spain at least since the Golden Age. It has been 400 years since the famous priest and writer Baltasar Gracián coined the famous phrase, “what is good, if it is brief, is twice as good”. This is an example of what is needed for a claim to stand the test of time. To be effective, a pitch has to be clear and direct. If you have to stun the journalist with a torrent of words to convince him or her of the importance of the subject matter, something is wrong. Journalists must understand the importance of the opportunity provided.

It is not an exact science

One of the great dramas of communication is that it is not an exact science. Using the same ingredients in the same exact proportions does not always result in the same dish. The list of imponderables that can alter the course of events is like the universe: it is constantly expanding.

The course is therefore uncertain. In J. R. R. R. Tolkien’s famous novel The Fellowship of the Ring, the elderly hobbit Bilbo warned his cousin (not nephew) Frodo of the dangers of setting foot on the road, because you never know where it might lead you. But well-equipped, we will substantially increase our chances of taking our pitch to a good port. Hence the importance of carrying out long-term work that puts the wind in our favor. The only way to perform this task effectively is to build a relationship with the press based on professionalism, trust and transparency.

La entrada Interviews: the art of making a good pitch in four key points se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

The event brought together media experts, academics and politicians to discuss strategies and tools against disinformation and in favor of democracy. Leading the presentation were, among others, the president of CLABE, Arsenio Escolar; the Minister for Digital Transformation, Óscar López; and the president of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol.

Based on the conclusions of the collaborative book Comprometidos con la verdad: propuestas para combatir la desinformación, coordinated by Raúl Magallón, professor at Universidad Carlos III, the text proposes measures to address disinformation from legislative, educational and technological perspectives.

During the event, the need for media, governments and digital platforms to work together to combat the spread of false information was emphasized, highlighting the risks of social networks in the dissemination of disinformation. The structural threat posed by disinformation to journalism and democracy was also discussed, calling for action to regulate the impact of social networks and encourage self-regulation in the media.

The opportunity for journalism

In this sense, the last chapter of this collaborative book has been written by Professor Ramón Salaverría, entitled: ‘Disinformation: an opportunity for journalism’, beyond the harshness of his statements, aims to “open a door to hope” as he himself stated in his Linkedin. In his article, he invites journalism to see the crisis of disinformation as an opportunity to renew its commitment to the truth. He assures that, in order to regain credibility, the media must be more transparent, independent and rigorous. The chapter analyzes the problems that have undermined trust in the media and outlines some proposals to restore it.

For Salaverría, the proliferation of false news and intentional manipulation has deteriorated public confidence in the traditional media, especially in Spain, where credibility levels are alarmingly low.

He therefore proposes that, in the face of this crisis, the media must make a renewed commitment to truth and transparency. To regain trust, journalism needs to reform in several key areas.

Among the recommendations, it highlights the importance of prompt and honest rectification when mistakes are made, transparency in working methods and the source of funds, and clarity about sponsored or AI-generated content. It also stresses the need to improve professional standards, prioritizing information over opinion and entertainment. The independence of public media, which should be free from political control, is another crucial point for him.

Salaverría believes that the implementation of these measures, although challenging, could allow journalism to assume a more ethical and trustworthy role, acting as a shield against disinformation and serving as a reliable guide for society in an increasingly complex information context.

Main conclusions of the book

We have highlighted Professor Salaverría’s chapter because it seems to us to be one of the most remarkable, but we did not want to stop only in this chapter and we have prepared a summary of the entire document so that we cannot justify lack of time to read it, because we consider it to be of great interest.

Committed to the truth addresses the phenomenon of disinformation as one of the greatest challenges of the digital era and presents multidisciplinary strategies to combat its effects. The book explores how the spread of fake news and intentional manipulations has affected various sectors of society, threatening democracy, public health and social cohesion.

Through multiple perspectives, the text examines the importance of strengthening media literacy, transparency and ethics in the media.

One of the central themes is media literacy from an early age, defended as a crucial tool for forming critical citizens who are less vulnerable to information manipulation. The book emphasizes the need for media education to be a priority in public policies so that young people learn to distinguish truthful information from disinformation.

It also examines the European Union’s policy responses to disinformation, highlighting its leadership in digital regulation with initiatives such as the Digital Services Act and the Code of Practice on Disinformation. These measures seek to limit the amplification of false news on social networks and digital platforms, promoting a safer and more reliable information environment.

The impact of technology and social networks on the spread of hoaxes is another key issue. The chapters dedicated to this issue explore how social networks have become channels where hoaxes spread rapidly, driven by algorithms that prioritize sensationalist content. The authors advocate for collaboration between platforms, media and regulators to develop tools for verifying information.

In addition, the book delves into the damage that disinformation causes in specific areas such as science, economics, feminism, migration and consumption. Scientific misinformation, especially on health and environmental issues, has become critical, exacerbating problems such as vaccine resistance or climate change denial. In the economic sphere, the spread of false information can affect markets and investment decisions, while on gender and migration issues, hoaxes often reinforce stereotypes and prejudices, undermining social progress and inclusion.

La entrada Misinformation and liability se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

This is perhaps the first dilemma that consultants may have with their client: Do we start generating impacts even if we are not clear about what their key messages are? Do we wait to understand the company in depth and develop a solid and meaningful strategy before launching into the media? It is not easy to find a solution. A consultant does well to arrange an interview with a relevant media, but does much more good if he explains to his client what the relationship with the media consists of before launching into a meeting with journalists. Within this field, there are always different sets of games and alignments, but it is important for the client to understand – and this is almost always the case – that there are no instant results in communications. Even if we have completed the immersion and understand the client’s key messages and business, there is still another step: the journalist has to go through this process as well. It is very difficult, unless you are the next star startup in artificial intelligence, to get a (good) interview without the journalist knowing who you are, what you do and why what you say might be relevant to their readers.

Communication is a trickle, a constant action that slowly, and almost imperceptibly for the client’s target audience, fills the glass. Like a seed, which you sow and water until it sprouts and grows. It is a slow and careful process. If there is no quality substrate or if the humidity and temperature conditions are not adapted to its needs, the plant does not grow properly.

Communication is strategic and a long-term project. The other is not communication, but punctual actions without consistency. It’s like the friend who shows up at a party every so often and then you don’t see him the rest of the year. You’ll have a few laughs with him, but let’s face it, he’s not a friend either. That’s why, most of the time, when a client simply wants to send a press release, without having previously thought about a strategy or having a certain media relations path, the results are not good. Journalists usually send irrelevant press releases to the trash -some may receive up to 300 emails a day-, and, if the stars aligned that day and they happen to open the email, they will ask themselves: “And who are these people? Why are they appearing now? Click, to the trash.

In communication, it is not so much the size of a company that matters as the quality of the information it conveys.

Let’s take the case of a customer who has something relevant to say. Well, what differentiates you from the rest of your competition, and why should what you say be more important than what others say? Unless it is the biggest fish in the ocean, there is always someone with the biggest mouth. The food chain is an inescapable law. It competes with other voices and opinions, and this fact can sometimes go unnoticed by some clients. Journalists, with all the reason in the world, are more interested in larger, relevant and well-known companies: their voice has more impact and resonates much more than a small company. Therefore, if your communication is not strategic, if you don’t have your eye on the long term, you will be at the bottom of the food chain.

A very illustrative example, derived from our long experience in this sector, can be found in the fund industry. According to FundsPeopleIn Spain there are more than 200 international fund managers marketing their investment products, not counting the national ones! This is the jungle; if you are not well prepared, your voice will be buried under the weight of the market. However, if you are, I assure you that your voice, however small it may be, will resonate loud and clear.

Do not send information to journalists simply out of a compelling need to get noticed.

Let’s add complexity to the equation. The client believes that what he has to say is extremely important. Fine, but important to whom, to him or to journalists? Perhaps he has won a distinguished award or reduced his carbon footprint by 50%. I don’t doubt that the information is relevant, but I wonder to whom it is relevant. Companies are often unaware that what is important to them does not necessarily correspond to what is of interest to the public, for whom journalists are their mouthpiece. Moreover, not taking this distinction into account is counterproductive and risky, because if we send journalists information that is not of interest to them, we are likely to end up, once again, in the wastebasket.

It is rarely seen, but there are companies that set KPIs on the number of press releases to send per year to the media. “At least one a month”. But why? About what? First you will have to analyze what information you have; then, what communication tool is more correct for that content. You may have to go through the advertising department and pay for advertising space because, perhaps, the content is not newsworthy.

There is nothing journalists -and good agencies- hate more than communications that are sent for the sake of sending, that burn journalists, that block their e-mails and that saturate and annoy them.

What should agencies and consulting firms do?

First, educate and guide the client on what the relationship with the media means and implies, what needs journalists have and what is considered information of interest. A good agency has to know how to say “no” to the client when he insists on doing something that does not make sense. We are there to advise, not to agree to everything the client wants -who does not always know about communication. It is good to disagree, discuss and, of course, agree. If we are consultants, we are there to give our expert opinion – we are not paid to play along!

Secondly, that the client understands that communication is a long-term investment. That before arranging an interview, sending a note, calling a journalist, they have to know the company, what relevance it has in its sector or what differentiates it from its competitors, but, above all, who is behind it. And for that, in general, it is important, as far as possible, that journalists meet the spokespersons of a company face to face. Journalists are not entities hiding behind an e-mail, nor are they little monsters who want to reveal sensitive company information. From experience, we have found that good interviews, for example, are conducted when the journalist knows who the interviewee is – both in relation to the company and the person.

And finally, the agency has to know the news very well and anticipate the needs of the journalists. When we know or sense what is on a journalist’s agenda, it is much easier to propose an interview, an exclusive or an analysis on a certain topic, because what he needs is a hook or information that provides value to explain or interpret what is happening.

In fact,current events are more important than anything else, even journalists. There is a Christian saying: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”, which, in this profession, would come to say that communication is uncontrollable -although it is manageable-, and that current affairs, sooner or later, play by their own rules. Agencies cannot guarantee with total certainty that information will be published, but they can be sure that their client understands how the art of good communication works.

In short, when a client wants to ‘go out’ in the media without a clear strategy or a long-term project, without the agency having a good understanding of what it does and why it does it, it will be a good time to explain what your job is and what a journalist does. If he turns a deaf ear, don’t send him home, because don’t forget that he is the one who feeds you. Keep the ace of “I told you so” up your sleeve and, when you have to use it in the game, explain again with conviction what your role is and what is the best way to achieve what you both want: a quality communication that brings prestige and recognition to the brand, that differentiates it from its competitors and that, in the long term, consolidates a reputation that bears fruit in the company’s profitability.

La entrada I want to be in the media! se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

Why is media monitoring important?

The qualified monitoring of news by current affairs, sector, own brand, competition…, is a fundamental job for companies and especially key in the framework of different communication campaigns; Good data collection, analysis and monitoring will enable us to:

• Knowing the market and the environment in which we operate, which is essential to offer customers the best service, with a daily reference of the real situation in which events are taking place.
• Identify possible crises that may occur, since by monitoring the day-to-day, it enables us to detect possible threats, anticipating and giving us the possibility of defining an ad hoc strategy based on verifiable facts.
• Just as it can help us to detect threats, it can do so with opportunities. When the information is daily, focused on your coordinates of interest and agile, you will be able to detect the insights best suited to your strategies.
• And finally, it gives us the ability to get a better understanding of consumers, as well as the competition, through relevant news that involves them.

Therefore, for companies like AuditMedia, a Spanish media monitoring agency with more than 15 years of experience, investment in knowledge, R&D and production teams is essential to meet the increasingly complex and intense needs of brands.

It is essential for media intelligence companies to have own tools with which to correctly monitor, select, segment and analyse media, thus providing excellent 24/7 customer service. The information overloadin which we live increasingly demands an immediate, efficient, easy and excellent qualitative and quantitative assessment, and with a global approach that allows us to obtain the clearest picture of the reality we are experiencing.

The important thing is the team

New technological tools are enabling a faster and more efficient progress in media intelligence work; But the truth is that, in order to produce a quality news summary, it is necessary to have multidisciplinary and qualified teams – journalists, documentalists, analysts…, capable of working on management platforms such as Metaclipwhich brings together in one place the objectively selected and generated information, without noise or omissions from all and in all print, digital, social and audiovisual media; whose software is capable of managing, searching, segmenting, editing and obtaining reports, graphs, data and evaluations in a customised environment that is totally adapted to the needs of each client.

How media intelligence helps communication

For both communication and marketing departments, media intelligence will be an essential ally in their daily work;

In communication, media monitoring is a basic part of their responsibilities and is an indispensable part of their day-to-day work; It allows you to be aware of what is happening out there; of what is happening in society, in the economy, in politics; of what is happening in the sector in which you develop your activity or in those other sectors that, not being your own, can affect you; of what your main competitors say, do or talk about; of potential crisis situations… And, what is more important, of what is said about your own brand.

For marketing departments, this type of service will allow them to contrast the information they already have – such as traffic or leads – with the impact of a news story in the media; In addition, it will be able to measure the public perception and thefeedback on it with information. By tracking and analysing data, companies can assess which messages, channels and formats work best for their audience; This allows campaigns to be optimised in real time, adjusting budgets to get the best results;

The importance of measuring KPIs

Measuring KPIs is a fundamental aspect of evaluate the impact and results of the strategies in place. Without proper measurement, it is difficult to determine whether these strategies are generating positive results; KPIs provide data on reach, engagement, conversion and other key aspects that help evaluate the performance of media actions;

If results show that certain strategies or channels are not generating the desired results, adjustments can be made in real time to optimise performance; This allows for greater agility and adaptation as audience trends and preferences evolve;

This is why media intelligence plays a fundamental role in the measurement of KPIs, thanks to this tracking they can be measured and analysed to make informed decisions and thus obtain a complete and up-to-date view of the company’s performance in the different channels.

*Article by Francisco Javier Muñoz Fernández, business development director of Grupo Auditmedia

La entrada Media intelligence: the service that makes it possible to be well informed; se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

Why Spaniards flee from the news

Among the reasons, 36% are disinterested because news have a negative impact on their state of mind. Understandable, we have been on a very bad run since 2020; Pandemics, volcanic eruptions, deterioration and assault on institutions, wars, recessions, earthquakes and a long list of undesirable events have created the perfect cocktail for citizens to flee the present day and stick their heads in the ground like ostriches;

We want news that makes our day

Readers demand, in return, a kinder and more inspiring, more optimistic journalism. When I started my career in journalism, one of the questions I used to ask myself was why negative news has a bigger audience and generates more money than positive news; This concern, which is still on my mind, has motivated some journalists to create optimistic media hoping to turn the tide. However, with the exception of a few cases such as Correo sí deseado -a bulletin in El País, have not been as successful as expected.

How hard is it to create a medium that makes our day? Yes; This difficulty is due in part to the premise that current affairs is inherently adverse and problematic; Journalism was born with the vocation to denounce evil, to watch over power, to unveil bad intentions and to show the crude and unpleasant reality; It is governed by a guiding principle: evil must be shown so that citizens are aware of and can fight against the hardships that beset their fellow man;

However, this understanding of the profession often forgets that the world is also a kind place that day after day offers inspiring and heroic stories that make the world beautiful; stories that are also part of reality and deserve to be told; If life is reduced to a string of misfortunes, if journalists focus their gaze only on the catastrophes that bludgeon us in our daily lives, we will only know part of the story; Perhaps the solution lies not in a dichotomy between negative and positive media, but in finding a balance that does justice to reality as it is, and that focuses on stories that inspire and offer the world some hope;

We have become infoxicated;

The current situation is also due to the overabundance of information. First television and then the Internet transformed the world; Before the digital revolution, the presses set the times, there were morning and evening newspapers, the news was out of date because there was no live coverage; Once this door was opened, we were blessed with endless live news, but punished with saturation; It is clear that we have become infoxicated; A clear example: during the pandemic, more than 14,000 media reports on the Covid-19 crisis were published daily; No human brain can process that;

This overabundance is compounded by the global reach of the news; We no longer only hear about tragedies in our neighbourhood, city or country; Now we have news of a bus accident in Kathmandu, a landslide in Peru or the loss of biodiversity in the Tasman Sea; Tragedies are multiplying in a world that seems to be getting smaller; On the other hand, good news also proliferates, but, without seeing a clear reason, it does not generate the same impact on our psyche;

Social networks exaggerate the news

Another reason for this lack of interest is the amplification produced by social networks, which not only bombard us with dozens of headlines, but also dramatise and hyperbolise events; The rise of populism, the deterioration of institutions and the politicisation of the media are partly due to the exaggeration of reality in a social ecosystem that shies away from calm, reflection and depth;

Far from seeking rigour, the media have made the most of this situation, feeding back polarisation. Hence, for example, there is an overabundance of political reporting of declarations and a dearth of research on the feasibility of concrete policies; The accusation or the personal attack sells more than the reflection on the policies to be implemented; that is to say, politicians sell more than political proposals; Fascinating; It is logical that people don’t want to see news;

On the other hand, some studies point out that, since the birth of digital networks and tools, our reading comprehension has declined dramatically. Let’s not be naïve, we no longer read the news; we skim headlines while sliding our finger across the screen at high speed in search of new stimuli. Do we read the news in its entirety, do we cross-check information in search of other approaches, do we educate ourselves on complex issues that require time and effort, do we know how to shut up when we don’t know an issue, do we know how to shut up when we don’t? Generally no, and part of the blame lies with the readers themselves who have failed to resist the sensationalism and tyranny of the clickbait.

Linked to this last question, we have been sold the idea that it is convenient to be informed about everything: the elections in Brazil, the war situation in Ukraine, the famine in Somalia, the earthquake in Turkey… We need to know what is happening all over the world at all times; This dispersion is saturating and exhausting, which is why being hooked on current affairs generates a rebound effect; In this sense, it is better to know less and assimilate the information at leisure, rather than trying to absorb it in its entirety and risk choking on it; This eagerness to know everything – which is nothing more than the vocation of the talk show host who talks about anything and everything – often generates a false sense of control; Let’s not be foolish, reading the media doesn’t make you an expert on anything;

The world is going to hell!

Finally, there is a sociological reason that has little to do with journalism or current affairs, but rather with the readers themselves, especially the younger ones.New generations are characterised by hopelessness, they have the feeling that at any moment the world will collapse; Despite the social and technological advances we have made, we live in an age that is blackening the future and is convinced that everything will get worse; With this pessimism in place, it is logical that many have decided to shy away from current affairs; Why get informed if I’m going to corroborate my theory that the world is shit?

Life has never been easy, and never will be; Current affairs will always be there to remind us of this, but we must not give in to despair; It is good to know the bad things that happen in order to change them; it is good to know the world in order to move in it; Running away from current affairs will only make us more ignorant and evasive of others; So, if you’ve made it this far, I want to give you four tips to help you keep reading the news without running away:

• Reduce the number of news or articles you read per day; Go for quality and read at least one story with a happy ending; There are many good ones;
• It’s OK if you haven’t heard the latest gossip; It is good to recognise that we do not achieve everything and that our life is full of limitations; Focus on topics of interest to you and don’t try to hog all the news; less is more;
• Don’t spend so much time on social media; They are pure fiction; Get out there and live;
• Finally, always have hope. Evil always likes to attract more attention and therefore gives us the feeling that the world is falling apart, but let us not fall into its deception; The good, discreet and silent, is much more powerful; It is worth believing in;

La entrada Don’t read any more news, you’ll get depressed! se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

This relationship of dependence has sustained a model that is perceived to be increasingly weakened, in a constant search for the formula that will keep an industry afloat, which, paradoxically, has a larger audience and is more necessary than ever.

Subscription for content seems to be the solution in the Netflix era, and yet a large part of the population in our country is reluctant to pay for something that, until recently, was free. The economic crisis facing the media bears a close resemblance to the Addpocalypse phenomenon, which in 2017 popularized live broadcasting to the detriment of audio-visual production.

During the confinement due to the health crisis, live broadcasting via streaming has consolidated as a content consumption habit for a large part of the population, whether at work or in leisure environments. During this time, we have learned to communicate better through screens, we have found new ways to interact with the audience and the consumption of concerts, seminars or talks has been normalized, becoming a business model with great potential.

Addpocalypse and the consolidation of live streaming

In 2017, a series of controversies associated with content creators on YouTube caused the exodus of large advertisers from the platform. As a mitigating measure, Google implemented an algorithm that categorizes, in a restrictive way, the channels in which advertisers can place their ads without worrying whether the content could affect their brand image.

This caused many creators, especially those targeting an adult audience, to see their income eroded to the point of making their activity economically unviable. As a result, numerous ways of monetizing content emerged. For example, direct brand sponsorship of videos aimed at their target audiences increased. Creators who were not able to attract sponsors (or did not want to count on them directly) began to make use of freemium alternatives for micro-patronage, hand in hand with intermediaries such as Patreon or through live streaming on Twitch (Amazon) or Mixer (Microsoft), which will become part of Facebook Gaming at the end of July.

These platforms began to swell their ranks with hundreds of creators who found a space where they could monetize their content without the restrictions imposed by Google’s algorithm. Today, many creators who have gained an audience on YouTube are making live broadcast compatible with video production to maximize their revenues.

Twitch, Amazon’s live streaming platform, was the first to implement a freemium model. Users can access any live streaming for free; however, the platform offers the possibility to support content creators through subscriptions and/or disinterested donations. Subscriptions offer certain advantages, such as skipping announcements during the broadcast or access to the exclusive chat for subscribers, although each creator is free to add other benefits such as participation in raffles or access to direct communication channels. In both cases, streamers receive the majority of the revenue derived from the contribution, at a much higher percentage than when monetizing a video on YouTube.

Under this premise, many creators from different fields began to broadcast their content live, causing Twitch to open up to a wider audience. Although the platform is known for its gamer content, nowadays it is possible to find channels with very diverse themes.  Similarly, it is common for the platforms themselves to reach agreements with creators with a greater volume of viewers to guarantee their permanence and the exclusivity of their broadcasts. This, in turn, has encouraged the creation of very loyal and lucrative communities, which support their favourite creators on a monthly basis with their subscription fee.

A new type of audience for the media

Why are the users of these platforms, usually young people, willing to pay for entertainment that they can access for free and yet resist paying for information offered by media? Why is not possible to create a “Netflix” of news – such as Apple’s attempt  from where media such as the New York Times are already exiting?

The simplest answer is that the audience does not pay for the content as such, but for the feeling of belonging to a community. The key to the success of these platforms lies in making monetization a way to interact. Users empathize with the creators, better understand their work, the difficulty of carrying it out and want to have a space where they can relate to them within that context.

A few days ago, Francisco Rouco de Xataca detailed in an article all the subscription models used by the Spanish press. In spite of the different proposals and prices, he highlights how most of them limit themselves to putting up a wall of payment for content that, until recently, would have been free under the advertising model. If the future of journalism is about subscription, we must think about what the new audience will demand and for what they are willing to pay. We are moving towards a more participatory model, where the subscriber wants a personalized experience and direct communication channels with the source of the information.

The value of journalism has historically been in the ability to convey information, to give relevance to facts, to provoke change and, at present, to do so immediately. It is our job to find out what value to bring to the audience in this new normality and to legitimize it with its economic support.

Image: Nicolas LB / Unsplash

La entrada The generation that pays for online content se publicó primero en Agencia comma.