Pity the poor newspaper industry. With few exceptions, the old school print medium is in a world of hurt and has been for some time now. More and more communities are losing their newspaper. And in cities and towns where they solider on, the number of “print days” may be shrinking. Things weren’t going well pre-COVID. Now, in post pandemic America, it’s often a struggle for survival.
And yet, online newsletters are thriving. Business News Daily‘s Andrew Martins attributes part of their success to the growing distrust of media in general. He notes that because readers must opt in to receive newsletters, there is already inherent buy-in.
And for publishers of newsletters – a growing number of radio stations – the rewards can be impressive. Martins quotes a Storydoc study that claims off-the-charts subscribership to newsletters. Their research interviewed more than 1,100 Americans via the Amazon Mechanical platform. Their demographics lean quite a bit younger than the U.S. population.
And that might account for an aggressive finding: Nine in ten respondents say they subscribe to at least one email newsletter.
That’s a lot headier than what we see in our Public Radio Techsurveys. Our newest study asked our respondents whether they read online newsletters focused on their local area or region – a different question and a different sample than Storydoc’s.
Still, the results are impressive:
The fact that four in ten read locally-centric newsletters every day speaks volumes about their popularity.
Public radio stations have been especially active on the newsletter front. Most create more than one newsletter; some have several, often covering a wide range of topics. Some cover what you might expect – local news, events, and happenings.
But other topics are often issue-oriented, focusing on the local market and what is meaningful to its denizens. Topics can include the environment, gentrification, urban life, and other social issues germane to the audience.
The advantages of creating and publishing newsletters are numerous and noteworthy.
- They grow the email database – Subscribers readily provide their email addresses if the content is simpatico with their interests. And aggregating more fresh, current emails goes to the core of a successful digital strategy. Strategic stations use these fan bases to build better connections with the audience, promote programming content and events, and to provide more value to sponsors, underwriters, and advertisers.
- They reinforce audience interests – When stations choose email newsletter themes wisely, they build stronger links with like-minded listeners. A timely topic tells listeners the station “gets them” and what they consider meaningful and relevant.
- They can build personality brands – A host who’s into e-sports and gaming can only talk about their hobby in limited quantities on the air, especially on a music station. But a newsletter on the topics provides all sorts of “running room” for talent to dig into their interests, and in the process, bring listeners and others along for the ride.
- They can cover next-adjacent topics – Every radio audience is interested in things that transcend the station’s format, whether they program music or talk. Sports fans, for example, like other things besides scores, highlights, draft picks, and betting (although some of these subtopics might make newsletter fodder, too). Similarly, fans of music stations are into all sorts of hobbies, activities, and cultural areas that go well beyond “the top five at 5.” Tapping into mass appeal audience tastes opens up new worlds of connection.
- They can be/should be monetized – A newsletter that develops a following can provide more inventory and sponsor opportunities. Clients should be able to take advantage of a station’s sub-audience in the newsletter format. And aggregated views can generate digital advertising that consumers don’t block.
- They expand a station’s reach – At least in theory, the newsletter can go beyond the station’s cume to bring new people into the fold. Subscribers to the New York Times’ “Games” feature may not ever read the newspaper. That’s OK. The brand grows as more consumers are added to the entire enterprise.
- They offer greater engagement – Business News Daily quotes Jeff Kupietzky, CEO of Jeeng, an audience engagement agency: “Publishers are desperately seeking alternative channels to directly engage audiences, where they know their audiences will be guaranteed to see their content and the audience trusts the source.”
- They can lead to event marketing and merch sales – A newsletter with a loyal following – and one that has personality involvement – can spawn events, speaker series, and even merch products.
- It is almost always easier to produce words rather than audio or video – Producing podcasts, short-form videos, and other multimedia content can be time and staff-consuming. A well-written newsletter on any topic can include interviews, guest writers, and other features that may alleviate some of the work load on station staffers.
- Chatbots might come in handy – Depending on the subject matter, writing duties might be shared by this emerging technology. We have used ChatGPT to pen simple newsletter-like documents – things like “7 Springtime Gardening Tips” or “5 Inexpensive Family Activities To Do Around Town.” Learning how to get the most out of available chatbots might put station authors into a position where they’re doing mostly editing, tweaking copy generated by this technology.
I like the fact any radio station can produce newsletters and achieve results. While public radio stations are well out in front of this trend, stations of all stripes can participate.
In my prep for my presentation at CRS last month, I started looking around for country station that provided newsletters. There weren’t many, but I happened across this example with an accompanying video from Beasley’s country station in Charlotte, Country 103.7 WSOC:
There’s a “there there” for radio station newsletter, content creation any station can do.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I read several newsletters daily. The biggest attraction is that I can skim through the content quickly and focus on what interests me. You really can’t do that as effectively with audio content. Both media have their strengths, and a well-written intro may induce me to listen to a podcast, and obviously a podcast can be accessed while doing other things (like driving) but it’s the written word that makes me want to play the podcast in the first place. It’s all just another reminder that good writing and editing skills are critical to creating good content!
Exactly, Brian.
Any recommendations to check out?
I would start with public radio. Chances are your local station has one (or more). Go from there. Subscribe to a dozen and find ones you like. For more general interest ones, Axios and Morning Brew.
One of my fav NPR shows is Saturday’s Morning Edition with Scott Simon. I rarely listen to all two hours 7-9am Central, but I get a digest of his show in my email box on Sunday. Contains 3 or 4 highlights, in both audio and written forms. His opinion piece on a current subject is terrific.
Great article! This is something that every radio station should be doing to grow their brand and connect with their listeners.