The media world is going through a massive transition right now, and it’s generally accepted that “going niche” is the correct strategy of the moment. But I don’t hear much about actually executing on that strategy — particularly answer the question of how you grow if search and social are no longer great drivers. I have a some ideas on how AI might help a niche brand reach new audiences with the power of explaining and rewriting, something large language models do fairly well.
Before I get to that, two quick reminders:
The Media Copilot’s next meetup is happening tomorrow: Tuesday, July 16 in NYC. Full details below, but head on over to the event page to secure your spot, and get ready for a fun evening of AI discussion.
I’ll be talking to Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of no-code AI platform MindStudio, this afternoon (Monday) at 3 p.m. Eastern Time to attack the question: Are we in an AI bubble? A few people seem to think so. Come join us on LinkedIn Live if you can.
An AI-Powered Growth Strategy
For the media, this is the era of going niche. Search engines and social networks are no longer a viable path to build large audiences, if they ever were. Pursuing “scale” — big audience numbers of largely anonymous people — simply isn’t a tenable strategy anymore, at least for most publications. Better to key in on a specific area and serve a smaller audience extremely well rather than try to be everything to everyone.
That’s the conventional wisdom for media in 2024, and while it’s certainly true, it leaves unanswered the awkward question of how publications can continue to reach new audiences. After all, even specialized publications need to grow and find new readers, somewhere. How do you do that when Google is now hoovering up your articles for its own Overviews, and Facebook, X et al. have little interest in sending users outside of their platforms?
AI might be able to help. Yes, I know. I write about and teach AI for a living, and when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Not to mention the hype — right now, AI is the shiniest hammer in everyone’s toolbox. There’s good reason to be skeptical: The weaknesses of AI (hallucinations, data privacy, soulless writing) have led to a relatively slow adoption curve for the media, which might be an indicator of a wider AI bubble.
Join The Media Copilot in NYC Tuesday Night!
The Media Copilot is pleased to announce a partnership with Othership, a new event space in New York. It’s also the location of our next meetup, happening Tuesday, where several in the media will share how they’re using AI in their work in the facility’s tea room — after experiencing the sauna and (optional) cold plunge. This is a very unusual and unique opportunity to visit a brand new facility in the heart of the Flatiron district in New York City.
The event is limited to 25 people, but you can still get on the wait list. Keep in mind you’ll need to bring a swimsuit, but towels will be provided, and you can cover up with whatever you bring. It’s sure to be a wild opportunity to network and talk about how we use AI on the daily.
Where: Flatiron | 23 W 20th St, New York, NY
When: Tuesday July 16 | 7:30 – 9:30 PM
What to bring: A bathing suit and water bottle
What to expect: A guided sauna to sweat, ice bath to drop-in, followed by some networking in the tea room in a non-judgmental space.
That said, adoption is hardly nil, and AI is broadly starting to take on some rote tasks in content production — the “low-hanging fruit” that’s usually about boosting efficiency in a newsroom or content operation. Using AI to write SEO headlines or social copy, help with research, or automate certain workflows are all becoming increasingly common.
The whole idea of course is for the organization to get leaner while freeing up writers, reporters, and editors to tell deeper stories, and more of them. That can do wonders for a niche strategy, ideally leading to more engagement with your loyal readers.
But what about new readers? Besides making a newsroom more efficient, are there ways AI could be applied to better reach audiences that don’t already know about your publication? And can you do it in a way that the publisher controls?
AI as Your ‘Explainer’ Assistant
A huge problem that arises when you “go deep” on a topic is how impenetrable that topic becomes to anyone just getting there. When I worked at CoinDesk, this was a massive area of concern. As a publication focused on crypto and how it intersects with finance, CoinDesk had an accessibility problem: While its content was essential to anyone in the crypto world, it often left “normies” cold — even those who were interested in the topics they were writing about.
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