News Stories for the younger generation

The Rise of 'Story Formats' in News Consumption

As tech giants increasingly deprioritize news content in their algorithms, news organizations face heightened challenges in reaching their audiences through traditional digital platforms. This shift has been punctuated by Meta's decision to shut down the news tab on Facebook and halt payments to Australian publishers for content, sparking concerns across the industry. These changes make it even more crucial for news outlets to adapt and find innovative ways to engage their audiences directly. Visual story formats, such as Instagram stories, have surged in popularity on social media, resonating particularly well with younger demographics. These formats offer a quick, engaging way to digest complex stories, compelling newsrooms to transform how they deliver content to capture and retain the attention of a visually-oriented audience.

Automadic's Solution

Here’s how we streamline the process of transforming your RSS feed data into Instagram-like stories, using automation:

• Step 1: Fetch Data - Our system automatically pulls content from your existing RSS feeds, ensuring you're working with the latest news updates.

• Step 2: Curate and Format - We pull data directly from RSS feeds and format it according to client specifications, such as truncating headlines to a maximum character length. While we can employ AI to condense lead news text into shorter headlines when necessary, our primary approach is to preserve the original content as closely as possible.

• Step 3: Visual Enhancement - Each story is created using ready-made templates that we fill with your specific content like text and images, along with your brand’s unique logos, colors, and fonts, ensuring everything looks consistent and on-brand.

• Step 4: Distribution - The final stories are ready for distribution not just on social media but directly on your news platform, seamlessly integrating into your existing digital ecosystem.

Example XML code used by Automadic to transform RSS feed data into dynamic Instagram-style news stories.

Automating Engagement with Story Formats

Automadic’s advanced automation technology enables the creation of multiple story-format videos from a single feed. For example, if your goal is to publish 50 different articles from your RSS feed daily, Automadic will generate all 50 separate news videos, each styled like an Instagram story, which you can then showcase on your news portal.

This capability ensures that every piece of content has the opportunity to engage viewers individually, enhancing both reach and engagement on your news platform.

Impact of Tech Giant Policies on Small Publishers

The sweeping policy shifts by tech giants pose significant challenges for smaller publishers, potentially reducing their visibility and undermining their financial foundations. Claire Stuchbery, the executive director of the Local and Independent News Association, voiced concerns about the sustainability of news organizations, especially local newsrooms that could be disproportionately affected by these changes. Against this backdrop, the story format emerges as a powerful tool to captivate audiences directly on news portals. Unlike traditional articles, these story formats—mimicking the popular Instagram story style—capture the audience's attention through dynamic visuals and concise content, making the news experience more interactive and engaging.

Conclusion

Automadic’s automation technology is a strategic solution for newsrooms facing the modern challenges of content production. Especially in a landscape where large tech companies are retreating from their former roles as news distributors. By automating the creation of content, such as Instagram-style stories, we help you not only meet the changing preferences of your audience but do so efficiently, allowing you to reallocate resources to other critical areas of your editorial practice.