RJI Fellow

Push notifications can help move publishers away from heavy reliance on Facebook

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As she seeks to rely on Facebook less with its algorithms changing and impacting outbound links and referrals, Krystal Knapp, Planet Princeton publisher and editor, says push notifications have been a way to directly reach readers where they are. They also have allowed the hyperlocal publisher to stay competitive with other local entities also pushing content out.

But many small hyperlocal publishers aren't taking advantage of this technology, says Knapp. She discovered this after studying 500 of these sites. As a hyperlocal publisher, who has benefitted from this technology, she wants to help other publishers take advantage of push notifications. She plans to create a guide for small, independent publishers that will highlight why they should be using push notifications during a 2019-20 fellowship at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Knapp will identify best practices and detail how notifications can fit into an overall strategy for audience development for the guide that complements other distribution methods such as email newsletters, social media, instant messaging and voice search tools.

Read more from the Donald W. Reynolds Institute

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