How BBC News gained 20m followers on Instagram (and why it isn't on TikTok) PLUS What The Atlantic learned in studying reader habits for two years

January 20, 2022

A bumper crop of smart social and audience insights practice today. One invaluable set of skills that I learned during my master's degree in innovation management and leadership was how to set priorities. And the articles highlighted today show how top tier broadcasters and publishers do that by knowing themselves and knowing their audiences.

The Press Gazette has an excellent interview and deep dive on how BBC News became the most followed news brand on Instagram with 20m followers. One thing that stands out is how the BBC knows who it is. Its social media output is based on its identity as a trusted news brand, and its choices are grounded in that identity, even the decision not to be on TikTok, despite that platform's meteoric growth.

Next up is from Emily Goligoski, the executive director of audience research at The Atlantic. If there is one thing in my journey from editorial to product management that I've come to value, it is smart audience research, including the kind of qualitative research that Emily highlights. Deeply knowing your audiences' needs is the ultimate north star in being able to set priorities. They did surveys and interviews with their subscribers and also people who listen to their podcasts. I love the questions that they were asking:

  • Why do people seek out The Atlantic?

  • What do they get out of the time they spend with us?

In addition to those two great pieces you might want to spend some time with, Nieman Lab looks at how newsrooms including NPR are experimenting with Twitter Spaces. How local news ecosystems are starting to build back local coverage in the US. The rise of Facebook in Africa. Instagram tests creator subscriptions in the US and more.

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Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

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