Social media reigns despite disruption

Despite the on-again, off-again ban on TikTok in the U.S. and shifting moderation policies from Facebook, X and other major platforms, social media retains its position at the No. 1 channel for external communications.

Data from Ragan’s 2025 Communications Benchmark Report, a signature research project conducted for members of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council, finds the churn in the market hasn’t dampened communicators’ enthusiasm for social media as a way to drive messages home with customers, clients and external stakeholders.

In fact, as executive communications becomes a focus for both internal and external communications alike, platforms like LinkedIn and other social channels are key for visibility and cost effectiveness.

The full Communications Benchmark Report is available to members of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council. Non-members can download the executive summary.

Social media tops the list

The most effective channels for external communications remain remarkably static year over year, with only one channel – email – showing statistically significant growth from 2024 to 2025.

That’s not to say that there’s no experimentation happening. When asked what channels or tools they added in the past year, 13% said social media. Further, if they had extra budget to spend, more than half of communicators said they’d spend it on content, reflecting the importance of high-quality multimedia, audio, video and animation. Content is the feedstock of successful social media campaigns.

The churn in the market may not be having a significant effect on social media as a channel, but beneath the topline number there’s a fair amount of volatility.

According to Reuters Institute, both Facebook and Twitter (now X) saw significant drops in referral traffic to news sites (67% and 50%, respectively) over the last two years. As a result, news publishers are putting less effort into Facebook (a drop of 42 points), and X, a drop of 68 points, with publishers viewing X as increasingly toxic under owner Elon Musk and less useful for messaging.

The drops on Facebook and X correspond with growth on other social media platforms. LinkedIn (39%) and Bluesky (38%) are two platforms poised for growth, according to Reuters Institute. Other channels that will receive greater focus are WhatsApp (39%) and Google Discover (27%).

Video and AI loom in the background

The Reuters study found more publishers plan to put their resources behind YouTube (up 52%), TikTok (up 48%) and Instagram (up 43%), reflecting a growing role for video content.

Communicators, on the other hand, appear to be taking a moderate approach. Data from the Comms Benchmark report shows that just 10% of communicators view video as the most effective channel for external communications, up 3 percent from last year but still only good enough to rank as no. 8 on their list.

Looking beyond social media, the ramifications of the emergence of gen AI are also starting to come into focus. According to Reuters Institute, news publishers are putting more effort into building relationships with AI platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Perplexity (up 56%).

AI-generated summaries have the potential to eat into referral traffic from search engines in the coming years. That makes experimentation and innovation essential to continued effectiveness.

For the time being, social media remains atop the list of effective channels for external communication, but communicators shouldn’t stand pat. Video and AI-generated content and summaries have the potential to upend the traditional ways brands connect with customers and clients.