How news media companies are pivoting in the face of declining social media referrals is the focus of a new report released today by INMA.

As Social Referrals End, News Companies Pivot, delves into building a post-platform audience funnel, which includes rethinking reach, use of paywalls, and whether or not social traffic still has a place.

Written by Paula Felps, editor of INMA’s Ideas Blog, the report zeroes in on how news companies are replacing the social referrals they’ve relied on in the past to build direct audience relationships and differently use social platforms. 

In the report, Felps discusses the challenge news media companies are facing as platforms like Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram have deprioritised external links. 

Combined with the rise of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s Search Generative Experience, Felps posits, traditional referral models are disappearing. And by offering concise answers within the search interface, often without links, they are changing how audiences consume information. 

Per the report, news publishers must start rethinking the classic “discovery to conversion” funnel. As Social Referrals End, News Companies Pivot dives into this rethinking, identifying the three primary ways publishers are executing the new strategy: 

• Building habit.
• Prioritising paywalls.
• Using social media differently.

Case studies from The Wall Street Journal, Stuff, Village Media, and Condé Nast show how they’re adjusting to reality beyond social referrals and leveraging new tools to build relationships with readers.

As Social Referrals End, News Companies Pivot and its companion report from earlier this year, As Search Ends for News, Here Is What’s Next, are available for free to INMA members and for purchase by non-members at INMA.org/reports.

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