Overview of this campaign
The objective of this campaign was to reimagine how video can create discovery, engagement, and long-term value for premium journalism – beyond the front page.
As Norway’s largest news publisher, VG relies on subscriptions to fund independent, high-quality journalism. Yet most VG content is free, and only 12–13% of front-page exposure is paid content, meaning premium stories often lose visibility within hours. We therefore set out to use video not as a standalone format, but as a scalable gateway into premium journalism – helping long-tail consumer and personal finance stories remain visible, engaging, and valuable over time.
The campaign was built around four clear objectives:
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Reach more potential subscribers by creating video-led entry points beyond the front page, so premium stories can be discovered over time – not only at the moment of publication.
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Engage younger, mobile-first audiences by moving beyond traditional text-led formats and offering a more visual, intuitive experience designed for mobile consumption.
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Extend the life of long-tail content by distributing premium stories through video, curated playlists, and embedded placements across relevant articles – keeping them visible and discoverable long after front-page promotion ends.
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Build a visual-first storytelling experience that increases subscription value by integrating video directly into the VG+ product to increase time spent and deeper engagement, while maintaining full editorial control and integrity.
Together, these objectives demonstrate best use of video by turning it into scalable gateway to premium journalism – built for visual discovery, depth, and subscriber value.
Results for this campaign
The initiative delivered clear, measurable results across discovery, engagement, and subscription value - proving video’s effectiveness when integrated as a core part of the premium journalism experience.
By introducing video-led entry points, embedded playlists and Stories beyond the front page, VG significantly extended the lifespan of premium journalism. Long-tail consumer and personal finance articles that previously lost visibility within hours now remain discoverable for weeks and months, reaching thousands of additional readers over time. This reduced reliance on front-page promotion and ensured sustained exposure for premium content.
Video proved to be a strong and increasingly effective driver of engagement: Across multiple premium stories, more than 20% of viewers clicked directly from video to the full premium article, with individual cases exceeding 25% video-to-article conversion. Since launching the initiative in June, we have seen a steady increase in clicks on the videos’ «Read article» button, indicating growing discovery over time and stronger user habits of moving from short-form video into in-depth premium journalism. These results show how video functions as a reliable gateway to paid content - guiding users deeper into the journalism rather than replacing it.
The campaign also strengthened engagement with younger, mobile-first audiences. In one example, a video-led story achieved hundreds of thousands of views across social platforms, and the video-driven premium article was read by nearly 130,000 people, with particularly strong interest among younger audiences - showing how video can convert attention into meaningful engagement with paid journalism.
By increasing our use of video, we have strengthened our focus on visual-first storytelling across premium journalism. Video is now more frequently integrated directly into articles, supported by reader data that helps identify drop-off points and guide targeted editorial improvements to structure, pacing, and visual storytelling. This approach improves completion rates, increases time spent, and creates a more engaging premium experience.
Together, these results show how video became a scalable engine for premium discovery, engagement, and long-term value beyond the front page.
Contact
To contact a company representative about this campaign,
click here for the INMA Member Directory
