Even though Twitter looms large and remains a popular platform, there are indications that consumers are moving away from tweets and ‘news snacking’ and searching out more long-form articles.
While newsrooms and independent journalists never abandoned in-depth articles, there is growing support and demand for ‘slow news’ and long-form pieces. While such offerings may be more popular with consumers, they are looking for new ways to consume such pieces. We know that print copies of any sort are less popular, and while many consumers will subscribe to access content online, the real growth will be in text-to-audio versions of long-form content.
With more text-based content available in written and audio formats, we expect audio to gain larger market share, especially as such audio pieces become more personalized through AI. This hunch was backed up in a recent study released by Twipe that showed when format variety is offered (written, spoken, digital, print, etc.) users are more likely to subscribe.
Publishers and writers want to retain and grow their audiences. Including audio versions is a sure way to drive growth.