December 20, 2024
Welcome to The L@B Report
Welcome to this month’s issue of The L@B Report from GSG, bringing you news and insights from the intersection of digital media and public affairs. In this issue, we’re doing something different to close out the year – we’re highlighting the top three items from 2024 based on open rates, click rates, and interest from readers like you. See you in 2025!
This issue of the L@B Report was put together by Ryan Alexander.
In the News – 2024 Round Up
From June 2024:
The Return of the Home Page as a Primary Source of News
Social networks have become less reliable distributors of news
The New Yorker has a fascinating article out on how consumers of digital journalism are returning to news homepages as the primary source for information after social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and X have de-emphasized news in their algorithms over the course of the last several years. Meta’s algorithm changes in particular have been devastating to news organizations, such as BuzzFeed, which relied heavily on social platforms for traffic.
According to the report, The Verge homepage saw a 47% increase over the course of 2023 in repeat visits from “loyal users” (defined as those who have five or more sessions on the site in a calendar month). News outlet Semafor has also seen an increase in repeat homepage visitors, leading the outlet to shift its focus away from its newsletters to investing in Semafor’s website design. The New Yorker too has seen an increase in traffic and recently made a redesign to its homepage.
Takeaway
What is old is new again.
The return of the homepage has significant implications for how public affairs marketers approach media planning.
If the goal is to reach news-junkies and decisionmakers, one may want to consider supplementing paid social strategies with direct-placement opportunities on the homepages of major news websites or look at “white-listing” targeted news websites for programmatic display and video advertising.
The return of the homepage also has implications for non-profits and other organizations, which over the last several years largely moved away from investments in their websites and instead focused on getting content in front of key audiences on social. Savvy marketers should once again push organizations to make investments in their web presence – with a particular focus on making sure news and press releases are front and center on the homepage to give audiences a reason to check back frequently.
From July 2024:
LinkedIn Topples X as the Most Useful Social Media Platform for Public Relations Professionals
Only 10 percent of PR professionals report using X for outreach
LinkedIn has become the most useful social media platform for public relations professionals according to Muck Rack’s latest State of PR report.
Muck Rack surveyed 1,116 communications professionals from April 4 to May 10, 2024, and found that most planned to use LinkedIn as their preferred social media platform – more than X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok combined.
Takeaway
X has historically served as a key resource for both journalists and PR professionals – but that was before Elon Musk took over the platform and made major changes, including taking away blue check marks for verified sources, such as journalists.
According to the report from Muck Rack, only 10% report using X for outreach, below even phone calls and text messages, while 61% plan to increase their LinkedIn use.
Here at the L@B, we can confirm the shift to using LinkedIn to engage reporters – we’ve also seen success running targeted ad campaigns on the platform to reach them.
From November 2024:
Alternative Media Wins the 2024 Election
Both the Trump and Harris campaigns used podcasts and other forms of alternative media to reach key audiences
Lots of ink has been spilled on post-mortems from the 2024 election, but what caught our eye were articles on how both the Harris and Trump campaigns used alternative forms of media, and podcasts in particular, to reach key voting blocs.
One of the keys to President Trump’s victory was his performance with younger men, a historically low engagement group. Adweek details how Trump’s campaign reached them through a 3-hour interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which racked up 26 million views in 24 hours. Trump also did interviews with Instagram creators such as Jake Paul and tapped into Twitch, a video-streaming platform popular with gamers. The Washington Post has a similar article which dives deeper into Trump’s YouTube, Instagram, and meme strategies to reach young men. Trump also frequently appeared at UFC fights, WWE events, and college football games throughout the election.
For Vice President Kamala Harris to win the election, she needed to rack up huge margins with women voters – and she too attempted to reach this key voting bloc through alternative media. Most notably, Harris did a 40-minute interview on “Call Her Daddy,” which is a widely popular podcast hosted by Alex Cooper and has an estimated 5 million listeners according to POLITICO. Harris also hosted a town hall with Oprah Winfrey, and Harris’ campaign dramatically outspent Trump’s with advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Takeaway
At GSG, we’ve long advised clients that a diverse approach to paid and earned media is critical to reaching key audiences in an increasingly fragmented media consumption environment. This is especially true of younger audiences as Edison Research’s Infinite Dial Report shows that 59% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 34 were listening to podcasts in January 2024.
While President Trump won the election, we believe both campaigns were savvy in how they used alternative media and social media to reach key voting blocs. And perhaps by 2028, a presidential candidate will finally be brave enough go on Hot Ones.
For public affairs professionals conducting advocacy campaigns in 2025 and targeting the new Congress and its legislative agenda, efforts to reach constituents and policy influencers through alternative media – both paid and earned – should be a part of the strategy toolkit.
More from GSG
Big news as we round out the year – GSG has been shortlisted for PRWeek’s Outstanding Public Affairs Agency of the Year Award! This is a true reflection of our team’s dedication to shaping meaningful wins for our clients and partners.
