Segmenting news for a multi-issue newsroom
Dana Levitz, American Press Institute,Some newsrooms focus narrowly on one topic. But most, especially state and local publications, cover a variety of news areas — politics, sports, culture and much more. Those newsrooms must understand how to produce content for and engage directly with specific audiences interested only in certain kinds of news. Loyal users are more likely to be developed among groups of passionate, niche readers than a more passive, general-interest audience. This resource will help you think about how your newsroom workflow, digital footprint, platform distribution, content production, marketing strategy and more all play into engaging specific audiences with specific content. And while these lessons are meant for a publication covering many topics, its lessons are still useful for smaller or more niche news publishers who want to use best practices in connecting with audiences.
“In a consumer-driven media age, in which charging for digital content is becoming a large part of the business model, publishers have to focus more on individual users’ needs and desires. The new goal, then, for news companies is to inspire active engagement with focused groups of loyal users. Specialization is the only way to do this.”