On TikTok, USA Today Finds Traction Without News

For USA Today parent company Gannett, social media success has little to do with the news.

Two of its editorial franchises, Humankind and Problem Solved, have seen growth in their social reach across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, where the brands have prioritized vertical video formats. There, the media company has used the viewership to generate advertising revenue and build awareness of the USA Today brand.

Humankind, which amplifies feel-good stories, has 4.2 million followers on TikTok—more than CNN, The Washington Post, Disney and Nike—and added 600,000 followers in 2022. Problem Solved, which offers life hacks aimed at younger audiences, has 1.2 million followers on the platform after gaining 440,000 last year. 

An internal Gannett team of roughly 55 staff, called Content Ventures, runs the accounts, as well as a portfolio of other brands, such as the affiliate marketing business Reviewed. Gannett created Content Ventures in 2018, and the division brought Humankind and Problem Solved to TikTok in 2020.

“We realized this content did well on Facebook, but it was challenging to get it out consistently on the core USA Today social platforms,” said Russell Torres, the vice president of video content. “So we broke it out into its own brand, into a space where there is no news, and we have seen tremendous growth since.”

The media company monetizes the reach of these franchises through video ads on Gannett sites (45%), on-platform revenue shares (25%), roughly eight to 12 annual video sponsorships (20%) and its connected television channels (5%), among other sources of revenue (5%), according to Kate Gutman, the senior vice president of Content Ventures.

The company wouldn’t share the total revenue generated by the franchises, although sponsorship packages can net multimillion-dollar payouts. 

Publishers have scrambled to reorient their editorial strategies to foreground vertical video, whose highly engaging nature has inspired its adoption across the digital ecosystem. But monetization has lagged behind adoption, and Gannett is already facing acute financial pressure. 

Its operating revenue fell 8% in 2022, to $2.9 billion, and debt the company accrued following its 2019 merger with GateHouse has forced the news organization to cut its workforce dramatically from 21,255 in 2019 to 11,200 last year.

Avoid news to focus on positivity

The two franchises—along with a third launched last fall called Sports Seriously—rarely, if ever, feature news content.

Humankind, along with permutations including Animalkind, Womankind and Militarykind, follows a classic formula: aggregating feel-good videos, which can become viral sensations on TikTok and attract tens of millions of views. 

Humankind also thrives on YouTube, which has incentivized creators to use its Shorts product by amplifying its visibility, as well as Instagram.

Likewise, Problem Solved brings a proven formula to a new platform, meeting the needs of younger users navigating the challenges of everyday life.

“News and information are core to USA Today,” said executive director of video content Cathy Kononetz. “Kind speaks to good news, and Problem Solved offers service journalism.”

Expanding deal size and improving brand awareness

The franchises offer a blend of entertainment and service journalism, and their explosive growth has helped introduce young audiences to the USA Today brand, at least obliquely.

They also drive traffic to the USA Today website, which hosts dedicated verticals for the franchises and their various spin-offs, although the publisher wouldn’t share specifics.

Primarily, though, the franchises let the Gannett direct sales team offer vastly more eyeballs to advertisers, combining the views driven by Humankind and Problem Solved on social media, the USA Today website and CTV channels. 

“These multi-video assets have been appealing because they allow for quick, robust storytelling like never before across the social space,” said Jessica Dooley, the U.S. social practice lead at Mindshare.

Recent sponsorship clients include Amtrak, which ran a branded campaign against Problem Solved, and Ultimate Kronos Group, which sponsored the editorial franchise Women of the Year, including a series of Womankind videos.

And thanks to cross-promotion, the Content Ventures team now has a total of 15 brands across the major social platforms. 

The feel-good content makes the franchises an attractive, brand-safe proposition for advertisers, and the reach gives Gannett a valuable asset when pitching to clients. 

“We have some advertisers that return to us year in and year out just for these franchises, and that is terrific,” Gutman said. “They have become yet another tool for our sales team.”