Everyone knows that the Internet has changed the publishing landscape, and newspapers and other publishers who have failed to adapt have experienced a major drop in readership and subscriptions. While this trend seems to be turning around, even if slightly, it’s still important for publishers and broadcast media outlets to pay attention. If you’re unsure of your current or future strategies for increased or simply sustained revenue, take a look below at some publishers that have found success, even in the digital age:
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The Olympian – Olympia, WA
One of the main reasons for The Olympian’s success is that it has decided to focus its efforts on mobile devices and delivery. As more and more people are turning to mobile devices as their primary method for web access, publishers need to take note and ensure that their offerings are optimized for mobile devices. In the past, many people found that sitting down at the breakfast table in the morning to read the newspaper was a daily ritual, but today, more and more people read the news on their tablet PCs or smartphones while riding public transit to work or during some other daily activity. Through recognizing this trend, optimize your site and digital editions in order to keep readers happy and coming back for more.
The Ventura County Star – Ventura, CA
Most people read or subscribe to local newspapers in order to get local news, especially as the web offers so many national news outlets these days. In Ventura, CA, The Ventura County Star has recognized this fact and has retooled its coverage to focus more on local news instead of national news. This has helped the newspaper to gain a loyal readership as people are subscribing in order to find out the latest goings on in the Ventura community. If you run a newspaper that covers local events, you may need to think about focusing more on the community that you serve and less on national and international news. Of course, it would likely not be wise to miss covering major events that affect the country, but the focus should always be on staying local. This can help to form a bond with readers and may have a large impact on subscriptions.
The Maryville Daily Forum – Maryville, MO
When it comes to publishing in smaller markets, the owners of The Maryville Daily Forum have found that being local to the community has helped to increase and sustain subscriptions. In many cases, people feel more connected to a newspaper when they feel like the publisher is a real part of the community. They see the publisher in line at the grocery store or at a community function and they know that the publisher understands the community, its needs, its challenges, and its attributes. If you’re not a local publisher and you cover a large region of the country, you might consider at least hiring local editors or managers in the areas that you serve in order to give readers a sense of belonging.