Audience development tips from the pros
As newsrooms strive to be more inclusive and ensure their stories have a wider reach, “audience development” has become an essential and evolving job role. During ONA22, there was a large focus on this evolution and solutions. Following are some takeaways from sessions in the audience development and metrics track.
How can journalism be a public service if we don’t know what people need from us? In Listening to People Who Don’t Trust You To Reach New Audiences, it was made clear that really understanding your audience is key to answering that question. Some ways to better and more effectively reach and reflect audiences and build trust and goodwill include community outreach just to listen — never underestimate the value of being present.
Track your sources. Engage your community. These asks have been part of newsroom speak for decades. Speakers and audience members in Build Your Newsroom Strategy for Connecting with Communities of Color shared how diversity and community engagement need to be built into a newsroom’s culture and how requiring the entire staff to take on the responsibility — not just a committee — inspires authentic and meaningful action and connection.
It’s a common myth that younger audiences rely solely on social media for their news. How to Reach Younger, More Diverse Audiences dispels this myth and unlocks some of the ways we can really engage the Millennial and Gen Z populations (hint: they actually pay for news and use traditional news outlets). The session also explores tools such as newsletters, influencer engagement and videos as other ways to boost engagement, not just for younger audiences but for older and less-engaged readers as well.
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