[SXSW] How CNN Media, ESPN, and NowThis are Staying Relevant & In Your Face

So, you just put together a great new article, polished the last few pixels on your infographic, or spliced together the perfect viral video - now what? Panelists P Kim Bui, Ashley Codian, Justin Ellis, and Versha Sharma spoke to a packed room at SXSW about the ways in which their companies create and distribute content on social media.

To date, news content has been consumed internally through a media company’s networks. Owing to a recent shift in the role of social media on content discovery, big publishers have recognized the need to modify their content to be created and formatted for native discovery on major platforms - take, for example, your Facebook Instant, Google AMP, or Medium's new publisher platform.

And the biggest outlets of all are joining the fray: CNN, NowThis, ESPN, and Reported.ly are all digging into what the future of media looks like, and as panelists, spoke of the ways that content is distributed through social media platforms. The ramifications of this are immense: a sea-change in the way media companies produce and distribute their content. And for publishers creating even incredible content, it's adapt or get swept away.

Getting Video in Front of the Right Eyes

How are top publishers sharing video content? Let’s look at some key notes from the panelists.

NowThis is focused on creating short format videos to share what is happening in the news. It is critically important to capture attention for 3 to 5 seconds and actively work to hold attention for at least 1 minute 30 seconds. Gary Vaynerchuk speaks of this in his book Jab Jab Right Hook.

Videos often open with text based introductions that establish the purpose of the video and lock in the viewer - think extra-large subtitles. This 3-5 second hook allows publishers to quickly capture and keep attention. With the opening of video on a Facebook stream, which auto-play as you scroll past them, audio will not kick in until the viewer clicks on the video. This 3 second hook is critical to establishing a meaningful view, but you must do it without using audio as a crutch.

Content for NowThis is published directly onto their Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and application. In addition, certain brands form partnerships with Facebook that allows them to monetize the videos through advertisements, similar to the way YouTube partnerships work.

The Medium May Be the Message

All of the publishers recognized Snapchat, Snapchat Discover, and Facebook Live Video as a key player in their social media strategies. Both CNN and NowThis are increasing their value as news outlets by coming to where the viewers are, rather than trying to pull viewers to them. This unique way of approaching distribution gives brands direct access to a younger audience through curated content.

These new platforms have a different look and feel than traditional television-produced content. Publishers must create content quickly, formatted in mobile and produced for an optimum second-screen experience.

In addition to recorded content, networks are moving to video live streaming through Facebook Live and tools like Periscope. They have seen a tremendous impact in their organic reach by using this tool.

So, what’s next? All four panelists felt as though messaging is the next network to help push content - and companies like Quartz are already on board. Built in notifications allow media companies to connect directly with viewers, whether for stock reports, breaking news, or targeted stories. Such direct notifications will allow for 1-on-1 social interaction with customers, especially with the advent of bots through platforms like Slack.