A major Brazilian publisher has overhauled its newsroom to treat social media as a core editorial product. The new structure drives both audience growth and revenue, with measurable results.
Grupo RBS has restructured its newsroom to make social media a central editorial product, not just a distribution channel. This shift is designed to address the growing gap between how journalism is produced and how audiences consume news on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Instead of adapting existing content for social, the company now develops stories specifically for these platforms from the start.
In 2024, Grupo RBS established a dedicated editorial unit focused on short-form video. This team includes creator-journalists, editorial coordinators, product specialists, commercial staff, and operational roles, all working together as an integrated operation. The goal is to produce journalism native to social environments, rather than simply repurposing content from other desks.
This new structure changed the entire workflow. Content ideas are now conceived with platform logic in mind, considering format, pacing, visual language, and distribution context from the outset. Editorial and commercial strategies are integrated, allowing for scale and consistency without compromising journalistic standards. Over time, short-form video production became a routine part of daily operations, and creator-journalists developed distinct voices that strengthened audience engagement.
By 2025, the impact was clear. Short-form video generated 559 million views across platforms, exceeding initial projections by over 90%. Revenue from this operation grew by 80%, and more than 200 brands partnered with Grupo RBS to develop content for social channels. The company reports that this approach has made social media a primary environment for journalism creation, not just an extension of traditional output.
This transformation echoes broader changes in newsroom strategy, as publishers rethink how to organize for digital engagement. For example, Swedish local newsrooms have also focused on new editorial models to boost quality engagement, as seen in recent efforts to track subscriber interaction and content performance.
Grupo RBS is one of Brazil's largest media companies, with a portfolio that includes newspapers, radio stations, and digital platforms. Founded in 1957, the company operates primarily in southern Brazil and reaches millions of readers and viewers each month. Its digital transformation efforts have positioned it as a leader in adapting editorial structures for new audience behaviors and monetization models.
