#CourageON: Is there hope in a ‘dying’ industry?

“Ah! So reporter ka?” (Oh! So you’re a reporter?)

People often react like with this when I tell them I’m from Rappler, their eyes lighting up with recognition. Then I say no, I’m a content producer for sponsored pieces. I see their enthusiasm die down a bit, replaced by polite attention.

I brace myself whenever I say I’m from the sales and advertising team, which we call BrandRap. For those unfamiliar with the business model of media (or are just predisposed to spite), paid content in a news company can come off as, well, an “ick.”

Maybe it’s the insidious effect of online trolls throwing around the word “bayaran” at journalists. Maybe it’s the lack of awareness on the economics of journalism. Maybe there’s just a distrust in news that’s been cultivated by online misinformation.

Whatever the case, I hope to show you why I’m proud of being in my team and the work we do.

I joined the BrandRap team in 2022, when the country was in the midst of post-lockdown recovery and publishing companies were laying off their workforce left and right. In recent years, our CEO Maria Ressa even used the word “death” in a forecast on the news industry.

Add to that, it was announced at my first general assembly in the newsroom that the SEC had issued a revocation order against Rappler. In short, not a great situation for a sales team. I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”

But what strengthened my resolve was that Rappler still found a way to survive. In fact, it did not only retain its employees, but it was also hiring. Despite all odds, Rappler trudged on — more than business as usual. 

Behind the scenes, a key factor that made this possible was BrandRap’s resilience, despite the challenges of selling media space in the current landscape.

The lifeblood of a news company’s business model is advertising. Advertising only comes in when pageviews are high. And pageviews are rapidly declining. The shift in tides were caused by the perfect storm of Big Tech platforms deprioritizing news outlets and monetizing our attention, AI search integration cutting off news website clickthroughs, and the rise of mistrust in news publications or an avoidance of news altogether. 

BrandRap was — and still is — battling immense forces. Honestly, laying it all down like this makes my head spin. How can we sell executions that capture the fleeting attention of a news-avoidant internet, while prioritizing the protection of the editorial team’s integrity and while also working with the limited resources we have?

We have to constantly dig deep to innovate and experiment with new offerings while maintaining the quality of our traditional content products.

To mention some new projects, we found an opportunity in the rise of affiliate marketing with our #CheckThisOut vertical, where we dissect trending or culturally relevant products and inform readers about smart shopping practices. This way, our readers can shop as usual while helping out our revenue. It has also evolved into a community, which we cultivate in the #CheckThisOut channel in Rappler Communities.

We also went offline and organized Rappler Quiz Nights, bringing our digital community together in real life for exciting nights of friendly, facts-based competition. (Yes, Rapplers can have some fun, too!)e

We continue to weave together our conventional content of articles, videos, and social posts into 360° campaigns, providing channels for meaningful conversions for our partner brands.

Each of us in the team has also morphed into different roles, stretching capacities as much as our brand does. I came into this job as a writer and a producer, but now I’d also call myself a host, a video editor, marketer — even a singer, once!

Surviving the chaos of our work is only possible because of my tireless and reliable team. The prompt for this letter was to talk about what gives me hope, and for me, it’s my workmates. 

These are people who always find a way to move forward with sheer hope (and a healthy dose of delulu), shoulder their roles with grace and professionalism, and own the weight of our work — which is to fund and enable the kind of fearless journalism our country needs.

But in a world that has turned upside down, some efforts will never be enough.

And so we need your support.

If you believe in fueling Rappler’s work of journalism and community-building, there’s many ways to show this. I urge you to join our Rappler+ community, or shop with us on #CheckThisOut, or attend our onground events. Really, even a click on a #BrandRap piece would lift our spirits.

They say journalism is dying, but I’ve learned in my time with Rappler that hope often shines brightest during bleak times. I hope you choose to look to the light with us. – Rappler.com