How going direct to consumer builds loyalty and engagement
Opinion
A direct-to-consumer model can help news organisations win in a fragmented environment by incentivising them to foster deeper connections with an audience that is opting in to their product.
The way people choose how and when to get their news continues to change both rapidly and unexpectedly with the adoption of new technology. Audiences are consuming more information than ever before and are getting their news in unexpected ways.
They are seeking diverse news, opinion, information and storytelling that’s in step with their interests, passions and daily habits.
There is near-universal acceptance in the industry that, in an era rife with news avoidance, misinformation and competition for attention, news organisations must work even harder to earn and keep audiences’ trust and loyalty.
Adhering to essential journalistic principles, producing a high quality of output and delivering distinctive, impactful journalism are all key facets to building and keeping an audience.
Fostering deeper connections
However, an increasing factor in fostering audience loyalty, trust and engagement is the adoption of direct-to-consumer strategies.
Too often, going direct to consumer is framed purely in monetary terms, with streaming and paywalls seen as the answer to offset declines in traditional sources of revenue. But the changing economics of news is only part of the equation.
Going direct to consumer offers much more beyond building a complementary business model. It can help news organisations win in a highly fragmented news environment by incentivising them to foster deeper connections with an engaged audience that is opting in to their product.
In my experience, implementing a direct-to-consumer strategy means recognising a symbiotic relationship between the consumer and the publisher. Media organisations need engaged audiences to fuel a direct-to-consumer business; a direct-to-consumer business model creates the incentive to generate better user experiences that command more engagement and loyalty.
I saw this at my previous career stops, most recently at The New York Times. Now, at CNN, we are focused on creating direct relationships with our audience by giving them products that they love to drive regular engagement, tap into people’s interests and are worth paying for.
CNN already has newsletters and podcasts. In October 2024, it debuted an audience-focused subscription offering on CNN.com, giving US subscribers unlimited access to all CNN journalism plus exclusive features.
Building on this work, CNN recently announced that a new streaming product will launch in the autumn, including live channels, catch-up features and VOD. It will be available across mobile app, CTV apps and at CNN.com.
There are also plans to launch CNN Weather as the business’ first standalone digital lifestyle product.
This strategy is built on deeply understanding and meeting the needs of the audience. With a focus on testing and learning, we use first-party data and real-time insight to directly respond to users’ behaviour.
Key to more launches will be an ability to take from previous learnings to bring improvements across a full suite of products and services.
For instance, we learned from the launch of the CNN.com subscription offering that users expect more premium content that is unique and serves a specific need. This is now being factored into our plans to launch future digital experiences.
Commercial benefits
As well as understanding the symbiotic relationship between publisher and audience, news organisations also need to consider another key group when implementing a direct-to-consumer strategy.
The increased consumer engagement and loyalty from publishers having a direct relationship with the audience can benefit commercial partners such as advertisers, which have greater opportunity to reach more engaged audiences with advanced targeting capabilities and relevancy.
Going direct to consumer won’t be to the detriment of the advertising offering if products are built in a way that integrates advertising in a smart way and which is additive to the overall user experience.
The biggest challenge, in my experience, is culture. Moving from a primarily ad-driven business to a direct-to-consumer business requires new skillsets across the organisation.
While news organisations have innovated in many areas such as use of technology and developing new formats, we are also inherently risk-adverse in other aspects because journalists must be diligent when it comes to output. “Test and learn” and “safe to fail” are not common terms in the news lexicon.
This is completely correct when it comes to producing news reporting, but they are essential for the development of new products and services — and, ultimately, building and engaging your audience for years to come.
Amanda Rottier is senior vice-president and head of growth at CNN