What are your predictions for media trends in 2024
As we wrap one year and prepare to greet another, I am reflecting on what be the defining trends in media for 2024. What follows are a few of my predictions, and I’m curious to know yours. Read on and then shoot me an email and let me know what you’d add to this list.
- Email Marketing Will Continue to Be Important for Nonprofits and Corporate Brands. Email marketing is an important way to disseminate information, move your audience to action, and increase organizational support. While a lot of us tend to think of communications as involving what we say to traditional media, communications also entail how we converse with our various audiences. Media is one audience, but our staff and board, members or partners, colleagues, funders, prospective funders, etc. are audiences as well. As the media contracts, it will be more important than ever to build a solid email marketing program that can reach your various audiences.
- There will be More Pressure to Invest in Paid Posts and Content. Given newsroom cuts, and racism in media, it will be important to continue to think strategically about how you share your work with the world or how you mobilize people around an important cause. Many outlets will struggle to bring us the information we need because they simply do not have the staff. Sure, media outlets will cover breaking news stories, but it will take more to push an issue to be in the “breaking news” category. More media entities will rely on third party content, and some will want you to pay to have it placed. For instance, many blogs and influencer accounts will promote your content or your posts, if you pay them. And this is not always a bad thing. For instance, if you have a message that you want to reach pop culture, you may want to do targeted posts on sites that engage pop culture audiences. Paid posts and content will continue to be a strategy brands select to get their message in front of diverse audiences.
- AI will continue to influence how we collect, share and disseminate information. In 2024, AI will continue its expansion. There is no way to avoid this, and I’m not sure we can or should opt out. AI is already being integrated in platforms we have long relied to carry out our work, such as the media monitoring software Meltwater. Even software such as Salesforce, Constant Contact, Zoom and more are incorporating AI. But savvy brands will think about how to ethically adopt AI in ways that help them share their message and communicate more effectively.
I know the media landscape is changing. And I know it is important as ever to garner public attention. Media coverage and public exposure can influence your ability to raise funds and also help you stand out in a crowded landscape. To garner coverage, you will want to be strategic and intentional. Follow these trends to ensure you get the spotlight you deserve.