Completed by the social media take over, journalists are now their own PR firms. To be successful, it is up to them to promote their work and engage with their readers.

  Twitter has become so popular as a news deciminator. It is now essential for a journalist to have a Twitter profile. A social media presence is just as essential as having a computer to type on. Without social media and self promotion, your work will be buried in the depths of the internet. 

  According to the Pew Research Center, 55% of US adults get their news from social media “often” or “sometimes”. Over half of America gets news from social media. 

  In order for a journalist to get clicks and an audience, they must be on social media, promoting their work and engaging with users (their audience). Newspaper readership and subscription is down dramatically, online subscription and clicks have replaced the old. 

  The best writers have large following and interact with their readers. 

  Take sports writers. Almost all of them are on Twitter, tweeting links to their articles, commenting on current topics, and answering questions. If they were to just post an article and do nothing with it, they would get low traffic and it would wallow in the depths of the internet. 

  It also puts a face and personality to the work. By constantly seeing them engage with users and reading their work, you are able to see them in a different way and see their personality. 

  Twitter has also become the place to report news, especially in sports. The top news breakers like Adam Schefter, Ian Rappaport, and Adrian Woj have millions of followers. 

  They have worked hard to promote themselves and gain attention for their work. They didn’t just get millions of followers on a whim. 

  If it weren’t for social media, I would know so much less about topics I’m interested in. I would have no way of finding these writers, and if I did they would just be words on a page. By them being their own promoters, you see their personalities and opinions shine through their work.

  In the year 2020, it is essential work to be online, promoting and engaging with people. If not, you will be a nobody.

  The results are noticeable even on a micro level. When the Voyager promotes work in various online places like Twitter and Facebook, story views are way up. When an article is posted with no promotion it garners very little attention and sinks to the bottom of the page without much viewership.