Strategies to replace falling social media referrals focus of new INMA report

DALLAS (25 September 2025) - How news media companies are pivoting in the face of declining social media referrals is the focus of a new report released today by the International News Media Association (INMA).

"As Social Referrals End, News Companies Pivot," delves into building a post-platform audience funnel, which includes rethinking reach, use of paywalls, and whether or not social traffic still has a place.

Click here to download the report

Written by Paula Felps, editor of INMA's Ideas Blog, the report zeroes in on how news companies are replacing the social referrals they've relied on in the past to build direct audience relationships and differently use social platforms. In the report, Felps discusses the challenge news media companies are facing as platforms like Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram have deprioritised external links.

Combined with the rise of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google's Search Generative Experience, Felps posits, traditional referral models are disappearing. And by offering concise answers within the search interface, often without links, they are changing how audiences consume information.

Per the report, news publishers must start rethinking the classic "discovery to conversion" funnel."As Social Referrals End, News Companies Pivot" dives into this rethinking, identifying the three primary ways publishers are executing the new strategy:

• Building habit
• Prioritising paywalls
• Using social media differently

Case studies from The Wall Street Journal, Stuff, Village Media, and Condé Nast show how they're adjusting to reality beyond social referrals and leveraging new tools to build relationships with readers.

"As Social Referrals End, News Companies Pivot" is available for free to INMA members and for purchase by non-members at INMA.org/reports.

About International News Media Association (INMA)

The International News Media Association (INMA) is a global community of market-leading news media companies reinventing how they engage audiences and grow revenue in a multiplatform environment. The INMA community consists of more than 23,000 members at 1,000+ news media companies in 100+ countries, representing tens of thousands of news brands. INMA is the news media industry's foremost ideas-sharing network with members connected via conferences, reports, Webinars, virtual meetings, awards competitions, and an unparalleled archive of best practices. Its initiatives focus on reader revenue, advertising, product & tech, generative AI, newsroom transformation, and the publisher relationship with tech platforms. ###