Market forces drive smart content decisions

Recently I was part of a strategic content planning session for a traditional newsroom. Given that the newspaper had recently been through a couple rounds of buyouts and layoffs, like most newspapers, I figured there would be some serious reinvention occurring in this brainstorming meeting.

Boy, was I wrong.

The editors, reporters and visual journalists went about outlining the priorities of their current product. Then they discussed which could be grouped together and which were more important. But there was no new thinking.

I suggested that one of the priorities should be content that is “marketable.” This caused some confusion. Since news is an advertising-supported operation (both in print and online) I didn’t think this would be such a foreign concept. Several times I was asked to clarify. Since I don’t think I made my point clear enough, I’m going to take another stab:

Content that is marketable means that the target audience is desirable to advertisers, either because of its size or quality (or, in the case of a site like Techcrunch, both). Local news operations are struggling to find the right balance between quality and quantity.

According to this N.Y. Times piece, and based on anecdotal feedback I’ve heard from site directors, scores of page views across a local news web site aren’t necessarily a good thing. Local news sites are organized based on the print sectioning that was invented because of press configurations (local, sports, business, lifestyle) and has been around for decades. Advertisers can’t put their finger on the demographic they might reach with this format. It’s not nearly targeted enough in today’s digital world.

So smart news operations have launched niche sites for moms, dads, pets, shopping, home and garden and, more traditionally, arts and entertainment. And if not topical, then hyperlocal. These are markets. You can picture an ad rep explaining to a prospective advertiser who they will reach when placing an ad in one of those sections.

Meanwhile, in this strategic planning session, the priorities discussed included “people stories,” “sense of place,” “talker of the day,” and “authority/personality.” Those are fine attributes of great newspaper journalism. But the sad reality is that great journalism is not the same thing as great journalism business.

Also discussed were the cornerstones of breaking news and accountability. These are a news operation’s loss leaders; they don’t form a specific market either. But they can draw a transient audience with their “click candy” characteristics and bring in new visitors who are then introduced to the rest of the content lineup that hopefully attracts a more loyal following.

A newspaper doing what it’s always done, but better, is not a recipe for reinvention. Nor is it a healthy business model. Just look at the newspaper readership data since 1970. It’s time to get away from the mass, generalized, one-size-fits-all approach that made sense in the era of limited publishing capabilities (see Vin Crosbie’s excellent essays for more).

News operations need markets, their own markets, to monetize and fund the future. Most have the tools at their disposal. It’s simply a matter of strategic planning.

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One Response to “Market forces drive smart content decisions”

  1. Stan says:

    Stan

    Market forces drive smart content decisions | Journalism 2.0

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