Field Notes: Reaching People Organically
The question we’re wrestling with.
How do we create serendipitous discovery in a post-platform world where people don’t seek out news, and still reach them with useful information?
Why it matters.
With news feeds fading and platforms deprioritizing journalism, vital information is going unseen, weakening people's ability to act on health, safety, and civic decisions.
Meanwhile, AI agents and chatbots are becoming people's first point of contact for information, but they're trained on content that's already biased toward what's popular, not what's possibly new, controversial and vital.
How do we get quality journalism in front of human eyes when algorithms, AI intermediaries (and possibly governments) stand between us and people?
What we’re trying.
In a project we are working on right now, we began by mapping out the physical and digital lives (off- vs. on-device) of those we are trying to reach. We looked for daily touch points that led us to some new and unconventional channels.
In addition to digital spaces like messaging and utility apps, map apps, and online ads, we are also trying to reach blue-collar workers living in factory dormitories in these ways:
- QR codes in public spaces like restaurants and canteens,
- LED or sticker ads in elevators and on taxi screens,
- And some really unusual community pathways like messages printed on toilet paper (finally, a captive audience with nowhere else to look).
We can then calculate the ROI of each of them in terms of discovery.
Five questions for you.
- Where do you find inspiration for future discovery of journalism?
- Where do you find people when they're not looking for you?
- Which non-news platforms still have untapped potential for journalism distribution?
- How do you embed news in tools people already use daily?
- How do you build habit without a home base that offers reliable organic SEO/social reach?
We'd love to hear from you on these questions - especially if you have answers or ideas - or anything else, like feedback on this new format we're trying.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch at hello@gazzetta.xyz.