Content creators can teach us a lot | Help Desk Monthly
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Note from the editor
I’ve been thinking a lot about independent journalists and content creators since returning from ONA earlier this month. The annual conference was in Chicago and offered a number of sessions on entrepreneurship and creator journalism.
Some of the sessions were intended for more nimble independent journalists/creators, while other events were meant for traditional newsrooms navigating the shift. But all the sessions agreed about why the topic was important: Younger people aren’t getting their news through traditional methods.
In a packed room for a session called “Insights and Solutions: How Newsrooms Can Reach Young Audiences,” a great question came from the back of the room. I’ll paraphrase because the session wasn’t recorded and I didn’t write it all down fast enough.
The attendee pointed out it isn’t realistic to assume that reaching young audiences on TikTok or Instagram now would result in them suddenly deciding “when they hit 30” to begin consuming news like millennials and older generations do today. So, she asked, “How do we deal with that?”
The answer is traditional news outlets will need to change. And I don’t mean these institutions should do journalism differently. The fundamentals of journalism — accuracy, independence, fairness and accountability — will always be part of this work. But publishers will need to use new platforms and methods for communicating news to audiences to inform the public.
Right now, creator journalists are doing a great job engaging with younger audiences because of an authentic and flexible approach that meets younger audiences’ needs. These creators are ahead of the curve on strategies involving vertical video and livestreaming. And their delivery of news feels trustworthy. Traditional news outlets making the right moves to keep up are either learning from these creator models or figuring out how to work with the creators. (We’ll include more resources on this shift lower in the email.)
As I said in our inaugural Help Desk newsletter, change is constant. That will never stop being true. The most important thing you can do to stay relevant is talk to your audiences and keep trying to understand how and where to reach them.
If your newsroom has a success story about navigating change that other newsrooms can learn from, we’d love to hear from you. Pitch us a case study or another idea here.
Sincerely,
Leah Becerra, Product Director at News Media Help Desk
Now, some inspiration
Worried about AI scrapers and don’t know where to start? Here are five lessons for news publishers.
An AI-internet is the next big change in technology that news publishers need to adapt to in order to be sustainable.Text to TikTok in minutes: the AI tool helping Las Vegas Review-Journal produce short-form videos
Short-form vertical video is everywhere, but despite its brevity, it takes time and skill to produce. Genna can help expedite the process for publishers.Five new things I’ve learned from comparing AI and human-written headlines
YESEO creator Ryan Restivo has broken down thousands of headlines to see what words Large Language Models (LLMs) favor in headline writing.Inside Digital Trends’ selection of TollBit to help monitor AI traffic to its website
TollBit represents a low-risk experiment for news publishers with potentially significant upside.Getting started with Genna’s VidGen tool
Genna uses AI to help teams produce social-friendly video from published content efficiently.Getting started with Ghost’s digital publishing platform
Ghost is an easy and powerful entry ramp into digital publishing.Getting started with GiveButter for fundraising
GiveButter offers basic fundraising tools at no monthly cost, though it relies on donor tips or processing fees for revenue.Other resources worth your time
GIJN’s list of digital tools shared at NICAR 2026
Republished from the Global Investigative Journalism Network, this list showcases helpful tools that investigative journalists shared at NICAR in Indianapolis.See the tools at the Help Desk.
Saving local news also means saving the archives
Yes, the physical ones, but the digital archives, too. Because losing them means losing the only record many communities have of themselves.Read the article at poynter.org.
We heard you’ve been thinking about creator journalism. These links are worth your time:
Understanding creator journalism with Liz Kelly Nelson, founder of Project C
via International Journalists’ Network
Confused about content creators? Read this Q&A to get caught up on the terms, the people and the trends. (Go to the Q&A🔗)
Creator journalism isn’t a format — it’s a trust model
via Local Media Association
From the LMA Local News Summit in New York, 10 lessons from news creator on connecting with audiences. (Read to the article 🔗)
How a 50-year-old newsroom experimented with social media creators
via Influencer Journalism
This case study outlines how High Country News moved from a direct mail approach to working with TikTok Creators in order to reach new audiences. (Learn from the case study 🔗)
What content creators want newsrooms to know
via American Press Institute
Five lessons for newsrooms looking to build more effective partnerships with creators. (Go to the lessons 🔗)
New research reveals best practices for newsrooms on TikTok
via Reynolds Journalism Institute
“This is basically a guidebook for news organizations who want to really get into TikTok,” Kaia Tran says. Her guide provides strategies for story selection, engagement and navigating TikTok’s quirks. (See the insights 🔗)
Looking ahead 👀
Let us know if there’s a tool you love that we should look into or if your newsroom would be a good case study for a tool or strategy that’s working. Use our content idea pitch form.
Have a digital issue you need help navigating? We’d love to give you some support. Send us an email.
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