Emma Löfgren, editor at The Local and contributor at The Fix, just published five key insights she learned when interviewing leading experts for her limited-run course on how newsrooms can build, grow, and serve their audience.

It’s great advice for audience teams and newsrooms as a whole:

1. You can’t build without tools

To leverage the power of your audience, your newsroom needs the equipment to handle it. That goes for your staff structure as well as work processes and content management systems. 

Löfgren interviewed Dmitry Shishkin, CEO of Ringier Media International, whose advice was, “If you have 10 people and one of them resigns, hire an audience person.” 

He also made the same point audience experts on my recent Webinar made, which is that newsrooms need audience experts who are fluent in both data and journalism. It won’t work if you simply hire someone who is deeply knowledgeable in metrics if they don’t also understand editorial processes.

2. Social media doesn’t have to change your journalism

Listening to your audience and responding to its needs is far more important than what app or platform you use. 

Löfgren talked to Johanna Rüdiger, who manages social media strategy for Deutsche Welle’s culture and documentary department, and was reminded that social media platforms are a means, not an end. And by focusing on how to best serve your audience, you’ll be less constricted and reliant upon social media channels as your delivery mechanisms.

3. Learn about the audience you don’t have

It’s not enough to simply understand your current audience and why people are reading your content — what do you know about people who don’t? 

Trusting News founder Joy Mayer told Löfgren she wishes journalists would more regularly sit down with audiences they don’t reach to ask why those people don’t feel well-served by their journalism. Here’s a good piece from the Local Media Association on the power of a listening tour.

4. Service does not equal subservience

Changing the way you conduct your journalism by listening to and taking your audience seriously helps build trust. But changing your fundamental editorial values to pander to the mood of individual members of the audience isn’t trustworthy. 

Löfgren gleaned that insight from Julia Agha, CEO of Alkompis, Sweden’s largest news site for Arabic-speakers. Löfgren said that’s the tough part about audience-building we don’t talk about enough.

5. Don’t skimp 

If you’re going to do something, don’t do it half-heartedly. 

Tav Klitgaard, CEO of Danish scale-up Zetland, told Löfgren too many media entrepreneurs start small and try to keep their budget low — and end up with a product that isn’t as good as it could be or doesn’t consider the full package of the news experience. 

“If you want to create a habit among people, you can’t do that with a Substack newsletter that comes once a month,” he told her. 

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