In any enduring relationship—whether it’s a marriage, a business partnership, or a loyal audience—some truths always apply. Trust matters. Communication is key. And one-size-fits-all approaches rarely work.
Today’s digital landscape is full of shifting audience expectations, platform dependencies, privacy regulations, and revenue challenges. In the midst of it all, one thing is increasingly clear: the future belongs to publishers who treat visitor relationships as living, evolving engagements…not just transactions.
It’s time to put relationships at the center of publishing strategy.
The relationship is the product
Visitors are not anonymous “traffic.” Your audiences are composed of individual people—each with different motivations, levels of loyalty, and preferred ways to engage. Treating them all the same? That’s the digital equivalent of proposing on the first date or ignoring someone you’ve known for years. It doesn’t work in personal life, and it doesn’t work with audiences.
Instead, think of each visitor relationship as a continuum. One person may be discovering your content for the first time; another may visit daily but hasn’t subscribed. Some may be loyal readers who want more ways to support you. Others may be disengaged and at risk of vanishing without a trace.
What’s needed is a thoughtful approach that reflects where each audience member is in their journey. Then, you need a plan to help grow that relationship over time.
Relationship lessons from everyday life
Here are a few lessons from personal relationships that publishers would do well to apply:
1. Listen first
In healthy relationships, both sides listen. Media companies often prioritize outbound messages—popups, banners, promos. But listening to behavioral signals is just as important.
Did a visitor just land on your site for the first time? Did they browse for three minutes without clicking? Did they just turn off an adblocker? These are signals—not of conversion intent, but of where the conversation should begin.
2. Start small, build trust
Relationships grow over time. The first ask shouldn’t be a subscription or donation. Instead, start with lightweight value exchanges: newsletter signups, social follows, or app downloads. These are the handshakes before the deeper commitments.
Progressive engagement models—where the ask aligns with the visitor level of loyalty and readiness—see higher conversion rates and lower churn.
3. Consent is foundational
In both personal and digital relationships, consent builds trust. That means transparent data practices, well-timed privacy prompts, and respecting visitor preferences. Publishers who embrace consent-centric strategies don’t just comply with regulations—they strengthen their credibility.
4. Don’t take loyalty for granted
Just like personal relationships can fade from neglect, even the most loyal visitor can drift away if their experience stagnates. Stale content, repeated prompts, or poor mobile UX can erode the goodwill built over time.
Check in. Refresh the value you offer. Make loyal readers feel recognized and rewarded.
The risk of losing touch
When visitor relationships aren’t nurtured, the costs show up as:
Declining newsletter engagement
High bounce rates
Flat or falling subscription growth Low registration rates
Increasing reliance on third-party platforms to reach your own audience
These aren’t just performance issues. They’re signs of a deeper relationship breakdown.
The case for an audience relationship strategy
Most publishers have dedicated teams for content strategy, ad ops, and subscriber acquisition. But few have a centralized visitor relationship strategy—one that spans from first touch to paid conversion, and integrates consent, engagement, and retention into a cohesive journey.
Some in the industry have begun exploring Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) as a strategic framework—an emerging category aimed at helping publishers track, measure, and grow these relationships intentionally.
Whether through dedicated platforms or custom-built workflows, the goal is the same: shift from transactional tactics to long-term relationship building.
What makes relationships thrive
So, what does a healthy publisher–visitor relationship look like?
Mutual value: Readers get great content and respectful experiences; publishers earn loyalty and support.
Respect: Visitors are seen as individuals, not metrics.
Growth mindset: The relationship is always evolving—there are new ways to engage, contribute, or connect.
Shared purpose: Visitors feel part of something bigger, whether it’s supporting journalism, joining a community, or getting smarter about a topic they care about.
In a world of fleeting clicks and algorithm-driven content, relationships may be the most enduring competitive advantage publishers can build.
The publishing industry is no longer just about content. It’s about connection.
By learning from the fundamentals of human relationships—listening, trust, consent, and progressive commitment—publishers can build visitor experiences that not only drive revenue but inspire long-term loyalty.
After all, when visitors feel known, valued, and respected, they don’t just return.
In today’s digital world, young audiences increasingly immerse themselves in screens, from smartphones to social media and video games. As technology becomes an integral part of the daily lives of young adolescents, it raises critical questions about its impact on their social interactions, mental health, and overall well-being. New University of South Florida research finds that young adolescents overwhelmingly possess smartphones and are using them for hours a day.
While the Life in Media Survey does find negative correlations between certain online activities and their emotional health, it also makes some surprising discoveries. For example, contrary to the idea that smartphones lead to isolation, they find that smartphone owners tend to spend more time with friends in person than those without phones. However, for ethical media companies – who care about the audiences they serve – it is important to consider how best to optimize digital experiences to support young teens’ wellbeing.
The Life in Media Survey, a collaboration between the University of South Florida and The Harris Poll, explores digital media use and well-being among those aged 11-13. Although numerous researchers, educators, parents, and policymakers have advocated for reducing digital media usage among children, the USF study shows an increasing level of connectivity. A significant 78% of all participants possess their own smartphone, with 72% of 11-year-olds included in this group; additionally, 56% have their own tablet.
Kids estimated that they spend an average of 4.4 hours on their smartphone and/or tablet on schooldays, 6.3 hours on non-schooldays. And for some of these kids, smartphones are disruptive given that 20% of kids reported that push notifications on their smartphones and other devices are always on.
Social media, gaming and cyberbullying
The study also shows that children who game daily or frequently use social media spend more time connecting online with friends. However, these connections can have negative effects. For example, cyberbullied kids spend more time online, potentially exposing them to harmful environments, which can exacerbate emotional distress. Balancing the benefits of technology with its risks remains a central challenge in shaping healthy digital environments for the next generation.
The survey uncovers a link between cyberbullying and engagement with social media influencers. Cyberbullied kids are more likely to interact with influencers—whether by sending money, messaging them, or purchasing endorsed products. This interaction suggests that some bullied children may turn to influencers for emotional support or validation, using them as an escape from online bullying in other spaces.
What kids think of technology’s impact
While there are concerns about technology’s impact on children, many kids still express enjoyment in using digital devices, particularly social media. Around 74% of kids enjoy social media, whether they experience bullying online or not. However, the emotional impact of technology is more complicated. Cyberbullied kids are more likely to feel that technology interferes with their daily lives. This highlights the need for platforms to ensure a safer online environment for young audiences.
One in three kids agreed with the statement “Social media causes more harm than good,” and about the same proportion disagreed with that statement (34% and 33%, respectively). Three in 10 kids (29%) say that they believe that A.I. causes more harm than good, and respondents were slightly more likely to agree with the statement if they’d previously used A.I. tools (32% vs. 28%).
What young audiences are doing online
Streaming platforms are also a significant part of children’s media consumption. Three out of four children use Netflix and Disney+ (77% and 73%, respectively), while half or more use Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Spotify (68%, 56%, and 52%, respectively).
When asked to list their most-used platform, more respondents selected YouTube than any other program, followed closely by TikTok (17% and 15%, respectively). Entertainment tops the favorite genres of online videos, with gaming listed by 35% of respondents, followed by music and comedy (29% and 23%, respectively, based on selecting up to two favorite genres).
The research findings show that users spend almost four hours a day on their most-used app. Those who favor Netflix report using the app for an average of 4.0 hours a day, which is slightly higher than the average 3.6 hours reported by those who prefer YouTube, Roblox, and Instagram. The slight bump might be due to the longer-form content on Netflix. TikTok use averaged slightly lower, at 3.2 hours a day.
The “more-and-more” phenomenon
The data here points to a “more-and-more” trend, where kids who engage in one type of media activity, such as gaming or social media, are more likely to binge on another media activity. This phenomenon underscores the need to create content that spans multiple platforms. By doing so, they can capture and hold the attention of young audiences more effectively.
The Life in Media Survey provides valuable insights into how digital media shapes young adolescents’ lives. While technology fosters connection and entertainment, it also brings risks related to cyberbullying, excessive screen time, and emotional well-being. For the media industry, this means developing content that engages young viewers and supports their mental health. By prioritizing positive and age-appropriate media experiences, the industry can help mitigate these risks while embracing digital media opportunities.
2025 has already proven to be a defining year for social media, and we’re only a few months in! From Meta’s controversial decision to remove independent fact-checkers to TikTok’s on/off ban in the U.S. and Australia’s move to restrict social media use for under-16s, the social landscape is undergoing an intense period of change. These shifts are forcing media companies to rethink their distribution strategies and explore reliable, transparent alternatives for news delivery that prioritize accuracy and audience trust.
Live blogs are emerging as one such alternative for transparent journalism, offering fact-checked, real-time updates in an engaging format. Used by leading publishers like Der Spiegel in Germany and The Guardian in the UK, live blogs combine bite-size news, micro-videos, and interactive elements, giving journalists a powerful tool to engage their audiences while maintaining credibility.
A sustainable path for journalism
Half of U.S. adults get news from social media platforms like Facebook, X and TikTok, unfortunately that has only contributed to their declining trust in traditional media outlets. And the proliferation of fake news on social media demands new channels that provide information just as quickly and personally—while ensuring factual accuracy.
Live blogs strike a crucial balance between speed and accuracy, ensuring that audiences receive up-to-the-minute information without the risks associated with unchecked social media posts. They empower journalists to report transparently, involve their audience in the storytelling process, and foster genuine connections. As leading German news provider, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, commented:
“Live blogs enable news to be shared with audiences while other in-depth reports, reportage, or commentaries on the event are prepared. In a sense, they show storytelling in the making.”
Direct interaction through comment blocks and Q&As, for example, allow journalists to go beyond basic updates to establish and meet user needs in an audience-first approach that fosters deeper connections. Videos showcasing their work make news organizations more relatable and trustworthy, while the ability to build transparency into reporting processes by clarifying sources, linking directly to primary documents, and issuing real-time corrections, stand live blogs apart from the fast-moving, unregulated world of social media.
Personality goes a long way
We know that the social and personal element of influencers is a major draw for audiences. With their less formal structure, live blogs allow journalists to bring a bit of their own personality into their reporting, whether through their tone, choice of details, or even small touches like author photos and location tags: “On the ground in D.C.” or “Live from the Oscars red carpet”.
A more casual style isn’t suitable for every story, but Der Spiegel’s recent Grammys live blog suggests there is room for opinion in live coverage. The witty back-and-forth between the reporters added depth and personality, making it feel more like a conversation than information feed, and turning a passive read into a shared event experience. As live blogs continue to evolve, they offer a powerful way for journalists to engage their audience on a more personal level while maintaining journalistic integrity.
By prioritizing transparency, authenticity, and connection, news organizations can rebuild audience trust and position themselves as authoritative sources in a crowded media landscape. This commitment to openness builds credibility, combats misinformation, and strengthens the relationship between journalists and the public—fostering deeper engagement and loyalty. And in 2025, that will be more crucial than ever.
Engaging younger audiences with interactive micro-content
Short-form video content has become a dominant format in social media, with platforms like TikTok popularizing the trend. However, while social media may excel at capturing attention, it often lacks editorial oversight. Live blogs, on the other hand, allow media organizations to blend micro-content—such as short videos, Q&As, and polls—with verified news updates that audiences can trust. This interactive approach keeps younger audiences engaged while ensuring that the information they consume is accurate and relevant.
Stuff often uses live blogs to great effect, covering events such as The Met Fashion Gala to keep readers up to date with the outfits on show and drama as it unfolds. By incorporating expert written comment and video snippets, readers were brought closer to the event. Audience surveys enabled reporters to gain real-time feedback from readers, who in turn could actively participate in the coverage they consumed, creating a compelling, participatory experience.
Mobile-first and second-screen experiences
The way people consume news has shifted dramatically. Television audiences continue to decline, while mobile devices have become the primary gateway to news and entertainment. Live blogs cater to this shift by offering mobile-first, responsive designs that provide seamless access across devices.
Additionally, live blogs enhance the “second-screen experience” by integrating real-time stats, analysis, and background reports. Whether covering a sports match, a political debate, or a major breaking news event, live blogs give audiences a richer, more immersive experience than passive social media scrolling.
One of the world’s longest-running and most-watched non-sporting events, The Eurovision Song Contest, is a great example of this in action. From the performances on stage to the backstage dramas, national titles such as The Irish Independent used their live blog to provide followers with a second screen to participate in the antics of this diverse and elaborate spectacle.
Strengthening community ties
In the race for digital engagement, national and global media outlets often overlook the power of local reporting. However, hyperlocal content is experiencing a resurgence as audiences seek news that directly impacts their communities. And people often turn to social media groups for interaction at a neighborhood level.
Live blogs offer an ideal alternative for this type of coverage, enabling media companies to provide real-time updates on local events, elections, and sports teams. In the summer of 2024, heavy rain caused severe flooding across Germany and other parts of Europe. Reporters from a range of national and regional titles covered the situation via live blogs for days on end, often late into the night, to keep local readers informed on their situation in their area. Readers spent an average of 5 minutes on the live blogs to keep abreast of updates and prepare for the floods.
By focusing on hyperlocal reporting, publishers can build stronger community ties, enhance audience loyalty, and support long-term engagement through subscription models.
Engagement with responsibility
The social media era has prioritized virality over veracity, often at the expense of journalistic integrity. As regulatory pressures increase and audience expectations shift, media organizations must embrace formats that prioritize both engagement and responsibility in order to win back audience share with viable alternatives.
Live blogs present a sustainable solution. By offering real-time, fact-checked news in an interactive format, they provide a compelling alternative to social media’s often chaotic and unreliable ecosystem. Publishers that invest in live-blogging technology will not only enhance audience trust but also future-proof their reporting strategies in an increasingly uncertain digital landscape.
Podcasts are transforming how Americans consume news, offering on-demand access to trusted voices and in-depth analysis. As traditional news formats evolve, podcasts have become a critical medium for audiences seeking timely, engaging, and diverse perspectives.
Second only to comedy, news podcasts are a dominant podcasting genre. A new report from Sounds Profitable, in partnership with Signal Hill Insights, finds that 31% of podcast listeners consumed news content in the past month. The findings underscore a significant shift in how Americans engage with news, moving away from traditional TV broadcasts and toward more personalized, on-demand listening experiences.
News podcast consumer demographics
The average age of a news podcast consumer is 47, closely mirroring the overall U.S. adult population. This starkly contrasts television news audiences, where the average age skews significantly older—70 for MSNBC, 69 for Fox News, and 67 for CNN. This demographic shift highlights how younger audiences gravitate toward podcasts as a preferred medium for staying informed. Balancing short-form daily news updates with longer-form analytical discussions allows podcast listeners to integrate news consumption seamlessly into their routines.
The social influence factor
One of the study’s more interesting findings is the role of social influence in driving news podcast discovery and engagement. News podcast listeners exhibit significantly higher levels of social sharing and recommendations compared to their non-news counterparts:
73% receive podcast recommendations from friends and family, compared to 51% of non-news listeners.
73% actively recommend podcasts to others, versus 49% of non-news listeners.
83% say they are likely to listen to a podcast recommended by someone they know.
This word-of-mouth dynamic plays a crucial role in podcast adoption, highlighting the importance of personal connections in shaping media consumption habits. While platforms and algorithms contribute to discovery, personal recommendations remain the most powerful driver of engagement.
Additionally, news podcast listeners are more likely to consume content with others. Unlike other podcast genres that often cater to solo listening, news podcasts frequently become a shared experience. Group listening fosters discussions and deeper engagement with the content, whether in the car during a commute or as part of a morning routine. The study reveals that 88% of news podcast consumers who listen with others cite “listening while traveling” as a major benefit, compared to 66% of podcast listeners.
Advertising challenge and opportunity for news podcasts
Despite their high engagement levels, news podcast listeners are not immune to advertising fatigue. The study reveals that:
21% have stopped listening to a podcast due to excessive ads.
14% cite repetitive content as a reason for abandoning shows.
This finding challenges the assumption that strong host-listener relationships can completely counteract fatigue. Even among engaged audiences, there is a threshold for how much advertising they are willing to tolerate.
However, the research also uncovers a compelling opportunity for brands. News podcast listeners are more receptive to brand-sponsored content than the general podcast audience:
61% say they are likely to listen to a brand-sponsored podcast.
46% indicate that a company’s involvement makes them more likely to try a new podcast than 34% of non-news listeners.
Brands can forge meaningful connections with news podcast audiences by positioning themselves as content partners rather than just advertisers. By integrating seamlessly into the content, brands can enhance rather than disrupt the listener experience.
Podcasts and the future of news consumption
The traditional model of news consumption—gathering around the television at a fixed time—has largely faded. Instead, audiences curate their news experiences through digital and on-demand platforms. While social media and news websites play an important role in this transition, podcasts offer a unique advantage: deeper engagement and trust.
Unlike passive scrolling through headlines, listening to a news podcast requires intentional engagement. The hosts of these podcasts often become trusted voices, forming strong bonds with their audience. This level of trust is a significant draw, positioning news podcasts as a vital part of modern news consumption. However, the challenge lies in maintaining audience engagement without alienating listeners through excessive advertising.
The findings from this report offer a compelling look at the evolving media landscape. News podcasts attract a younger and more engaged audience and reshape how people discover, consume, and share news. The influence of social recommendations and the potential for shared listening experiences emphasize the unique role of news podcasts in today’s information ecosystem. Additionally, the nuanced relationship between advertising and engagement further solidifies their distinct position.
The stories told on screen shape perceptions and inspire change. They also reflect society’s evolving identity. Understanding the diversity of those who create and star in these stories is critical to fostering an entertainment industry that genuinely mirrors the richness of the human experience. Representation in key creative roles shapes shared narratives and affects how audiences resonate with and engage with these stories, ultimately driving revenue growth.
The Hollywood Diversity Report, Part 1 highlights the undeniable link between diversity and financial success in Hollywood. In 2023, global box office revenue rose 31% to $33.9 billion, while the North American box office grew 21% to $9.07 billion. However, despite these gains, the domestic box office lags 21% behind the 2017-2019 average. The future of movie-going remains uncertain as the industry navigates the pressure of changing audience expectations and preferences, testing the industry’s resilience and capacity for innovation.
The theatrical dataset mirrors this trend. The 109 English-language films in the 2023 dataset represent a 22% increase from 2022 but fell short of the 146 films in the 2019 dataset. In 2023, theatricals span 12 primary genres. Action, constitutes 27.5% of releases, dominates, followed by comedy (20.2%), horror (12.8%), animation and biography (9.2% each), and drama (8.3%). While action and horror hold steady, comedy and biography have grown, animation dipped slightly, and drama declined. Biopics and dramedies emerge as notable subcategories.
Representation in casting
Cast diversity continues to evolve. Films with over 50% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) casts represent the plurality of top films for the first time in 2023, which marks a significant milestone in a 13-year trend. In 2011, 51.2% of films had less than 11% BIPOC representation; by 2023, this figure dropped to 8.5%. However, actors with disabilities remain largely absent, with 61.3% of films including no known disabled actors.
Actors with disabilities did experience modest gains, increasing their share of leads to 11.3%. However, visible disabilities remain absent among top leads. Women’s share of lead roles declined to 32.1% in 2023 from 38.6% in 2022, marking a significant setback. Female leads would need an 18% increase to achieve parity with male leads. Films with BIPOC leads often fall at opposite ends of the budget spectrum, either under $10 million or exceeding $100 million, reflecting a “feast or famine” dynamic.
Representation gaps persist across racial and ethnic groups. Latinx and multiracial actors remain underrepresented in all roles, while Black, Asian, Native, and Asian, Middle Eastern, and Northern African (MENA) actors are approaching proportionate representation. Gender disparities prevail; except for Latinas, women in every racial and ethnic group are underrepresented compared to their male counterparts.
Box office receipts
Despite continued disparities, box office performance reinforces the demand for diverse content. Films with 31-40% BIPOC casts achieve the highest median global box office receipts, while those with less than 11% perform the poorest. Median return on investment peaks for films with 41-50% BIPOC casts.
Audiences increasingly support diverse casts, with BIPOC moviegoers buying the most opening weekend tickets for seven of the top 10 films in 2023. Female audiences account for most ticket sales for three of the top 10 films, while 18- to 34-year-olds dominate ticket purchases for six of the top 10 films.
Audience preferences align with representation trends. Films with diverse casts achieve higher box office performance across global, domestic, and opening weekend metrics. Nine of the top 10 global box office films feature cast members with over 30% BIPOC representation, demonstrating the commercial success of diversity. The data underscores the importance of reflecting America’s increasingly diverse audience in theatrical releases.
Streaming genre trends and budget allocations
The 2024 Hollywood Diversity Report: Part 2 focuses on the top 100 English-language streaming films from 2023. It offers insights into genre trends, budget allocations, and representation among leads, directors, and writers. As outlined in Part 1, the theatrical film industry registers incremental recovery in 2023, but streaming remained dominant despite studios reducing original content production. This strategic pullback coincided with economic uncertainties and labor disputes, resulting in 115 streaming original releases compared to 161 in 2022.
Comedy led streaming releases at 30%, followed by drama (17%) and action (14%). Notable shifts included a rise in biography films (4% to 10%) and a decline in animated features (13% to 9%). Budget distribution starkly contrasted with theatrical films: 61.3% of streaming films had budgets under $20 million, compared to 30.3% of theatrical releases. Only 3.2% of streaming films had blockbuster budgets ($100 million or more), dwarfed by 25.7% for theatrical films.
Representation in leading roles
BIPOC and women actors achieved proportional representation among leads in streaming films in 2023, marking progress since 2022. However, disparities persisted within specific groups. Latinx (8%) and Asian (4%) leads remained underrepresented, while Black (16%) and Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) leads were overrepresented. Native (1%) and multiracial (12%) actors approached proportional representation. Gender dynamics varied by group: women outnumbered men among white, multiracial, and MENA leads, while men predominated among Black, Latinx, Asian, and Native leads.
Budget disparities also reflected systemic inequities. White male leads were most likely to star in films with budgets over $20 million (57.2%), while BIPOC leads (58.6%) and White female leads (77.5%) frequently headlined films under $20 million. Women with disabilities remained underrepresented despite an increase in lead roles from 6.1% in 2022 to 9% in 2023, with no visible disabilities represented.
Directors and writers
BIPOC and women directors saw gains but remained underrepresented in 2023. Women directors faced a budget ceiling of $50 million, while BIPOC directors maxed at $100 million, with significant opportunities skewed toward white men. Among writers, similar patterns emerged. Streaming films with BIPOC and women writers featured more diverse and balanced casts, yet these groups remained underrepresented. Multiracial and MENA writers neared proportional representation. However, shares for Black, Latinx, and Asian writers fell short.
These reports underscore the ongoing evolution of Hollywood’s streaming ecosystem. While strides in representation are evident, industry efforts still need to achieve inclusiveness across all facets of production. Examining theatrical and streaming releases as viewing habits evolve offers valuable insights into each platform’s unique challenges and opportunities. These distinctions help illuminate how representation impacts storytelling, audience reach, and industry success across a diverse and changing media landscape.
From Google to Facebook and Instagram to TikTok (and so many more), publishers have spent the last couple of decades chasing their audiences from one platform to another—only to be betrayed by changing algorithms and shifting platform priorities. For years, popular wisdom held that you had to go where the audience is. Now, despite the fact that audiences (particularly younger ones) seek out news and information on social platforms, those platforms are “backing away” from making that content visible. But regardless of a media brand’s position on social media, search has remained the undisputed path to traffic.
Now, publishers face a whole new threat: generative AI search. Years of fine-tuning search engine optimization strategies may all be for naught as Google embraces AI-driven answers in lieu of links to relevant content. Meanwhile, Gartner predicts that traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026 as users shift to AI chatbots and virtual agents for their answers.
The Wall Street Journal reports that publishers expect a 20% to 40% drop in their Google-generated traffic if the search giant rolls out its AI search tool to a broad audience. So, what are media executives supposed to do in the face of yet another shift in the technology landscape that threatens to put them on the outs once again? There’s really only one solution: devise a plan to regain control of their audience relationships once and for all.
Discovery: a problem as old as algorithms
AI search has yet to reach its full potential, but referral traffic is already taking a hit. AI-driven search results that fail to link to the content they scrape from is just one part of the problem. Searchers are often satisfied with AI “answers” and have little need to click through for more. And platforms from across the web are trying to keep more users within the walls of their gardens, and that means the likes of Facebook and Google have gone from partners in traffic acquisition to the opposition.
“We’re seeing an industry in real crisis,” says Jim Chisholm, a news media analyst. While Chisholm says he is not seeing evidence that AI is impacting traffic just yet, that does not mean publishers are not already feeling the squeeze from elsewhere.
Liam Andrew, Chief Product Officer at The Texas Tribune, says that while his team expects generative AI to impact search traffic, they are still waiting to see a substantial impact. The bigger problem facing the Tribune now is social media traffic or the lack of it.
While social platforms across the spectrum are pulling the rug out from under publishers, our old friend search is slowly changing the rules of the game. “Search is still working,” Andrew says. The Texas Tribune sees that explainers and guides still drive traffic and even subscriptions. However, other sites have not been so lucky.
Back in October 2023, Press Gazette found that of 70 leading publishers, half saw their search visibility scores drop—and 24 of those saw double-digit dips. That was the result of one update—more bad news is certain to follow as new updates make their way to the masses.
AI bots: To block or not to block
Publishers may be preparing for a more significant battle when it comes to traffic. However, right now, there’s another fight on their doorsteps: bots are crawling their sites and using their work to train the AI poised to steal their traffic. Some are already taking steps to stop the free—and possibly illegal—use of their content. The Reuters Institute found that 48% of the most widely used news websites across 10 countries blocked OpenAI’s crawlers by the close of 2023. Far fewer—just 24%—blocked Google’s AI crawler.
For Andrew and The Texas Tribune, blocking AI crawlers is not a major concern. They already have an open-republishing model and are used to seeing their content scraped and used on other sites (often without the requested attribution). “It improves our readership and impact, but we compete with ourselves for SEO,” he says. He also says they see versions of their stories on news sites where the content is entirely AI-written. However, it is “not affecting our core audience traffic,” according to Andrew. So — at least for now — The Texas Tribune is not planning to block the bots.
Meanwhile, Google is reportedly paying publishers to use its AI tools to write content. While in the short term, this may offer (smaller) publishers relatively small sums as well as an easier way to create low-lift content, like other Google News Initiative (GNI) projects, there’s an underlying concern that Google is not focused on publisher health in the long term.
Developing a direct-to-reader strategy
As Andrew and the product team at The Texas Tribune look toward a less search-dependent future, they are changing strategies. For 2025 and beyond, “we are not going to be focusing on a really good SERP [Search Engine Results Pages] unnecessarily,” Andrew says. Instead, they’ll focus on products built directly for readers.
“Newsletters have been part of our model for over 10 years. It’s nothing new, but we’re continuing to see success with it,” Andrew says. Not only do the newsletters still drive traffic, but they also drive conversions. Subscribers become members at a higher rate, vital to a publication that does not depend on paywalls for revenue.
DCN conducted an informal survey on concerns around the impact of AI search on traffic, and while the sample size may not hold up to scientific scrutiny, it was clear that newsletters are a crucial tactic for publishers looking to own their audiences. Other stats suggest this is a good move. Storydoc research found that 90% of Americans subscribe to at least one newsletter. That number goes up for younger audiences as 95% of Gen Z, Millennials, and even Gen X receive newsletters, compared to 84% of Baby Boomers.
Experiment with engagement approaches
The solutions to the Google problem don’t end at email, though.
“We also have a big robust event system,” Andrew notes. The Texas Tribune holds dozens every year. They range from “pre-gaming the Texas primary” to deep dives into transportation in the Austin/San Antonio area. They gather experts and pundits to share their expertise on topics that interest readers. The team also live-streams these events — a universally important tactic for engaging younger, more diverse audiences. These events also turn out to be effective for converting casual readers into subscribers and members.
Andrew alluded to products his team is working on that are still under wraps. Still, it’s clear that, like many publishers, The Texas Tribune is preparing for a future when search no longer drives most traffic.
Chisholm thinks mobile apps are another excellent direct-to-reader strategy, and research backs this up. Pew reports that “A large majority of U.S. adults (86%) say they often or sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, including 56% who say they do so often. This is more than the 49% who said they often got news from digital devices in 2022 and the 51% of those who said the same in 2021.” Cultivating a relationship with readers through their mobile devices—where you can use push notifications and other native capabilities to grab their attention—will likely be one of the many tools publishers must deploy going forward.
“I’ve been in the news industry – which I love – for 48 years. Now we are at a crossroads,” says Chisholm. “Either we choose the road to recovery, rebuilding relationships with our readers, or we continue down the road we are on, subject to algorithms, more confusion between legitimate news and social media infested with AI nonsense.”
The past year has been a difficult one for many media companies. After the rapid bounce back from early Covid-era travails, more than 20,000 jobs were lost in the US media sector alone in 2023, with few publishers emerging unscathed.
At the same time, concerns increasingly arose about compensation and copyright infringements from Generative AI platforms, as well as the impact of tools like ChatGPT on media traffic and search habits.
Furthermore, dramatic drops in referral traffic witnessed by many leading publishers from major search engines and social networks added a further set of challenges for content creators to deal with.
2024’s major media trends
So, how do media companies respond to these many challenges and put their best foot forward in the year ahead? Here are three essentialrecommendations:
1. Revenue diversification is more important by the day
Media companies have known for some time that they need to diversify their revenues. This need is only going to become more acute in the year ahead. Although global advertising spending is expected to exceed $1 trillion for the first time in 2024, this growth is not being felt by most media companies.
Fresh analysis from WARC finds that spending on content media (TV, publishing, audio and cinema) has remained largely stagnant over the past decade. While advertising markets have boomed in that time, media players have seen their share of total advertising revenues decline from 71.0% a decade to 27.2% in 2024.
With these new monies flowing to the likes of Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance and Meta, publishers and broadcasters “are fishing in a finite pool.” They’re essentially competing against one another for existing revenues, rather than attracting new ones, argues Alex Brownsell, Head of Content at WARC Media.
Put another way, “every media owner – from NBCUniversal and The New York Times, to Snap and JCDecaux, to Disney and Spotify – is competing for share of a largely fixed market,” Brownsell concludes.
Against this backdrop, the need to reduce advertising dependency and diversify income sources becomes more apparent than ever.
Within this, expect to see a greater emphasis on bundling as a means to drive loyalty and grow revenues. Blending different editorial propositions and purposes (e.g. news and non-news content) can be key, as The New York Times has shown. An ability, depending on your subscription type, to share access to your NYT bundle with friends and family can further deepen perceptions of value and reduce churn.
“So far most of these bundles have been intra-company collaborations,” observes Nic Newman in his latest annual trends report for the Reuters Institute. “But in 2024 we can expect to see some publishers partnering with other providers to add extra value to their bundle,” he predicts.
Globally, media players are also placing a greater emphasis on the value of hosting events as part of a revenue diversification strategy. Respondents to a survey by WAN-IFRA found that almost a fifth (18.8%) of publisher income comes from sources beyond advertising and subscriptions. This reinforces earlier findings shared by twipe, pointing to areas such as premium audio content, events and e-commerce as some of the most promising areas for income growth.
2. AI remains in the spotlight
The impact of Generative AI dominated every media conference I attended last year. That’s not surprising given how rapidly this technology is developing.
Despite this general enthusiasm, “the response from publishers [to Generative AI] has been a mix of defense and offense,” observesKevin Anderson at Pugpig. On the one hand, publishers are embracing this technology and exploring its possibilities in areas such as automation, personalization and the creation of new products.
In Norway, for example, Aftenposten, the country’s biggest daily newspaper (part of the Schibsted group), has used AI-generated audio articles to deepen engagement and engage younger audiences. Within six months of launch, the audience for these AI-generated audio stories was akin to that of their podcasts, demonstrating the potential efficiency of this tool once it has been set up.
At the same time, they are also looking to limit the ability of AI platforms to be trained by scraping their content for free. “What media companies are saying is AI won’t be built without us,” contendsVincent Berthier at Reporters Without Borders.
This tension is perhaps most publicly prominent at The New York Times. Just before Christmas, the company launched a lawsuit against Open AI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, highlighting how “millions of articles from The New York Times were used to train chatbots that now compete with it.” The move came hot off the heels of the Gray Lady appointing Zach Seward as their first Editorial Director of A.I. Initiatives. It’s a role that encompasses training, experimentation and prototyping, as well as identifying when the company should, and should not, use Generative AI.
The coming year will likely only see this type of dichotomy grow even more pronounced.
We can expect to see greater moves towards AI regulation, more lawsuits issued by publishers as they seek to protect their material. We will also see more partnerships, like those inked between OpenAI and major publishers including Axel Springer and the Associated Press. Meanwhile, insights from a new survey conducted by the Reuters Institute point to a focus on using this technology for “under the hood” services such as transcription and copyediting.
A third area of focus for many media companies in the year ahead will be audience development.
Alongside continued exertions to reach and engage with new audiences, businesses will be increasingly absorbed in efforts to deepen relationships with existing consumers. This will involve creating opportunities for interaction, dialogue and feedback, as well as moves to understand, and better serve, audience needs and preferences.
It’s an area where AI can help, argues Dmitry Shishkin, the incoming CEO at Ringier Media. For Shishkin, data and suggestions generated by AI should be used as an “editorial co-pilot” that will inform content strategies and efforts to ensure “necessary distinctiveness.”
“Media success now thrives on differentiation and specialization,” he told Journalism.co.uk. That means an emphasis on “quality and focus,” he said, as newsrooms seek to “establish a compelling reason for repeated engagement.”
To help generate this engagement, outlets may look at fresh ways to develop more personal and direct relationships with audiences.
Tools like Subtext enable media organizations and creators to text their audience as you would a friend. New York Times Opinion columnist Farhad Manjooholds Office Hours where he chats with readers on the phone. Tortoise Media in the UK holds open editorial meetings. Other outlets are experimenting with mechanisms like WhatsApp Channels and Discord to reach audiences in new places.
All of this is a counterpoint to what Kevin Anderson notes was the “volume-over-value strategies” that many publishers pursued for too long. Media markets have changed, Anderson argues, remarking that reaching large audiences through search and social and then serving them with ads is seldom a model that’s fit for purpose. “It’s all about relationships,” he writes.
Demonstrating that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, Francesco Zaffaranowrites in Nieman Lab about the success of “platform-based news brands.” These outlets do have large audiences on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. They harness this to generate revenues through paid partnerships with brands and donations using similar tactics as those in the Creator Economy.
Zaffarano cites outlets such as Impact in the USA, The News Movement in the UK, Hugo Décrypte in France and Ac2ality in Spain, as examples of this phenomenon. Arguably, their success hinges on aligning their work’s tone and relevance with their target audience, coupled with a presence in online spaces where their audience already spends a lot of time.
In those instances, this takes the form of mainstream social networks. But, for other audiences and media outlets, the answer could lie closer to home, or in smaller (even niche) online communities. Media players will need to continually analyze audience needs and habits to find the solutions that are right for them.
A strategic path forward for digital media
In the fast-evolving media landscape, 2024 promises to be yet another year of rapid transformation and adaptation. The year ahead looks set to be defined by the need for media companies to focus on diversifying revenue streams, navigating the complex realm of AI, and prioritizing audience development.
Revenue diversification remains a paramount priority for media companies, especially as their slice of global advertising revenues stagnates. In that climate, retention and fresh sources of income continue to be critical.
Secondly, the role and impact of Artificial Intelligence cannot be underestimated. Media players will continue to experiment with the potential benefits that this technology can unlock. Yet, they’ll do this while also seeking to protect their assets from being cannibalized by it. Navigating this tightrope will not be easy, but it’s one that organizations large and small will have to tread.
Lastly, as media companies strive to deepen relationships with existing consumers at the same time as expanding their reach, audience development has to take center stage. Fostering meaningful relationships will see the use of different tactics and platforms. Nevertheless, the end goals are the same: to demonstrate value and distinctiveness, and in turn drive retention and loyalty.
As media companies prioritize these areas, they need to be mindful of being strategic in these efforts. The pace of change can be daunting, but it also presents considerable opportunities. Leveraging new AI tools, diversifying revenue streams, cultivating stronger connections and delivering distinctive content are all areas that can enable media companies to do more than just survive 2024. Executed correctly, it should also enable them to thrive for some time in the years ahead.
Public trust in the news is dwindling, with three in 10 UK adults admitting they don’t trust the news very much and 6% confessing they don’t trust it at all. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not limited to the UK but affects media audiences globally. A recent Gallup Poll, for example, showed a similar reality among Americans, with only 32% saying that they trust news a “great deal” or a “fair amount.”
What’s more, publishers are grappling with the fact that audiences increasingly turn to social media to get their news fix. In its annual Digital News Report, Reuters and The University of Oxford found that 30% of respondents say that social media is the main way they come across news, surpassing the 22% who access it directly. Unfortunately, social media provides a fertile breeding ground for misinformation, which (somewhat ironically) further erodes people’s trust in news.
Today’s media companies need strategies and tools that will help them re-engage audiences whose expectations have been shaped by social media. By understanding the behaviors and preferences of today’s audiences and incorporating the right tools and tactics, publishers have the ability to attract audiences and satisfy their need for a well-rounded information diet in a more social setting.
More than passing news updates
Notably, the shift to social news consumption is particularly acute among younger consumers, with people aged 18-24 less likely to use a news website or app and more dependent on social media for news. And these young consumers’ information preferences have been molded by their use of social media and mobile content consumption. Our own research finds consumers want easily understandable and readily available content. In fact, 26% of 18-34-year-olds say that they prefer news updates in short, bite-sized segments.
One of the strategies publishers can implement to replicate the social media experience–while continuing to provide quality news and information–is through the use of live blogs. Live blogs allow media companies to provide readers with an enriched and authentic experience that replicates the benefits of social media while addressing key challenges such as lack of engagement, misinformation, and declining trust.
A live blog allows publishers to provide real-time commentary, updates, and coverage on breaking news or unfolding events. Despite their rise in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic – where they served as a valuable tool for disseminating rapidly emerging critical information – live blogs have been around for quite some time.
However, publishers around the world are now working to refine their live blog strategies to capture the best aspects of the social media experience but serve as more than just a format that provides the latest superficial updates. These publishers build trust and credibility among their audiences through this more social way of authentic storytelling.
The style of live blogs resembles a mobile-friendly social media timeline. Therefore, it gives consumers news in the format they crave. It caters to the habits and preferences of users accustomed to consuming content through scrolling on their mobile phones.
Interactivity and engagement
To increase audience engagement, publishers can also incorporate interactive elements such as polls, videos, and live comment blocks into their live blogs. These mirror many popular features found on social media platforms. For example, journalists from the New Zealand publisher Stuff interacted directly with readers as millions of people attempted to get tickets to Taylor Switft’s Eras Tour in Australia. With over 150 comments on their live blog, the journalists were able to build a community with their readers as they all shared their triumphs and frustrations with one another in real-time.
Some publishers even use live blogs to provide their audiences with direct access to experts in various fields. MDR, a public German broadcaster, did this particularly well during the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis. They encouraged readers to post their questions in a comment block within the live blog. Then, the expert answered their questions directly in the chat. This tactic increases trust by giving readers access to experts in their field and reinforcing the expertise of a media outlet’s team. It also helps provide a more balanced view of events through the inclusion of a variety of perspectives, reducing the perception of spin.
With live blogs, individual personalities can come out, which allows journalists to foster better relationships with their audience. For example, reporters covering sports at Süddeutsche Zeitung engage with their audience using a lighter tone than their formal journalism. This injects personality into their coverage and makes it more relatable and enjoyable for readers, mirroring the conversational style often seen in social media interactions.
Another key advantage of live blogs is their ability to prevent endless doomscrolling by providing a curated and limited amount of verified information and data. This way, readers can choose the most relevant information to them based on their own needs and preferences without becoming overwhelmed with too much content.
Looking ahead
It’s a challenging time for publishers and newsrooms around the world. The emergence of generative AI search results, along with audiences’ increasing frustration with the news (not to mention the fact that social media platforms are distancing themselves from news), create higher barriers to engagement.
In the year ahead, publishers should turn their attention to incorporating strategies that replicate the elements audiences love most about social media to keep consumers engaged and coming back for more. Implementing this approach can help publishers meet the needs of the modern consumer, who favors receiving their news in short, bite-sized segments. Live blogs allow media companies to capture the essence of the social media experience while addressing lack of engagement, misinformation, and declining trust.
In New England, we have a saying: “An ounce of experience is worth a pound of theory.” At The Boston Globe, New England’s largest news organization, the team is taking that saying to heart as they carefully launch and implement a video and larger marketing strategy designed to engage current subscribers and reach new, younger, more diverse audiences. Underpinned by an audience-centric mentality, the team focuses on understanding exactly what its users want and finding innovative ways to give it to them.
Engaging existing subscribers with video
The centerpiece of the 150-year-old publication’s video strategy is Boston Globe Today. Just celebrating its six-month anniversary, the 30-minute show is broadcast five days a week at 5 p.m. on Globe.com, NESN 360, and NESN’s linear channel. (NESN is the New England Sports Network.) The show focuses on mostly news topics Monday through Thursday, and on Friday, they switch to sports. Rather than just reporting the news, Boston Globe Today focuses on taking a closer look at the news, often from a journalist’s perspective. Host Segun Oduolowu talks to Globe journalists about their stories, sometimes even telling the story behind them.
“We know our readers watch television… but they weren’t doing it with us because we are traditionally a words-driven platform,” says Peggy Byrd, Chief Marketing Officer at The Boston Globe. The priority for this team is to engage current subscribers by meeting them where they are, no matter the channel.
“Conceptually, it was coming from who we are rather than what’s out there,” says Michelle Micone, Vice President, Innovation & Strategic Initiatives at The Boston Globe. Over a year in the making, The Globe hired a television producer and other industry pros to help bring this vision to life and ensure its quality is up to readers’ expectations. The TV team is constantly conversing with the newsroom, keeping an eye on interesting stories coming up and deciding which ones will translate well to the television format.
Boston Globe Today is available online for subscribers. However, a segment from each episode is available to all site visitors — potentially giving them a reason to subscribe. “We built this in segments as well as a full show,” says Micone. This allows viewers to engage with the content they are most interested in. Not only does this let audiences use their time wisely, but it also gives The Globe team an idea of what people are most interested in, which allows them to create an even better product moving forward.
While new subscribers are always nice, engagement of existing, loyal readers comes first. Byrd says the goal is to “expand a habit” and that the team wants to “expand the expectation and the experience and give people a new way of consuming.”
So far, Byrd says they are seeing traction when it comes to engaging existing subscribers, and they have just started to measure conversion for new subscribers.
Reaching audiences wherever they consume video
Giving your audience what it wants is always critical to building loyalty and retention, but no publication can grow without new audience members. As Byrd says, younger audiences and people of color “over-index” when it comes to video consumption, so The Globe knows that video is an essential part of finding those subscribers.
From topics to geographies to channels, The Globe tries to serve its broad audience in several ways. As Micone puts it, “We do feel like we have to do it all, and these are the ways we’re trying to service everyone in a modern way.” On TikTok, that means creating content specifically for the audience in ways that feel authentic to the platform.
“We’re definitely committed to video for the long term,” says Micone. “Part of the reason for even starting this conversation with the TV show is to become an organization that’s very skilled at video.”
Strategic approach to audience growth
YouTube has played a slightly different role at The Boston Globe and its many brands. It’s primarily been a marketing tool, which Byrd says provides valuable feedback, allowing the team to take the data they collect into its content rollout on YouTube. “This is a long road we’re on,” Micone adds. “The TV show, YouTube, TikTok, all these pieces are part of it.”
However, engaging younger audiences isn’t all about TikTok and video. The B-Side is an “email and social forward product,” according to Micone, the idea for which came from a Globe employee during the company’s biannual innovation weeks. After some massaging of the idea, the B-Side emerged, which the website describes as “a hyperlocal email- and social-only daily newsletter that provides authentic and relatable news to keep readers up-to-date and in the groove on local happenings in and around Boston.”
Up next, The Globe team is turning to SMS to expand the publication’s reach. As many mobile marketers know, getting users to opt-in is the biggest hurdle to messaging users on their phones. It’s “another way to meet people where they are,” says Byrd, and as is typical of The Globe’s methodical approach, “we’re taking our time with it.” It will be more of a marketing tool in its first iteration, eventually moving to the content distribution part of this puzzle. “The point of SMS is to learn what people want to get,” says Byrd, “and then once we discover what they want we can start to give it to them through their phones.”
Staying true to their New England roots, The Boston Globe team will continue to prioritize experience over theories as it experiments and innovates with ways to reach and serve audiences old and new.
Media Voices co-host Peter Houston is tired of hearing the same old industry buzzwords. The publishing platitudes are starting to wear a bit thin, and he’s decided to see if he can shake the conversation up a bit by speaking to some of the biggest characters in the business.
The latest episode of Media Voices’ Big Noises podcast features Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director at Digital Content Next (DCN).
Michelle started out as a journalist. The rise of digital media saw her embrace the changes and after working for a range of publications, from alt weeklies to B2B titles, she joined what was then the OPA to help premium publishers with their ongoing their digital evolution. She now manages online content and events for the group, which is known as DCN.
More than a decade in, Michelle still has hope for the media, but is frustrated by many of the publishing practices she sees. “Now we’re in a world where two thirds of our job is to rise above the noise. ‘Listen to me. Look at me’ right? Are we providing a value exchange? When people give us that gift of their attention, do we provide them with value… was it worth their time?”
Last week, over 400 attendees from 43 countries descended upon the Portuguese seaside town of Cascais for the 45th FIPP World Media Congress. They heard from more than 70 international speakers on a range of topics.
Here are three key themes that caught my eye from among the many insightful talks, demos, and individual conversations that I enjoyed over the course of the event.
1. It’s all about AI
Not surprisingly, it was impossible to ignore artificial intelligence. AI was mentioned in every session, reflecting AI’s dominance in shaping media strategies and operations, as well as the speed with which it is developing.
Despite universal interest, media companies and publishers are at different stages of their journey with this technology.
Jan Thoresen in discussion with Damian Radcliffe at FIPP World Media Congress. Photo credit: Reidar Hammerfjeld
Bonnie Kintzer, president and CEO of TMB (Trusted Media Brands) explained how the company is “leaning into AI and Machine Learning.” They have set up an internal task force to help understand the risks of AI, as well as identify the best ways to use AI tools to grow their business.
For others, AI is already at the heart of what they do. Jan Thoresen, at Labrador CMS shared how AI was baked into their platform. With an emphasis on productivity and improving workflow, their content management system uses AI to create headlines, metadata, and tags, as well as produce story summaries.
“We try to make the tech disappear for the journalist,” he said. “Breaking news can´t wait,” he told us, “and you can´t wait for a developer or designer to deliver special effects. The tools have to be at the fingers of your reporters and editors.”
Juan Señor, President of Innovation Media Consulting, outlined what he sees as the transformative power of Generative AI. He predicts this technology will transform digital and create “AI-first” media companies. That may mean that “AI-first” becomes the new “digital-first,” essentially meaning companies prioritize–and seek to tackle challenges, opportunities and processes–with an AI solution at its heart. (FWIW: It’s an approach that Richard Heimann’s book Doing AIcautions against given concerns that companies may have with the solution, rather than the problem they are trying to solve.)
Aside from AI-generated content (images, text and videos), he anticipates other opportunities for publishers. “AI will never find the news, AI will never find the stories,” he told delegates. In fact, with this technology potentially ushering in a new era of fake news, Señor stressed the value of verification, trust and objectivity; areas he believes that publishers should lean into.
He also cautioned about some of the potential pitfalls.
“AI will supplant social and search,” he predicts. On that front, he emphasizes the importance of ensuring that publishers protect their IP, especially from scraping by AI tools. Others—such as the music industry—are already further advanced in tackling this issue.
Señor also recommended content creators learn from past mistakes. That means not getting into bed with tech companies on the promise that a revenue model will be worked out down the line. “We cannot rely on someone else’s platform to build our business,“ he cautioned.
2. Understanding your audience is paramount
Juan Señor Photo credit Damian Radcliffe
Connecting with your audiences was another thread that ran throughout the event. This is essential not just for acquisition and retention, but also for revenue diversification.
Dr. Jens Mueffelmann, Executive Chairman of Bonnier, talked about how the company had developed its Marlin property to “move beyond a $10 magazine.” As part of this, he outlined the importance of their multichannel offering and the creation of new income streams under the “umbrella brand” of Marlin Expeditions.
This includes large-scale fishing tournaments, several of which featured participants with an average net worth of $10 million, as well as smaller expeditions. The success of these ventures is such that between 2020-2022, media accounted for just over a third (34%) of Marlin’s revenues. Tournaments, in contrast, generated 55% of their revenue.
As a result, earlier this year, the company created a new structure “built around brands and communities instead of products.” This includes the creation of a new “Marine Division” which oversees all print, digital and broadcast assets in this space, as well as relevant tournaments and expeditions. As Mueffelmann wrote on LinkedIn, when sharing these developments, “First the vision, then the strategy and now the structure…..as taught in business school.”
At TMB, revenue diversification comes in many forms including advertising, commerce, production and licensing. But the relationship with the audience is integral to many of these efforts.
Dr. Jens Mueffelmann Photo credit: Damian Radcliffe
The century-old company’s tagline is “Content. Inspired by You.” Many of its properties rely on audience-generated content. Therefore, it is integral to nurture and nourish those relationships.
For example, Taste of Home’s recipes are supplied by home cooks. And across their portfolio of brands, more than 350k people submit content ranging from videos to photographs, tips (e.g., Family Handyman) to jokes (Reader’s Digest), and more.
Relationship management also shapes revenue strategies as well as editorial. TMB’s affiliate revenues are up 72% year-on-year, but all of this content is written by their editors, not PRs or AI. “When you have the trust of your audience you must be careful to preserve that trust,” Kintzer said.
For Kerin O’Conner, Founder and CEO of the consultancy Atlas and a former CEO at Dennis Publishing, a focus on audience means the “customer must sit in the middle of your business model.”
Discussing recurring revenues, O’Conner pointed to the rise of the subscription economy and its implications for media companies. He observed that “subscription income is more consistent than other forms of monetization.”
Subsequently, media companies should focus on building long-term relationships with subscribers. “We need to be really good at relationships and understanding what we mean to our customers,” he advised.
3. Acquisitions can be integral for growth
There are multiple ways to grow your audiences and revenues. However, launching new products and verticals can be fraught with risk—and costs. One idea which emerged in multiple sessions was to reduce these potential pitfalls through partnerships and acquisitions.
This can take multiple forms. You can, for example, acquire an audience for a day, or even an article.
Juan Señor, noted the return of micropayments in the form of day passes. “We gave up on them [micropayments]. Now they’re coming back,” he says, outlining how this model can be a means to establish a relationship with audiences.
Pet Collective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAH-ixdFWFs
In turn, this has led to the creation of new FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) offerings and expanded TMB’s footprint on different social media channels. And with much of this content also user-generated, it’s also created further revenue opportunities in the form of licensing, as well as ads on their new digital TV channels.
Acquisition goes beyond acquiring other companies and its online properties. It lies at the heart of growing this part of the business too. To help TMB continue to build their clips library, they have teams around the world (in LA, India and Romania) looking at—and then acquiring—social content.
Kintzer revealed that the company has paid out over $30 million over the last decade to clip owners. In turn, clips are being licensed by TMB for use in commercials for Cheerios, Huggies, Coca Cola, and others. Deepening this archive also creates more possibilities for streaming, video production and social video, too.
Looking Ahead: interrelated trends to watch
AI will likely continue to dominate the conversation for the next 12 months and beyond. Earlier this year, IAC chairman Barry Diller said that media publishers should sue AI companies to protect their assets.
At FIPP, Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana, the new chief executive of Impress UK, an independent press regulator, also emphasized the accuracy of generative AI (and the opportunity this may present for publishers). Alongside this, she also spoke to the challenges of determining copyright and “fair use” that we can expect to see play out in the near future. “We may see a wellspring of copyright regulators emerge in response to this,” she predicted.
Meanwhile, Madeleine White, co-editor-in-chief at B2b site The Audiencers and Head of International at the membership and subscription platform Poool, stressed the continued importance of registration strategies. This can help you get to know your audience and also increases the likelihood of converting visitors into subscribers. Using AI, in the form of a dynamic paywall, with the fashion magazine ELLE, White revealed that free registered members are up to 40x more likely to subscribe.
Lastly, Reid Deramus, Growth PM at Substack, noted how the leveling of the tech-stack had made it easier for small companies to do everything from collect payments (e.g. through Stripe), create good-looking content (with a good CMS) as well as reach audiences through channels like newsletters.
“It’s never been easier to pick up your iPhone and start your own media business,” he said. Because of this, it’s not just AI that’s a potential threat to publishers. You need to work hard to acquire, keep and develop talented staff.
“A lot of people who come to Substack felt like they couldn’t be themselves,” he said. To avoid hemorrhaging good people he encouraged companies “to find ways to motivate” some of their top performers. “Give them creative freedom,” he said, “keep them motivated financially… and let them have a seat at the table.”
The big picture
As we delve into the trends shaping the media landscape of Summer 2023, it becomes clearer than ever that media executives need solid strategies in three key areas: AI, audience, and acquisitions.
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing workflows. However, it is also offering a number of IP challenges that we must address. Simultaneously, enhancing your knowledge—and relationship—with audiences is integral for growing subscriptions and reader revenues, including maximizing the relationships you already have. And the art of acquisition can encompass everything from other companies to UGC, as well as creative talent and new audiences.
Having strategies for these areas in place can help media organizations unlock areas of innovation and growth during a period that promises to be as transformative, and tumultuous, as any in recent memory.
Successful digital publishers produce content that connects with audience expectations. These publishers are committed to engaging audiences more deeply with an audience-first approach. To assist digital publishers in attracting new audiences, the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), in partnership with Google News Initiative, created Table Stakes Europe (TSE). Their latest report, Building and engaging specific audiences, outlines case studies in which publishers tackle core challenges to connect to new and distinct audience segments based on targeted demographics or psychographics.
The TSE identifies seven core strategies for news publishers to employ in developing new audiences. Notably, the process is relatively the same, regardless of the target audience — whether they be younger, sports-minded or niche, religious, and cultural segments.
Serve targeted audiences with content and experiences they want.
Publish on the platforms your targeted audience uses.
Produce and publish constantly to match your audiences’ lives.
Funnel occasional users into regular and paying loyalists.
Diversify and grow the ways you earn revenue from the audiences you build.
Partner to expand your capacity and capabilities at lower and more flexible costs.
Drive audience growth and profitability from a “mini publisher” perspective.
Finding younger paying readers
Using the TSE framework, FWT, a regional and local news publisher in the region of Värmland, Sweden, sought to appeal to a younger audience. Their case study deals with the publications’ concerns around their aging audience and the need to attract readers under 45.
NWT’s business model is subscription based, with a hard paywall. They offer articles free only for the first hour after their publication. Their current reader revenue contributes 70% of their total revenue, with advertising the remaining 30%. NWT’s first step is to learn about the interests of a younger audience. Focus groups and research studies immediately provided needed intelligence. They found that adults 18-29 like to read about entertainment, relationships, careers of other young people or celebrities, and breaking news. While adults 30-45 are interested in society and investigative journalism, real estate, new stores and restaurants, and topics about kids and family life.
NWT identified five goals to measure their effectiveness in attracting a younger audience:
20% of subscribers will be under 45
65% of all new digital subscribers will be under 45
30% increase in subscriptions on e-paper
20% of page views from logged-in users under 45
37% percent increase in digital subscriptions
Notably, NWT increased its digital reach among the 18-39 segment from 24.4% to 35.1%, and digital reader revenue increased too. NWT identified six steps attributing to these achievements.
Learn about the younger audience’s needs, interests, passions, and problems.
Produce relevant content for the right people on the right channels at the right time.
Educate and recruit both current and new staff.
Make changes to the current digital product to serve a younger audience.
Constantly test and evaluate product(s) against set goals.
Develop and implement a social media strategy.
Identify tactics to target new audiences
Another case study using the TSE framework to help attract a younger audience focused on Le Parisien in Paris.
The French publisher used vertical videos on TikTok to appeal to new and younger subscribers.
The plan for TikTok was to focus on “explainer” videos, offering essential details and insight during the French presidential elections. They hired a dedicated TikTok journalist, introduced an experiment-to-learn attitude, and included segments of hard news in addition to their explainer series.
Le Parisien’s TikTok following grew from zero to more than 400,000. While Le Parisien is not monetizing on TikTok, the vertical videos are essential to building brand awareness among a younger audience – their future paying subscribers.
TSE offers an important framework for digital news businesses to identify and attract new audiences. While the two case studies offered here focus on attracting younger audiences specifically, the report includes additional target audiences. Importantly, the transformational process includes a similar process regardless of the target audience. Connecting newsrooms to audiences and personally resonating with each is essential for publishers’ success.
