Cuttings: Breadth, Depth and WhatsApp
Insights into audience development, newsletter strategy, and just how much bigger than us Facebook is.
Lucy's guide to the flabby middle
Lucy Küng, quoted by Jacob Granger, reporting from today's News Rewired conference:
- Newsletters are the breadth. They are a launchpad for direct, owned channel to build initial awareness and trust, helping publishers carve out a niche and bypass the algorithms that dominate social platforms. In a world where audience attention is fragmented, newsletters offer a rare opportunity for consistent, high-engagement touchpoints.
- Podcasts provide depth. They foster strong one-sided relationships, allowing news organisations to tell richer stories and build more loyal, engaged communities. While podcast audiences may be smaller, their engagement is deeper – making them a powerful tool for brand building and audience retention.
- Events are the conversion engine. Live and in-person experiences turn passive followers into active fans, dramatically increasing ARPU (average revenue per user) and opening up high-value sponsorship and partnership opportunities. However, Küng cautions that events require significant investment, new competencies, and a willingness to experiment outside traditional newsroom comfort zones.
This is a beautiful expression of what Sarah Marshall called the “flabby middle of the audience funnel”.
This is the area we should have been working on all last decade: not just accepting search and social traffic, but converting it into direct relationships using these tools. It's not too late to start now. But tomorrow, it might be.
Lucy Küng: How publishers can thrive in the creator economy
Where do news organisations fit in to a landscape dominated by creators and fuelled by generative AI? ‘Stop being bystanders and gatecrash the party’
Jacob Granger
