The Changing Face of Journalism & What it Means for Business

Filed in archive Business Tips on February 1, 2010

© Tom T


The war between newspapers and social media journalism has raged on every medium and bombards us daily. It doesn't matter where you get your news from, or even how you feel about the discussion, either way the split in journalism can be a boon for your business.

As traditional journalists become nervous about the future of their careers they will be more likely to jump on a big story (if you can find them). Also, it means that self-proclaimed journalists, or general social media addicts will report on anything they find interesting and make sure it gets spread around. So, if your business offers anything newsworthy, get the word out now.

Use social media and journalists to reach your perfect market. Whole sites dedicate themselves to "hyper-local" news. If you want to reach just your area or perhaps a particular niche, start there. If you want to reach the whole county, national news or well-followed social media gurus might get the word out better. It just depends on who your target audience is.

Check out HARO (Help A Reporter Out), as an addition way to find those down-on-their-luck journalists. They send emails three times a day with different topics that journalists need quotes on, either from consumers or experts. Take advantage of some free PR.

The point is, if you've got a story and it deserves attention, there's no better time than a journalism war to make sure everyone finds out about you.

What do you think about traditional news sources and their futures?