(This is a curated version of Raghav Bahl's article in technology news and information website TechCrunch)
As publications contend with falling revenue and smaller newsrooms, there is a gradual shift from print to the digital space, writes Raghav Bahl, founder of Quintillion Media. While optimistic about the industry's survival, he points out that the media must ‘relearn their trade from the ground up' in the digital age.Monetised social media content, Bahl says, is only going to strengthen publications in the near future.
However,the digital format is not without its own set of challenges. Audiences are less likely to seek out a single news outlet, preferring to go through social media websites instead. This has led organisations to move towards video stories, photo essays and FAQs are being adopted by various online platforms to draw consumers to them. This has also led to the phenomenon we know and call ‘clickbait' - content geared to lure the reader with the promise of interesting content. But Bahl believes neither suggests a decline in quality standards.
Along with the intensely crowded clickbait and popular quickie-content market, we will continue to see serious, quality journalism.Raghav Bahl, Founder, Quintillion Media
While the sheer volume of options available means that the ideal consumer is distracted and drawn away from one's content, it also means that they are also drawn closer to it.
On whether the digital age could wipe out long-form journalism, Bahl disagrees. He calls the millenials “voracious readers”, implying that long-form is just as relevant to this transition to the digital space in the media. Conversely, Bahl suggests:
This is good news for journalists and publishers, as advertisers will once again value long-form content, and will likely pay more for content that drives more leads. Branded and native ad content can be seamlessly interwoven with quality journalistic content — through words, sound and moving pictures — and delivered on a nonlinear mobile platform.Raghav Bahl, Founder, Quintillion Media
Read the full article on TechCrunch.
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