As tech startups increasingly rely on social media and direct-to-consumer channels to reach their audiences, the role of traditional journalism seems to be diminishing. But bypassing the media is a strategic oversight. Traditional media outlets remain a valuable platform for tech startups to reach wider audiences and establish credibility.
The media have changed beyond recognition since the turn of the millennium—and continue to do so. There is an endless appetite for new content that pushes the juiciest narratives. And where once “the media” referred mostly to outfits of trained journalists working to get the biggest scoops, the term now encompasses podcasts, blogs and the many social media platforms that increasingly deliver the news to people around the world.
Where a relatively small coterie of gatekeepers once had the power to curate “the news,” today anyone, anywhere, can put their message out. The grassroots power of social media can have tremendous …