Longform journalism is thriving

Poynter reproting:
... Online readers don’t shy away from long stories, says Mark Armstrong, founder of Longreads and editorial director of save-for-later service Pocket. In fact, data, page views and experience have shown they crave the deep read. And while the source of a story clearly plays a role, a reader is going to be more concerned with whether their friend gave it a nod on Facebook than if they saw it on a prominent publication’s homepage.
“I think people are increasingly agnostic about where exactly they’re reading something or what print edition it came out in,” says Longform co-founder Aaron Lammer.
That’s not to say that name recognition and the track record of the publisher and writer aren’t still important, Armstrong says. They’re just now part of a greater equation that includes who else is recommending it and whether the reader trusts that recommender’s taste. After clicking through a “READ THIS NOW” link on a friend’s Twitter or Facebook feed, the reader is then more open to what comes next from that site.
While much has been made about BuzzFeed posting cat photos and investigative profiles on the same site, Shafrir doesn’t think readers will be too concerned with the eclectic mix.
“I think people adapt much faster than we give them credit for,” Shafrir says. “There’s no handwringing of, ‘Should I read this serious, political story on BuzzFeed? They also have cat videos.’ I don’t think that’s a consideration point on the part of most readers.”
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/190421/as-longform-finds-a-new-home-at-buzzfeed-perhaps-its-a-good-gateway-drug/