All the News That’s Fit to Post: HBBIP x NYT (HBBIP #114)

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For all our coverage of creator marketing here at HBBIP, we’re usually talking about social media—and by extension creators—as a tool for brands to get people to buy things. But what about social media and creators as tools to keep people informed?

And no, I don’t just mean ‘keep people informed about what they should buy.’ But also, I do sort of mean that.

What I’m getting at is this: at the same time that the creator economy has emerged as one of the most powerful mercantile networks planet earth has ever seen—move over, Silk Road! (no, not that one)—social media has cemented itself as the primary means by which billions of people all across the world learn about that world. Per Pew, 53% of U.S. adults get their news from social media “often” or “sometimes,” which means that a good amount of 47% of U.S. adults are liars. 

But it also means that media organizations, already facing a bleak outlook for survival, have to get with the times if they want to continue reaching new audiences.

As a consumer of news myself, both on social media and via traditional media, I’ve observed how this shift has affected the industry, from both the platform side and the side of the news organizations themselves. There’s one particular media organization whose response to this shift I’ve found especially interesting, precisely because it illustrates the distance between venerated, stodgy old media institutions and our new multi-platform reality, and the lengths that these institutions will go to in order to adapt.

In simpler terms: I think this story is pretty neat, and I hope you will, too.

The Top Brand Media Organization of All Time(s) (of the Week): The New York Times

That’s right: the Gray Lady is finally getting HBBIP coverage! After nearly 175 years, that’s how you know you’ve really made it.

The paper of record is gearing up for the age of creators. We’ll get to more on their strategy for doing so in a moment, but first, let’s set the stage by showing how mentions of the New York Times on social media have grown over the past several years.

The New York Times Creator Count, 2020 - 2025

Our data for the New York Times only goes back to 2022, but that’s long enough to see that the numbers of creators mentioning the news organization on social media have shifted upward in 2024, and will likely close 2025 at an even higher rate.

The New York Times Post Count, 2020 - 2025

As a result, the graph of the number of posts being generated about the New York Times across social media looks almost exactly the same. Always reassuring when numbers align, no? 

I’ll point out two things here: 

1. The New York Times’ post count is slightly lower in abbreviated-2025 than it was in 2022, where as the paper’s Jan-Oct 2025 creator count exceeds its total from 2022
2. We’re operating at a huge scale here. Over 15k creators and roughly 100k posts is a level that most brands, even top-tier brands, would dream of. So even if there’s more work to do, the New York Times can consider its social media presence pretty well saturated.

The New York Times EMV, 2020 - 2025

But then Earned Media Value (EMV) presents a completely different picture. Even if there are fewer creators and posts related to the New York Times in 2025 so far, those posts are generating greater viral buzz. Does this upward trend hold true for other performance metrics?

The New York Times Impressions, 2020 - 2025

Well, sort of. Impressions for the New York Times are up big, though flatlining slightly between 2024 and 2025, depending on how November and December play out. I do once again want to point out that we’re talking about 7 BILLION impressions here—in other words, content mentioning the New York Times is reaching nearly everyone on earth.

The New York Times Engagements, 2020 - 2025

However, while the New York Times will probably set a record for impressions in 2025, it looks like the ship has sailed for engagements. Is this discrepancy due to platform dynamics? 

In fact, what are the platform dynamics for this kind of content, anyway? Where do conversations about media play out on social media?

Before I get to that, remember that Pew data I mentioned earlier? Maybe it would be helpful to review that first, in order to see which social media platforms U.S. adults are using for news consumption more broadly.

News Consumption by Social Media Platform, 2020 - 2025, Pew Research

The top channels are indeed the big four, though in a different order than usual: Facebook and YouTube are on top, with Instagram and TikTok tied. Note, however, the dramatic 17% growth for TikTok over the last five years. YouTube, meanwhile, has also seen some healthy growth, while Instagram appears to be leveling off after a steady surge.

Share of Platform Users Who Get News on Each Platform, 2020 - 2025

But this was the graph that really opened my eyes. I think it's one of the most interesting and consequential infographics I’ve looked at this year, and I look at a lot of infographics! (Not to brag or anything.)

This chart is showing the share of each platform’s users who use that platform for news. Key takeaways: the trendline is up for YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, but not all trendlines are built equally. TikTok is absolutely blowing up as a news source, especially among 18-29 year olds. Keep in mind that Pew didn’t survey those under 18—if it had, I would expect these numbers to be even more skewed in TikTok and YouTube’s favor.

With all this mind, how does the New York Times’ share of social media hits break down? Where is its momentum coming from?

The New York Times Share of Impressions, November 2024 - October 2025

Well, there are our big four platforms, though once again they’re in a slightly different arrangement. YouTube dominates the New York Times’ share of impressions, with Instagram taking up a solid quarter. TikTok lags behind somewhat, though the platform still racks up a healthy 10% proportion.

The New York Times Share of Impressions, November 2024 - October 2025

When it comes to engagements, things are a lot more evenly split. YouTube still leads, but Instagram has increased its share significantly. TikTok ticks up a tad, as does Facebook, showing that YouTube might bring in the eyes, but plenty of platforms are bringing in the hearts.

Which brings us back to the New York Times’ social media strategy, which I alluded to at the top of this newsletter. How is the newspaper reaching the front page of social media? By emulating the structure of social media itself: more short-form content, more videos, more clips and headlines designed to be shared and spread far and wide.

That’s right: as widely reported across multiple outlets, journalists are becoming creators. If you can’t beat them—and sorry, traditional news media, but the numbers have spoken and you can’t—then copy them. By positioning journalists as trusted authorities with unique personalities and quirks, news outlets like the New York Times are hoping that the same enthusiasm and authenticity that sits at the heart of creator-led content will revive audiences’ media consumption habits. 

In other words, the New York Times is betting on people demanding more of Ross Douthat’s face. It’s a bold strategy, but let’s see how it plays out for them.

Jokes aside (sorry, Ross), this strategy makes a lot of sense to me. After all, media outlets aren’t just trying to inform people—they’re trying to drive subscriptions and make some money. And as the world has seen, creators are an unmatched force in driving subscriptions and making some money.

It’s a new strategy for a new world, and whatever you might think about it, I believe that it’s a savvy and necessary move not just for the New York Times, but for all media outlets. 

One thing I’ll be curious to see is whether the New York Times leans more heavily into TikTok. As the Pew data suggested, that’s where media consumption is headed, and as the CreatorIQ data confirms, that’s where the New York Times is lagging.

Can Ezra Klein dance? We might soon find out.

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