X makes overtures to journalists with new feature designed to improve reach for links

"For creators, a common complaint is that posts with links tend to get lower reach. This is because the web browser covers the post and people forget to Like or Reply. So X doesn't get a clear signal whether the content is any good. To help get better signal, posts will now collapse to the bottom of the page so people can react while you're reading. As always, remember: the post should stand alone as great content so write a solid caption."

"Bier added an appeal to a specific type of X user. "If you're a writer or journalist who left X in the last couple years," he tweeted, "coming back could be the biggest arbitrage opportunity of your career." X has discouraged posts with links, disproportionately promoted right-wing political content, and throttled access to some news sites in the past. Traffic referrals to news sites from X - though never huge - "cratered" in recent years."

"The Guardian, NPR, and Le Monde are among the news organizations that have quit the platform entirely. Some journalists, including a number who had reported on X owner Elon Musk, were suspended from the platform in 2022. Reporters and other link-sharing creators have often resorted to screenshots and a link to the original source in the reply to improve reach. Bier, however, denied links are "deboosted" and said that their relative lack of reach was due only to "lower engagement.""

X is testing a new iOS "link experience" that collapses posts with links to the bottom of the page so followers can react while browsing linked content. Creators report linked posts receive lower reach because the in-app web browser covers the post and users forget to Like or Reply, reducing engagement signals. Some creators have used screenshots or replies containing the link to boost reach. X has previously discouraged links, promoted right-wing content, and throttled some news sites, contributing to a decline in traffic referrals and several news organizations leaving the platform. X product leadership invited writers and journalists to return, calling it an arbitrage opportunity.

Read at Nieman Lab