How Social Media Posts Without Links Are Impacting Journalism
The way people consume news is evolving rapidly, and social media platforms are at the center of this transformation. A significant trend in this shift is the rise of linkless posts—content that prioritizes engagement within the platform over directing users to external sites. While this trend can boost user retention on social platforms, it’s creating seismic shifts for journalism, from traffic loss to changing content strategies. I’ve seen this firsthand running Nordoniahills.News for the past 10 years. Our strategy has been evolving over time, and now we post fewer links on social media as part of this change.
The Rise of Linkless Posts in Social Media
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Threads increasingly discourage outbound links in favor of native content. Algorithms on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn also tend to favor posts without links because they keep users engaged longer. In fact, LinkedIn encourages individuals to post entire articles on its platform so you will stay there.
For journalists and news publishers, this trend is altering traditional models of online visibility. Where once a headline and link drove readers to in-depth articles on external websites, publishers are now pressured to share complete stories—or highly engaging summaries—directly on social media.
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