Sonia Says: Social Media Coach, Marketing Consultant

If we want a better digital strategy in journalism, we need to redefine return on investment (ROI).

There’s a hard truth in digital journalism that we don’t talk about enough:

Social media isn’t designed to drive clicks — and it hasn’t been for a long time.
But that doesn’t mean social content has no ROI. In fact, the value is often bigger than the immediate click-through we obsess over.

Here’s the reality:

1️⃣ Algorithms suppress outbound links.

Platforms want people to stay in-app.
– Link posts get deprioritized.
– Even high-performing content rarely converts more than a small percentage.

So when we judge a social post solely by how many people clicked to a website, we’re evaluating the wrong thing.

2️⃣ But social media has a different and critical kind of ROI.

It builds:
– Brand recognition
– Familiarity with your reporters
– Trust in your newsroom
– Habit-forming behavior
– Audience loyalty well before breaking news happens

You probably won’t get someone to turn on their TV at 6 p.m. But when a major story breaks? They’ll remember the brand that stayed in their feed every other day.

That’s ROI.

3️⃣ And here’s what actually helps the click-through when it matters.

Influencers already understand this formula:
– Give enough information to be useful — people should feel informed after your video.
– Then use Stories or the comments to share the full link for those who want deeper reporting.

This is the funnel newsrooms often overlook: Provide value first → then invite the deeper click.

4️⃣ The balance journalists need right now:

Social shouldn’t be treated as a headline billboard pointing to the website. It should be treated as the top of the relationship funnel:

First: serve the audience

Then: build trust

Finally: earn the click when the story demands nuance, depth, or breaking updates

Clicks come from trust, not from pressure.

5️⃣ A shift in thinking newsrooms need to make:

Instead of asking: “How many clicks did this get?”

The better questions are:
– Did this build audience loyalty?
– Did this strengthen our brand presence?
– Did this make our reporters recognizable and credible?
– Did this prime our viewers to return during breaking news?

Because that is what turns a viral moment into sustained impact.

The bottom line:

Social media drives far more ROI through recognition, consistency, and trust than through immediate clicks. If we start treating social as a relationship-building ecosystem, instead of a traffic hose, we’ll make better content AND better connections with the communities we serve.

🤔 What do YOU think the real ROI of social should be for newsrooms today — clicks, loyalty, or something else entirely?