Making the Media S5E08: TikTok Trailblazing

S5E08: TikTok Trailblazing
Developing a successful strategy for storytelling on the social media platform TikTok can help tackle the challenge of news avoidance, particularly among younger audiences. That’s the view of a senior news leader at the Canadian Public Broadcaster, CBC, which has recently passed the milestone of one million subscribers on the video sharing platform.

In this episode of the podcast, Irene Thomaidis, who is the acting managing editor of digital publishing for CBC News, talks about how they have grown on the platform since launching in 2022. She says that being authentic on the platform has been critical to their success.

Listen to Hear:

• How CBC built their audience on TikTok
• The value of authenticity and building trust with young audiences
• Crafting stories for vertical video

Our Guest This Episode

Irene Thomaidis
Acting Managing Editor of Digital Publishing for CBC News 
Irene Thomaidis has more than 20 years of experience in digital news and is currently the acting managing editor of digital publishing at CBC News, where she has worked for nine years. Previously, as executive producer of social and audience, she led the launch of CBC News' TikTok and Snapchat channels and expanded the network’s presence on YouTube, focusing on strategies to engage younger and more diverse audiences. Before joining CBC News, Irene held roles at Postmedia, CanWest Interactive, and AOL Canada, building a strong foundation in digital media. She began her career 25 years ago as a print reporter and has always prioritized understanding and responding to the evolving needs of news audiences.

“We know that there's news avoidance in all age groups. We hear about this all the time, and it's been growing over the years. And we want to bring people back in, but in a way that is accessible to them”
Irene Thomaidis, Acting Managing Director of Digital Publishing for CBC News