8 Best Practices For Engaging Today’s News Readers
Having an engaged digital audience base that converts and read your online or mobile newspaper regularly is rewarding. By growing your readers, you have more possibilities of being recognized and attracting advertisers.
Today, there’s never been more competition for audience’s attention, and publishers also have more opportunities than ever before to engage with a wider audience and enhance experiences. Being available online and on-the-go is mandatory, but engaging off-digital and being there for the community definitely makes the difference.
For some inspiration for your next engagement campaign, Caroline Little, President and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America, enumerates best practices that strive to engage audiences in new ways. The list teaches us that best engagement for news readers doesn’t necessarily happen while they’re reading content!
Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Press
Holds She, a two-day expo for women that draws attendees of all ages. Vendor booths offering new products and services, free health screenings, cooking demonstrations, entertainment, and more are all part of the fun “girl’s weekend,” held each year in July.
Atlanta Journal
Leveraged the warm Georgia weather and free popsicles to increase its subscribers’ digital engagement. At its annual Decatur Book Festival, attendees were simply asked to enter their information and register for a digital account to receive a refreshing summer treat.
The Honolulu Star
Sponsors the Hawaii Career Expo, which aims to match qualified applicants with quality companies. The event promotes the newspaper’s commitment to its readers and to overall community advancement.
Asbury Park (N.J) Press
Produces a comprehensive Jersey Shore Summer Guide, filled with all the information Jersey shore goers need to know about restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and activities.
The Desert Sun
Created a summer playlist on Spotify. Staffers got together to create a list to resonate with readers during the summer. The effort is interactive because readers are asked to share their favorite summertime songs, too.
The Washington Post
Announced that it is testing two versions of its mobile site that will aim to provide a linear news experience and give readers a “bundle” of articles that are handpicked by editors, making a user’s experience more customized.
The New York Times
Updated its NYT Now mobile app. Designed with social media users in mind, the app focuses on curating the top articles across The Times and other outlets. Users can view as many articles as they’d like, free of charge — the app will attempt to generate revenue by building a broad audience to which the paper can sell ads.
USA Today
Launched a sports app to help fans stay up to date on sports news and live sporting events. Readers who download the app also have access to its “Best.Scoreboard.Ever” feature, which aggregates sporting events occurring in real time and ranks them to help app users determine which events they want to watch.
The Wall Street Journal
Launched Logistics Report, a vertical site that focuses on global trade and transportation infrastructure issues. The newspaper’s expertise in this area, combined with its audience’s interest in these issues, is key to success.
The Dallas Morning News
Found success in appealing to niche markets by using print products. Its award-winning lifestyle magazine FD Luxe offers exclusive content on fashion, art, dining, design, travel and more. It also publishes FD Love, which covers weddings, and FD House, a luxury living magazine. The magazines are specifically designed to appeal to an “on-the-go” audience.
Read full article on The News Sentinel.
Realview helps news organizations and help them make informed decisions about why and how to utilize today’s digital platforms. Keep reading to learn how Realview creates value and join our multitude of clients who turn the page from their traditional format and evolve into a mobile or online newspaper.
