Ways for newspapers to retain readers

Over the last years, the rapidly accelerating business in online news channels has put an increasing pressure on traditional print media. The future of newspapers and their potential to survive in the new Internet economy is being put under the microscope of the publishers and the public. Newspaper circulations in Europe and the U.S. experience a decline in sales as a result of the rapid expansion of the blogosphere that has shifted the preferences of readers towards digital media. So, how can newspapers win through the online revolution?

For many newspaper publishers the sole factor to their longevity is to constantly meeting the wants of their readers. Retaining reader interest with so many alternative channels of information available is not as simple as it sounds. Therefore, many successful publishers incorporate print and online operations in new forms of advertising to retain readership.

One of the factors that facilitate the effort towards the integration of print and online forms of advertising to satisfy reader interest is the fact that, despite the ease of use of a rich digital environment, readers are still buying and reading newspapers, even at a slower pace. Whether it is about a reliable financial newspaper or a supermarket tabloid, the exclusiveness of information offered by newspapers as opposed to the Web-based information is still more valuable for many readers. Even frequent Internet users value the newspapers more because it is easier to find some sort of information or content on paper than on the Web. This serves as a good basis for newspapers in their effort to attract and retain loyal readers.

In the context of integrating print and online forms of information, news organizations implement many and simultaneous changes. Recognizing the immense power of Web 2.0, newspapers offer digital editions of their printed editions to harvest the rewards of increased circulation.

Digital editions provide an appealing user experience. Readers enjoy browsing over their favourite publications from the ease of their home, office, a public library, or their laptop at a public park. However, the value of information is reliable and instant.

Besides, digital editions function just like the newspaper editions. Readers can actually ‘flip’ through and see the news in context. They can also bookmark their favourite pages, post stories on their blogs, comment on stories, or share articles through e-mail. Digital editions have given rise to social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Twitter and Facebook users post links to their accounts to keep their contacts updated with the latest news.

Other strategies that newspapers implement to retain interest with an aim to increase newspaper circulation involve redesigning the newspaper radically, launching new editorial extras and largely increasing the number of pages.

Many newspapers relaunch their weekend edition, expanding it considerably with added features, news and sport aiming to attract more readers. Because during the weekend newspaper sales traditionally increase, newspapers implement a promotional and distributional reinvention combined with top notch journalism. Besides, many newspapers experience an immediate boost in their sales by launching Saturday magazine inserts that feature a vast variety of topics and satisfy all the tastes.

Involving readers through a Q&A column is a valuable tool for retaining reader interest and defining newspaper content. Interaction is the key to keep readers interested in the newspaper by opening the door for them to share their problems, take a short poll, win award prizes by participating in contests related to a topic of interest and submit articles in exchange for a byline. In that way, readers are both invited and encouraged to become an integral factor of the newspaper, the silent force behind the editorial and the buying force on the sales figures.

However, the most important of all changes comes from the inside. The big change starts from the newsroom. News organizations have to think of themselves as producers of different types of information that needs to reach diverse audiences with the same effectiveness. Reliable information is always what readers look for, either in print or online media. Besides, newspapers need to reshape the format of their content to entice new readers while maintaining the high standards of the core value of their information. In that way, they will appeal to younger demographics, aiming to convert them to daily readers, while maintaining the customer base of loyal readers.

Conclusively, the increasing loss of audience implies that newspapers have to modify their content and format a great deal more than they had originally planned or their financial health cannot be sustained. As readers become more sophisticated and demanding, newspapers need to come up with innovative ways to involve them in the process and ultimately, retain them. In this context, embracing the immense potential of the Internet era can be the only way for newspapers, not only survive in the new Internet economy, but also to thrive.