Echobox works with a wealth of talented journalists and media professionals from across the world. We’re delighted to make their jobs easier, and we’re even more delighted when we can showcase their expertise. After a hit Q&A with Anna Johnstone, Head of Social at the British publication HELLO!, we turn to a superstar of Hispanophone media.
This week, we’re excited to speak with Maurice Jalfon, Head of Social Media at Infobae, a digital news website launched in 2002 and an Echobox customer since 2019. In only twenty years, Infobae rapidly expanded across Latin America, the US and Europe to become a media powerhouse. The numbers speak for themselves: Infobae boasts over 105 million readers, 12 million social media followers and is currently one of the world’s most visited websites.
Based in Buenos Aires, Maurice is a film buff and bike rider that has spent the past four years managing multiple teams at Infobae and sharing the best content possible across multiple formats to their colossal audience. Let’s jump into it!
Tell us a bit about your background. What has led you to heading the social media team at Infobae?
Maurice Jalfon: I started as a Community Manager in 2012 at Infobae. A few years later I transitioned to government, working for the City of Buenos Aires to help them adapt their communications strategy to new media. I continued my work in government as the Social Media Coordinator at the Casa Rosada, which is the seat of the Argentine national government and the president’s office. I was part of a team which established the institutional foundations for digital government communication. In 2020, I joined Infobae again as the Head of Social Media – a real full circle moment!
What responsibilities do you have at Infobae?
Maurice Jalfon: I oversee the organic content distribution side of things at Infobae. I am in charge of four different key areas:
- Social media platforms such Twitter, Instagram, X and WhatsApp
- The design team
- The “Viral” section of the Infobae website
- Google Web Stories
Our job is to deliver the content that our journalists produce everyday in the most attractive and best way possible. To achieve this, we are constantly searching for new ways to post on social media, and we adapt to what our readers and platforms want to see. At the heart of it, innovation in storytelling is our principal goal.
I think of the social media team as the organic advertising arm of a publisher. The sheer reach you can have with digital content was unthinkable just a few years ago.
What do you consider to be the best part of your role?
Maurice Jalfon: The creativity and the freedom to create. Each day, you have to find a new way to tell a story. As someone that’s on social media frequently, it’s amazing how much you can learn by just being present on those platforms.
There’s also the leadership and management aspect of my role. There’s a lot of moving parts and I’m constantly learning how to lead people in the most efficient way. Leading a team is a dynamic challenge: you need to maintain empathy while striving for better results. It’s not easy, but it is rewarding.
What has been the most challenging part of your role in 2023?
Maurice Jalfon: It’s an interesting question. 2023 was the year of social media changes, especially when it comes to algorithms. For example, Facebook stopped pushing news content as much, and that led to many publishers’ referral traffic falling. It was a real issue we had to tackle.
However, most platforms are now giving more weight and importance to video formats. We know that adapting to this change and continuing to present a strong brand on social media is one way we can move forward and counterbalance the current situation.
Based on these realities, the real challenge in 2023 was to reevaluate how we give value to social media platforms, and what they mean for our content.
Our job is to deliver the content that our journalists produce everyday in the most attractive and best way possible […] At the heart of it, innovation in storytelling is our principal goal.
What is your focus for 2024? What platforms or trends will you focus on?
Maurice Jalfon: This year, we are focusing on social traffic and the reach of our videos. Specifically, we are looking to monetize our video content on the different social networks as much as possible.
The emergence of WhatsApp channels in the news media industry is also a new challenge. We’re trying to think of new ways to spread our content and inform our audience.
How has social media management evolved in the past few years? How do you expect it will continue to evolve?
Maurice Jalfon: I started out in the early days of the social media boom and I’ve seen social media management evolve tremendously. Today, I think of the social media team as the organic advertising arm of a publisher. The sheer reach you can have with digital content was unthinkable just a few years ago. Infobae now has over 6 million Facebook followers from all over the world. That still blows my mind.
Everything moves a lot faster than it did back when I started. It’s important to stay alert and pay attention to the never-ending algorithmic changes that occur on social networks. Platforms are constantly changing something in the back end or including a new function that could alter the way readers interact with content. If you’re not quick to notice these changes, your content could be made less relevant.
It is hard to predict what is going to happen to the social media landscape in the next few months, let alone the next few years. Personally, I think the future of our jobs as social media managers is tied to augmented reality. How will newsrooms deal with this technology? How can we treat content in that space?
The real challenge in 2023 was to reevaluate how we give value to social media platforms, and what they mean for our content.
Infobae covers news from around the world to Spanish speaking audiences. Do you account for different cultural sensitivities and regional preferences?
Maurice Jalfon: Absolutely, it’s crucial we provide the news that will matter most to our readers, in a way they’ll understand best. Infobae has newsrooms in major cities across Latin America, the US and Europe. Our local journalists and editors are the ones who are really doing the work when it comes to adapting to cultural sensitivities. My job is to make sure it reaches these audiences.
There’s never a shortage of breaking news. How do you plan and prioritize? Do you have a specific strategy for breaking news or important events?
Maurice Jalfon: We have a calendar with the major upcoming events slotted. Obviously we can’t plan for every breaking news story. We prepare as best as possible to cover a breaking event when needed and it gives the team a bit of adrenaline. There’s never a shortage of variety – you always lead a full life when you work in social media management.
Personally, I think the future of our jobs as social media managers is tied to augmented reality. How will newsrooms deal with this technology?
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