Publishers can stay relevant and drive revenue by borrowing from the influencer playbook—meeting audiences where they are, leaning into storytelling, and building trust-driven partnerships.
Legacy publishers still preside over successful content empires. For instance, The New York Times is still growing its ad and subscription revenue.
However, many legacy publishers don’t have a ubiquitous hold on consumers’ attention the way they used to, especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences.
For a growing share of consumers of all ages, social media and influencers are their primary sources of news and entertainment. And social platforms, which once were indispensable referral sources for news sites, are no longer reliably sharing traffic as they look to keep users engaged on their platforms.
Audiences’ growing preference for social media is why influencers hold so much social capital now. Consider Mariah Carey recently appearing on Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream to promote her new album. Mariah is obviously a musical icon – but her popularity is mainly cemented among Millennial and older audiences. So she needs a popular streamer’s platform to ensure she stays relevant for younger generations. (Outside of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” season, that is.)
Legacy publishers should take a cue from Mariah and Kai.
Publishers that are evolving with the times are in the best position to sustain and build a successful media company. You have to think like an influencer, as Jared Collett, senior director of ad operations at Major League Fishing, said at Sell Side Summit Nashville.
Of course, publishers have their own social media accounts they use for content sharing, brand awareness and advertiser partnerships. But are they fully leaning into the new digital media playbook?
How Influencers Are Influencing Publishers
Impact Media is one media brand blending legacy media standards with the modern influencer style. CEO Tim Chau and CCO Michelle Andrews co-founded the social-first media company in 2020. But Chau started their publishing career in the influencer sphere, launching a One Direction fan page when they were 13.
Now they run a media brand for and by Gen Z that covers verticals such as fashion, culture, finance, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change and reproductive rights.
Impact Media publishes its content in a digestible format that feels native to social channels. And this format is consistent whether it’s covering hard news or entertainment.
For example, a recent story about the possibility of Florida becoming the first state to end all vaccine mandates and a review of Dylan O’Brien’s new film “Twinless” both take the form of carousel-style posts on Impact’s Instagram account. These carousels include a mix of static graphics, text and video.
Impact doesn’t wait for audiences to come to the homepage; it goes straight to Meta platforms like Instagram, where its audience already lives. That strategy shapes how it grows and monetizes its audience.
The company now has over 55 million monthly unique viewers and more than 3 million followers across Meta platforms. Its posts average over 5.4K shares, 37K likes and 350 comments. These engagement rates regularly surpass traditional outlets like Vox, NPR and The Washington Post.
On the revenue side, Impact leans heavily into branded content tailored for social. Instead of static advertorials or banner ads, it works with partners like Samsung, Hinge, Strava and Beyond Meat to turn white papers, campaigns or cultural moments into visually engaging posts.
“Advertisers want to tell stories,” said Chau, “but the traditional formats don’t resonate with Gen Z. We translate their message into something that feels native to our platforms—carousels, video and mixed-media pieces that our audience actually wants to consume.”
Andrews added that the company’s creative strategy borrows directly from the influencer playbook, mixing raw, first-person content and man-on-the-street videos, as seen in its new series “Save or Shred,” with more polished productions.
Like many legacy publishers, Impact is very keen to share audience insights with its advertiser partners. It runs regular surveys to gauge sentiment around categories like sustainability, fashion and wellness. With 80% of its audience being women and 90% under 30, it can offer brands a highly targeted cohort of in-demand users. And Impact can extend its audience reach with Meta’s ad tools when needed.
And while its core is social, Impact has layered in an email newsletter for superfans. The newsletter gives Impact first-party data via email logins—not to mention a tighter connection with its most engaged readers. It has 21K subscribers with a 57% open rate.
Turning Influence Into An Ad Ops Advantage
But how does the influencer playbook translate into a successful ad business?
The real work, according to Major League Fishing’s Collett, is creating a narrative: communicating audience alignment and brand integrity in ways that resonate with buyers.
It’s about finding creative ways of sharing audience information that’s not just about ad targeting, but also storytelling, said Collett. Metrics are fine, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Case in point: When a brand partner wants to expand its reach, Major League Fishing pairs the brand with professional fishermen who already have credibility and a connection with fans.
Sometimes that means posting funny videos of influencers and pro anglers riding lawn mowers, Collett said. Other times, he added, more serious storytelling is required, but always anchored by personalities the audience trusts.
Plus, distribution shouldn’t be limited to a single channel. Major League Fishing shares the content across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and its website. Then it measures these campaigns for impact.
Collett described Major League Fishing’s measurement strategy as a full-circle system. It tags content across platforms, collects engagement data on its site and social channels and then uses retargeting to reconnect with those audiences wherever they are. By tracking engagement and building retargeting loops, the publisher delivers measurable value for its brand partners.
This strategy contributed to some recent wins, Collett said. One brand he declined to name recently renewed its commitment after a successful campaign, while its competitor was so impressed by its market share gains that it doubled its spend with Major League Fishing.
In other words, publishers don’t need to become TikTok stars to act like influencers. You already have the talent, the audience trust and the platform required to execute a successful strategy.