2022

Editor’s note: Today’s guest post is from Amit Sion, Chief Revenue Officer at XWP.

Content creation is growing at a faster pace than ever before. Digital media has made it easier for niche publishers to reach global audiences. And publishers are now competing for readers’ attention and time not just with each other, but with social media platforms. With seemingly limitless ways to get news, entertainment and other information, publishers need to find ways to stand out.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, our web agency XWP works with technology, media and publishing companies. Part of what we do is help publishers engage readers and thrive in today’s highly competitive and often mobile-first marketplace. One way we help them do that is through Web Stories.

We recently began working with News Corp Australia to use Web Stories across their family of publications. For example, Australia’s most prominent newspaper, The Australian, just added a Web Stories carousel to their homepage under the “Visual Stories” heading. They are using Web Stories for a variety of sections, including news, travel, lifestyle, arts and entertainment.

We are also working with News Corp brands in the U.S., like The Wall Street Journal, and hope to bring Web Stories to even more News Corp publications. In each project, we learn something new and try to share that experience globally.

“News Corp Australia is producing more Web Stories a week than any other publisher in the world,” says Rod Savage, Partnership Editor of News Corp Australia. ”We could not output such volumes of quality content without a quality publishing system and XWP’s plug-in has proven to be robust and intuitive. We’re looking forward to continuing to build a mutually beneficial relationship with the common goal of making Web Stories a stunning user experience.”

On the Google app on Android and iOS, News Corp’s Web Stories appear on Discover (currently available in the U.S., India and Brazil). This is a useful tool for reaching new audiences, and our customers are seeing positive results in their web traffic.

We’re also helping smaller, independent publishers use Web Stories to engage their audiences. For example, a COWGIRL Magazine Web Story promoted a documentary about Wyomingrodeo athlete Amberley Snyder, who built her life back after losing the use of her legs in an automobile accident.

“It’s a different way of telling a story online, unlike anything that anybody’s doing out there,” says COWGIRL Magazine Founder and CEO Ken Amorosano. “[Social media stories are] rapid fire…but they’re not really telling a story. A blog post is telling a story, but it’s out of sequence, as a photo doesn’t necessarily link with a paragraph. With Web Stories, every word with that image, with that video, matters. And it matters to the actual flow of the story. It has a beginning, middle and an end. And it’s very, very, very powerful.” Check out my interview with Ken to learn more about their experience using Web Stories.

Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about how to develop, deploy and enhance Web Stories for publishers. We’ve found that you can’t just take an article and break it up into pages with text — it has to be more engaging. Web Stories offer the ability to add video, sound and images, and publishers need to find the right balance of using multiple media to tell their stories. When we start with publishers, the first thing we do is look at some existing stories. Then we encourage them to think about how to transform them into immersive Web Stories.

We can’t wait to see where Web Stories take XWP and our publishers next. That includes working with Google to develop Web Stories for WordPress, and helping even more of our customers experiment with Web Stories to grow their audiences and create new reader experiences.

Welcome to the latest edition of “My Path to Google,” where we talk to Googlers, interns and alumni about how they got to Google, what their roles are like and even some tips on how to prepare for interviews.

Today’s post features Oiza Sadiq, an Associate Product Marketing Manager based in Lagos, Nigeria (soon to be London) who seeks ways to make real-life impact through her work.

What do you do at Google?
I’m an Associate Product Marketing Manager (APMM) at Google. The APMM program is a two-year rotational development program for early-career digital marketers. During our rotations, we work on different teams across Google Marketing to get experience and build our skills. In my current role as a Growth Strategist on the Growth Lab team, I work with product marketers to develop strategies and campaigns to help people better understand how to use Google products.

What have been the driving forces behind your career?

I’ve always been passionate about helping individuals and businesses grow. I get fulfillment from seeing people impacted by either the knowledge I share or the work I do — through creating campaigns, supporting product marketers, launching new features or learning more about our users. And I know that I can’t give what I don’t have, which is why I’m so driven to find inspiration and success myself.

How would you describe your path to Google?

When I got to university, I learned about a group of students — the Google Student Ambassadors (GSA) — who shared resources and trained other students on Google products. I was drawn to how helpful and knowledgeable they were, so I joined the program in my second year.

After building my skills as a Google Student Ambassador, I landed my first job after university as a project and campaign manager at a digital agency. I eventually reached out to a Googler, who led the GSA program at the time, and told her I wanted to take on more challenging projects and someday become a Googler like her. She shared that there was an open contract role at Google for a Strategic Partner Manager, who would help establish partnerships to provide public Wi-Fi in Nigeria. She encouraged me to apply and put my best foot forward.

So I did, interviewed and got the role. After 16 months in that position, I transferred to the APMM program — and now, here I am.

What surprised you about the interview process?

I typically dread interviews, because it feels like you are in a hot seat trying to prove and convince people of your worth. So when I spoke with my Google interviewers, I was surprised that it felt like any other chat. Everyone was friendly and engaging, which really helped me be myself.

What’s next for you at Google?
As part of my second rotation with the APMM program, I’m moving to London to join my new team. As a Growth Specialist, I’ll look after markets like Northern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe — and my home, Sub Saharan Africa (I’m from Kogi State, Nigeria and started in Google’s Lagos office).

And what excites you outside of your role?

Outside of my role, I love working with secondary school students and giving career talks and digital skills training. I also do voice-overs for events, including speaker introductions and program announcements.

Any tips for anyone hoping to join Google?

Be your authentic self, put your best foot forward and apply for that role!