We Could all Learn a Few Things From Buzzfeed

Buzzfeed, the world’s leading independent digital media company, is one of the first media companies that come to mind when I think of ones that excel in the multimedia space. One aspect that’s compelling about the website is that they have trending topics right at the top of the website to get readers to engage with the stories. For instance, right now the featured topics are “Texas Snowstorm,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Black History Month,” and “The Latest on Covid.” These are all topics that are trending not just in the news, but on social media as well.

Another aspect of the website that’s compelling is the fact that Buzzfeed uses videos, quizzes, memes and other tools of multimedia journalism to engage readers and get them to interact with the content. Buzzfeed also does a good job at using social media to promote different stories. The media company uses Snapchat to share short news videos, and their Twitter and Instagram is updated at least once an hour to share their latest stories, or just to engage with subscribers by posting a meme or commenting on a trending topic.

Some elements from Buzzfeed’s website that I will incorporate in my website and writings is their consistency. They are constantly updating the website with the latest topics and trending stories—they even have a whole section dedicated to WandaVision’s new episode, a show on DisneyPlus that’s been trending.

Another element that I will utilize is the way the website represents how inclusive the media company is. The website has a section dedicated to LGBTQ stories and Black voices which is something we don’t see often in a lot of media companies. They also try to appeal to people of all ages and all different type of interests. To do this, Buzzfeed incorporates newer tools of multimedia storytelling (memes, social media posts, videos, pictures, interactive timelines etc.), and they also highlight stories that the general public would be interested in, like COVID updates.

The About Us page has some professional elements; for instance, they include hyperlinks when referencing popular topics the company has created. They reference things like their award-winning investigations and Yanny vs Laurel debate, with hyperlinks so readers can refer to them if needed. The page briefly tells me about the website and company as a whole. The different aspects of Buzzfeed and what digital platforms by them to visit for more information, is listed in their About Us page.