Everyone expects content that they care about to come to them. Long gone are the days of perusing newspapers and websites. In today’s world, important news finds you—which means publishers need to go where their readers are. This problem is unique to digital publishers, and engaging audiences is critical to the success puzzle.

But how do you do it? How do you find your audience and truly engage them, setting yourself apart in a crowded and very loud online news space?

Define your mission

Who are you as a publisher? This a question you’ve likely asked yourself a hundred times. Are you serving a local community? Are you serving a tech space or an arts and entertainment space? Whatever your niche or mission, you should know and do it well.

Once you know who you are, you can refine your content creation process and serve your audience efficiently.

Then, find out who your audience is

Figuring out who you want to reach is a critical step—and yes, “everyone” is the wrong answer. Your audience is expecting content that speaks their language, so to speak. You won’t talk to a 20-year-old college student in New York like you’d address her mother in small-town Indiana. They have different priorities and interests and are not likely to respond the same way to a headline.

Here are some questions you can ask to identify your audience:

• Where are they located?
•  What’s the age range?
•  Political leanings?
•  Special interests?
•  What formats do they prefer? Are they podcast listeners? Videos? Graphics? Good old-fashioned written reporting?

You’re off to a great start if you can pin down most of the above. Take some time to dive into your social media analytics and see who engages with you.

Branch out into other mediums

How you present your content to your audience matters. The efficiency of publishers and engaging audiences well all depends on your format.

Enter: Products. This means newsletters, podcasts, infographics, and more.

Users are not reading the way they used to. The amount of information available is overwhelming, and publishers succeed when they meet audiences where they are. If they get news from specialized podcasts while they drive to work or do their laundry, it is the publisher’s job to meet them there.

Livestreams and Liveblogs can add urgency, providing up-to-the-minute information for important events. Segmented newsletters can let your audience opt-in.

In short, products are an essential part of content creation. Hire a video editor. Hire a podcast producer. Invest in your development team to build dashboards for your users—whatever you can do to expand your content.

How True Anthem is helping publishers and engaging audiences

True Anthem is an AI solution to your everyday posting needs. If you want to dive deep into your analytics, we got you. Free your team up to branch out and engage your audience well—set up a demo today.