Slides by Ousama Itani for newsrewired on 20 July

1. WHAT LIFE MEANS
IN SOCIAL STREAMS
survival and growth by shifting the platform strategy
Ousama Itani
@itanio on social
about.me/ousama

2. • in line with our network’s strategic vision
• to oversee development of all digital products, services,
and platforms
• headed by Executive Director Dr. Yaser Bishr
• division responsibilities include creation and incubation
of new digital channels, of which AJ+ is the most
prominent example
• more to come…
Newly formed Digital division
Ousama Itani
@itanio on social
about.me/ousama

3. AJ+ IS
• DIGITAL, DISTRIBUTED CONTENT
• A NEW SORT OF MEDIA OUTLET
• NEWS MADE FOR WHERE YOU ARE
• REAL TIME / CONTEXT / STORIES
• NOT A WEBSITE
• BIG ON FACEBOOK (at the moment)
AJ+ IN BRIEF

4. IMPACT AND GROWTH
• In the 2 years since launch of AJ+ English:
– ~5 billion video views
– 5.7 million FB page likes
• AJ+ Arabic and AJ+ Español: each >100M views
• Early adopter in live for social: Periscope and FB in 2015
• 2 Webby Awards (2016), 2015 Nomination
• Shorty Award (2016)
• SND Finalist in 2015
and 2016

5. In our initial internal product design, we set out that
AJ+ will live in your social stream
yet we were aware that
algorithms impact audience growth
and we identified a need for
unique experiences for connected users

7. • Built on a cards and stacks experience
• Multiple cards representing different
elements of engagement
– Quiz / Conversation / Debate / Video / Info
– each a major element of successful apps
– more compelling than just opening an app to
watch videos otherwise available on YT/FB
• Meaningful new engagement
THE AJ+ APP

8. Early on, we had
exponential growth on social
and this growth was
unexpected, but welcome.
At the end of the day
AJ+ was still about the message
which is to say
TRUTH MUST BE SPOKEN TO POWER.
THE STORIES THAT MATTER MUST BE HEARD.
WHAT HAPPENED

9. We “fail fast, fail often,” thus we pivoted AJ+
and shifted our platform strategy to social
deciding the content would primarily
live decentralized in the social stream.
But it would only work if
content was restyled and adapted.
By tracking performance and tweaking the length, wording, format, etc.
we reach the audiences and the platforms,
and shift to what can work for more growth.
SHIFTING STRATEGY

10. There’s value in investing
in innovative engagement
Consumption targets may have changed, but the original strategy
still has lessons to teach us.
Platform changes may
appear at any moment

11. Custom experiences and apps
work for core loyal audiences
Consumption targets may have changed, but the original strategy
still has lessons to teach us.
Work for a better position by first
growing your audience and brand

12. AJ+ IS
• Agility and continued deep analytics tracking
• Ready for platform trends or new policies
• Platforms with more control, clear algorithms
• Experimentation with new content types
• Potential new app releases and experiences
• Continued growth and impact
LOOKING AHEAD

13. So what does it really mean
when content lives in social streams?
Prioritize optimization
over innovation
(until your audience knows who you are.)

14. WHAT LIFE MEANS
IN SOCIAL STREAMS
survival and growth by shifting the platform strategy
Ousama Itani
@itanio on social
about.me/ousama