4. x
Introduction
As a progressive, independent “outsider” in the news world, Truthdig lives up to its motto of “drilling beneath the headlines” by producing in-depth
stories with integrity. Truthdig values boots-on-the-ground reporting, fact-finding, unapologetic vetting, holding the powerful accountable and
upholding core journalistic values. This clarity of mission is at the core of Truthdig’s voice. When it does its job well, it knows the audience it is
addressing. This is a central tenet of publishing in the Internet age: Content that tries to appeal to many falls short, but content that tries to appeal to
one group ends up appealing to many.
Truthdig has won numerous honors, from Webbys to SPJ awards. Producing high-quality content is essential to the modern publishing business
model. But producing content is only the first step. In the ever-shifting media landscape, outlets must curate that content and follow a variety of
strategies in order to present it to audiences. Therefore, we will suggest a multi-pronged approach to more effectively monetize content, fortify the
core returning audience, and get Truthdig’s content in front of new audiences without sacrificing its identity.
Following the plan we will lay out here will not be easy, nor will it alone guarantee success. It is essential to engage people in Truthdig’s own story
before telling the stories of others. In order for the appropriate organizational changes to occur, there must be a unified buy-in across the entire
Truthdig team, staff and contributors. Truthdig’s faith in the theory that journalism comes first has led to groundbreaking and revolutionary reporting.
We’re here to help you get that in front of more people.
Truthdig’s model of publishing and hope to attract an audience against which it can sell banner ads is no longer viable. What Truthdig needs to do is
engage in a comprehensive strategy that grows its core, returning audience. From there, it needs to engage and with that audience in a variety of
ways in order to create new revenue streams that will come from an evolution of its current ad business, a new membership strategy, an ability to
dialogue with foundations and other parties that want to fund its reporting. It will be necessary to understand the behaviours of its current audience in
order to devise a way to evaluate the success of its content. This will require a cultural shift
5. x
Introduction
Audience Analysis:
Clear metrics will help unravel who is being targeted versus who is being reached.
Competitor Landscape:
Analyzing the competition will demonstrate not only what Truthdig is, but what it can be.
Content Analysis:
A look at what has been the most successful in terms of publishing schedule, audience reach, social engagement and returning readers.
Content Recommendations:
A refinement of the previous three sections into clear recommendations.
Publishing Strategy:
Doubling down on the core audience will require a redesign and redistribution of content on social platforms.
Business Development:
Money and audiences are connected. Content is what enables outlets to connect with audiences and be the kind of place people return to. That
connection opens doors to new revenue models in three categories: sponsored content, events, and membership.
Final Recommendations:
How it all fits together.
7. x
Audience
In any communications venture, understanding the audience is the most important business insight you
can have. Knowing whom you are talking to or writing for helps craft messages that will resonate
better and, therefore, come across more effectively.
Learning audience habits is crucial for achieving Truthdig’s goals of growing its core readership and
successfully monetizing its content. The public’s reactions to Truthdig’s articles can help guide editorial
content in directions that will resonate better with users, cause deeper impact, stimulate change and drive
improved financial results.
The analysis of users’ navigation data on multiple Truthdig channels can generate rich insights. For this to
happen, however, it is important to pore over the information with the lenses of efficient and accurate
metrics. In this part of the report, we make suggestions about the best concepts to look at with Google
Analytics and Facebook Insights, tools that are currently available to TD.
Overview
8. x
Audience
“Returning visitors” is probably the most important metric for gauging the success of a modern media
outlet. In an era when business models are driven by either volume (scale) or by sense of community
(love), loyalty – as seen by “returning visitors” – is directly tied to success. A user that comes back once is
more likely to return for a second time and consequently become a regular user, making newsletter
signups and subscriptions easier.
Adding to “returning visitors” and helping form a complete picture, “pages per session” points to the level
of engagement, and, again, loyalty of the users that are coming back to Truthdig. This number
demonstrates how many articles a person opened while browsing the website. It complements time spent
on site – which is a number that may sometimes be distorted depending on users’ browsing habits – and
can give an idea of how successful the content is at capturing the reader’s attention.
Metrics to Consider: Website
9. x
Audience
“Pages per session" is also an important metric to gauge validity of a “recommended articles” tab at the
bottom of the article. An indication of popular or similar articles, much like Amazon’s “Reader who bought
that also bought this,” can play an important role in keeping readers engaged on the site.
“Acquisition” is a data point that shows how users found the page and where they’re coming from. It tells
if traffic to Truthdig.com came from users typing the address on the browser bar, if it came from search
engines or if users stumbled upon a link on social media. It’s important to analyze success – or not – of
loyalty, SEO, social media and advertising strategies.
“Visitor location” is not a number. It has its value, however, in telling where site visitors are physically
logging in. If there’s a preponderance of users from specific cities or regions, that is important information
that should be considered when developing an event outreach strategy. Knowing users’ locations can
help Truthdig plan the best places to host its in-person meetings and maximize crowd turnout.
Metrics to Consider: Website
10. x
Audience
Shares are important because they indicate that a Facebook user has posted the content on their
personal news feed – which shows interest – but also because it “tells” the platform’s algorithm that the
content is interesting and worth showing other readers. This will boost organic reach for the post and can
save advertising dollars.
Clicks will indicate if people are going back to the website from the social/digital content. The three
monetization suggestions make it important to have audience engaging with the articles on the website
and being exposed to newsletter signups and to event invitations.
Ultimately, comments are a sign that people are interested in talking to the publication and engaging with
its content. Nevertheless, it should only be considered if there’s active community management and a
Truthdig representative available to answer questions and address concerns. Otherwise it becomes a
“vanity metric.”
Metrics to Consider: Facebook
11. x
Audience
Looking at the data from Truthdig.com and from Truthdig’s Facebook page, we were able to draw a
picture of the site’s average returning reader. We decided to focus on that group because they are the
visitors that matter. In the age of free content, returning readers are the modern equivalent of newspaper
subscribers: they are loyal followers and those who you should cater to.
Returning visitors generated more than half of all sessions (51.3%). In terms of loyalty, that is a solid
number. It shows loyalty that can be tapped when appealing to subscriptions and event invitations.
The number of returning visitors becomes even more impressive when we consider that:
• Returning visitors spend 3:45 minutes on the site. That’s more than twice the time new Truthdig visitors
use to navigate pages (1:47 minute).
• Returning readers look at more pages than new users: 2.13 pages against 1.59 page, respectively.
Returning Website Visitor
12. x
Audience
It’s clear that the number of Truthdig followers on the platform has been steadily increasing. In the first
four months of 2016 alone, the number of fans who subscribe to Truthdig’s page grew by 7.4 percent.
Most of these new signups have come from Facebook’s own “Recommended Pages,” not from proactive
outreach.
Another important element to call out is that there are competitors, such as The Nation, who are
generating more engagement with fewer posts. Although the magazine does have more than twice the
followers as Truthdig, it posts only one third as much content, reducing its organic reach, but also
decreasing the risk of overwhelming its followers.
Just as returning visitors are important to website metrics, engaged fans are the most loyal on Facebook.
That’s why we’ve decided to focus on those for this analysis.
The data clearly shows that, even though men aged 25-34 are the largest group on Truthdig’s fan page
(representing 12% of the total), men between the ages of 45-54 and 55-64 are the ones who are most
active with Truthdig content on the platform.
Loyal Facebook Fan
13. x
Audience
Even though men between the ages of 45-54 and 55-64 don’t receive as much content as other
demographic segments due to Facebook algorithm’s triage, these two groups are by far the most
engaged. They are also urban, logging onto the platform primarily from cities like New York, Los Angeles,
but also from Chicago, Portland, Seattle and San Francisco.
Understanding what time they are looking at Truthdig content, if they’re seeing it on their news feed or on
the fan page’s home screen and testing what kind of multimedia content better engages with them is
crucial to make them even more loyal.
An important note is that Truthdig’s most popular posts on Facebook only reach about 10% of their
fan base organically. Investing some money to target the most engaged audiences can be an effective
way to make the content more popular and to reach new readers.
Loyal Facebook Fan
14. x
Audience
The real test, however, is how to convert first-time website visitors into returning users. Another
test is finding the best way to “monetize” these visits, be it by making the case for membership or by
inviting users to attend Truthdig events.
When we consider how these returning users arrived at truthdig.com, almost half (48%) came from typing
in or pasting the URL into their browser, or clicking on a bookmark. The second most popular origin is
social media (22%), closely followed by organic search (20%). Referrals, which are sessions generated
from links in articles in other sites, also play a significant role, with 9 percent.
The Challenge
15. x
Audience
Drilling down on search terms that drove traffic to the homepage, “Truthdig” is by far the most important.
However, “Chris Hedges” also represents a significant portion of the visitors coming from search
engines to the website.
Most of the returning users are logging in from metropolitan areas, specifically Los Angeles, New
York and San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose. Further down the list are fourth place Seattle/Tacoma,
followed by Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
As a curiosity, through Google Analytics it’s also possible to tell which were the articles that acted as
“landing pages” for viewers. In other words, which was the first page a visitor saw when browsing
Truthdig.com. During the first quarter of 2016, the most popular piece was Chris Hedges’ “The Revenge
of the Lower Classes and the Rise of American Fascism.” Even though it had no multimedia content apart
from a picture of Donald Trump, almost half of the traffic (47%) came from social media.
The Challenge
16. x
Audience
Understanding how to identify and track are the necessary first steps you need to take in order to create
content that is interesting and engaging. The internet has reshaped media outlets’ business models and
forced them to adopt approaches either focused on scale or on tight-knit communities.
Because of its vision, Truthdig most likely won’t fit into the scale model. In addition, the site already boasts
a loyal following, involved with the articles and connected with opinions and values. In order to grow the
number of returning visitors, however, there are opportunities to adapt the content that is currently being
produced to better address audiences’ needs.
We’ve mapped and ranked, according to number of readers and average engagement, different
personas that represent three different tiers of Truthdig readers. This is a broad representation that
aims to help staff better understand who they are writing for and, to help them keep in mind the
audiences’ points of view and worries.
Who They Are
17. x
Urban men between 45 and 54
George Cohen, 50, is a freelance photographer from Los Angeles. He lives in La Brea
with his wife and two daughters in a house. He’s still paying off the mortgage. He has a
graduate degree and has lived abroad, which gave him a global perspective that he
seeks to share with his children.
Truthdig appeals to George because it gives him a deeper understanding on the hard news he gets from
CNN. He also appreciates the opinion pieces and the arts and culture section. George navigates straight
to the website, but also shares many of the articles to his social media pages.
The tier 1 audience is mostly self-employed or business owners. They rely on the internet for generating
business, networking and interacting with friends and family. Overall, these people care about national
politics and worry about how government policy is not creating a level playing field for all Americans.
Audience
Tier 1
18. x
Audience
Urban women between 35 and 44
Joanne Smalling, 41, graduated from Wellesley College and moved to New York City’s
Upper East Side. She now holds a senior executive position at Brystol-Myers Squibb, in
Midtown Manhattan. Her biggest worry is her son Michael’s future. She recently gained
custody of her 6 year-old after divorcing her husband of 11 years.
Truthdig occasionally appears on Joanne’s social media feed, both on Twitter and Facebook, because her
circle of friends share many of her views about politics and culture. Although she clicks and engages with
the content, she doesn’t normally navigate directly to truthdig.com.
Your tier 2 audience is financially solid and active in their lives and careers. They are internet-savvy and
use social networking applications regularly. They are up-to-date with news in their neighborhoods.
Specific hot button topics for them are the environment, animal rights and issues affecting their
communities.
Tier 2
19. x
Audience
Men between 25 and 34
David Infante, 26, is an Oakland transplant from the Midwest. He’s in an open
relationship and doesn’t have kids yet, although he plans on having three. Dave is a
marketing associate at Blue Bottle Coffee and, even though he admires the company’s
culture and enjoys the work environment, he wants to start a store that sells sustainably
harvested bamboo furniture.
This group is mostly comprised of highly educated individuals working on a degree or recently out of
graduate school. Technology is an integral part of their lives; they never leave the house without their
smartphones. On the other hand, they are also into DIY trends and crafty, vintage products.
They’re an older slice of the Millennial generation that is being called Yuccies: Young Urban Creatives.
They’re goal is to achieve financial stability and preserve creative autonomy.
Tier 3
20. x
Audience
Women between 55 and 64
Rosie, 62, is a Washingtonian who is extremely active on social media since her
grandson, Michael, taught her how to use Facebook. Since then, she has been
navigating the platform to stay in touch with friends and family and to stay up-to-date
and comment on policy – a topic that is very dear to her. Otherwise, she has a low key,
home-centered lifestyle, big on inexpensive pleasures such as sewing and gardening.
The future of her five grandchildren are, by far, her biggest worry. She doesn’t want them to reach her age
with the same financial limitations that she occasionally encounters. That’s why, along with benefits,
Medicare and Medicaid, education is a big issue on her mind.
Tier 3
21. x
Audience
Business goals:
1. Grow returning visitors - producing content that constantly reaches them
2. Increase the number of pages per session from returning visitors
Considerations to evaluate post performance and results:
- Compare apples to apples. Only articles in the same category should be measured against each
other
- Overall views and, among those, how many were from returning visitors
- Adults read, on average, 150 words per minute. Measuring users’ time spent on page can relay if
stories are too long
- Social media engagement tends to be more accurate from the website. Social shares from the
article page are a good indicator of engagement and interest
- Keeping a finger on the pulse and engaging the community. The number of comments and their
tone are also a good indicator of how articles are resonating with readers
Other Takeaways
23. We are seeking to create a baseline against which
Truthdig can measure itself. We chose to focus on
other progressive publications: The Nation, Common
Dreams and Truth-Out.
Mission / message
Comparing their self-formulated mission helps clarify
how the publications identify themselves. Are they
able to transmit their message?
UMVs / Alexa rank
What can UMVs and Alexa rank tell us?
Competitor
Analysis
24.
25. x
Competition - overview
All the progressive publications on our grid have similar slogans and mission. Truthdig, Truthout and
Common Dreams are native digital publications, while The Nation is the oldest continuously published
weekly magazine in the United States, which also has an active digital presence. But what’s the unspoken
message of their home pages?
The Nation and Common Dreams have a focus. Their most important piece of content – main story – is
the attention-getter on top of the site. The publication has made a choice that is offered for the reader.
Truthdig and Truthout are less focused. A lot of information, tags and small headlines are hiding the main
message. What does Truthdig want its visitors to do when they enter the site? This is not clear.
Same mission. Clear message?
26.
27. x
Competition - numbers
Truthdig is doing well when comparing its Unique Monthly Visitors to those of the other progressive,
independent news sites. Truthdig has even surpassed the UMVs of The Nation. But what do UMVs tell
us? Traditionally, a publication would communicate its status and sell ads against eyeballs. Now, the
question is: What is TD doing to convert first-time website visitors into returning users?
There is a discrepancy between TD’s self-reported UMV and Alexa rank. Alexa has its own algorithm for
estimating the percentage of the internet visiting a site. In its rank, Truthdig is behind all its three
competitors. Alexa rank does not tell the proportion of returning users either, but allows us to compare
these sites’ overall attractiveness for advertisers.
Truthdig should understand which metric matters the most. It can pride itself on it’s UMV. But it should be
wise enough understand the importance of the rising curve of returning users.
Highest UMV, lowest Alexa rank
29. x
Content
Creating engaging, insightful content is the core of what Truthdig does. It is what makes the Truthdig experience valuable for both
the staff and the readers. But creating good content is hard and time consuming. The most precious resource for Truthdig staff is
their own time. Figuring out how they are spending that time and what type of content users find to be most valuable can help
guide the organization on a path toward success.
In this section, we will examine the content over a two month period, providing insight into how much time is spent in each area of
content on the site. In comparison, we take a look into the pageviews for each area of content.
By comparing the two, it will become clear which areas of the site audiences enjoy and spend more time with, thus determining
the proposed areas of focus for journalists. We will also take a look into the impact of Truthdig author Chris Hedges, and how he
has impacted the organization as a whole.
Drilldown
32. x
Content
It is important to understand the relationship between Truthdig and
one of its leading talents, Chris Hedges. As an influential political voice
and widely recognized thought leader, the value Mr. Hedges brings to
the publication is undeniable.
However, in a partnership where one talent commands such control
over a significant portion of an organization’s numbers, long-term
success in favor of the organization is not sustainable.
In this section, our team assessed Mr. Hedges’ contributions and thus
impact on Truthdig’s audiences. Using Google Analytics, Facebook
Insights and other proprietary site data, here is what we found.
Chris Hedges’ Impact
33. x
Content
Content for 2/25/2016 - 4/25/2016
Top 10 ranked pages by unique site
visitors (Google Analytics):
1. Homepage
2. Chris Hedges
3. Chris Hedges
4. Chris Hedges - profile
5. -
6. Chris Hedges
7. -
8. -
9. Chris Hedges
10. Chris Hedges
During the given two-month timeframe, the site published 812 content pieces, 14 of which were
authored by or feature Hedges, who on average appears to publish one article per week.
However, Chris Hedges’ publish dates do not show any consistencies in day of the week or number of
articles per week, which may imply the author operates autonomously within the organization.
These contributions amount to only 1.7% of the total content, and yet still manage to command
audience numbers to appear seven times on the top 10 pages list by unique site visitors. Considering
this, it is necessary, then, to take a deeper look at what these numbers mean for the independent health
of the publication.
By the numbers:
Over two months, Truthdig had 4.68 million unique page views across the entire site
Hedges’ top 7 pages accounted for 9.86% (461,448) of that number
Nearly one-tenth (9.93%) of unique visitors entered the site directly to access Hedges’ article, “The
Revenge of the Lower Classes and the Rise of American Fascism” (#2 visited page overall)
After reading the article, 68.07% of that number (6.76% of total site visitors) exited the site
without reading anything else.
Chris Hedges’ profile, at the #4 spot, is visited by 1.32% of unique
visitors; 70.76% (43,831) of that number will remain on the
site to open another page, likely a Chris Hedges article.
Chris Hedges - The Numbers
#5,7,8 content authors are unknown.
34. x
Content
Content for 2/25/2016 - 4/25/2016 We also took a sample of Chris Hedges’ most recent headlines and a random sample of
headlines from other authors across the site for a side-by-side comparison of keywords
(Table 1). What we found, was that:
Chris Hedges Impact - Making Headlines
Table 1. Headline Keywords
Chris Hedges TruthDig
The Graveyard of the Elites
Obama Is Wrong About Social Movements and
Activists
The Revenge of the Lower Classes and the
Rise of American Fascism
Despite Chernobyl, Belarus Goes Nuclear
US-led Invasion of Libya Opened Up
Massive Arsenals to Terrorists: Interview with
Chris Hedges
Mexican Human Rights Defenders Say They’re
Targets of a Smear Campaign
The Mexicanization of the United States
The Mainstream Media’s Big Disconnect: Why
They Don’t Get Middle America
Pulitzer Winner Hedges Speaks on Justice
for Palestine
A Big Win for the Anti-Fracking Movement as
Another Majora Pipeline Proposal Bites the Dust
Chris Hedges on Terrorist Attacks in
Brussels: ‘Our Violence Is What Created
These Groups’ (Video)
The Real Hillary Clinton
The Lie of Patriotism
Why Can’t The Nation and the Left Deal With
Election Theft?
The Wages of Sin
A Dictionary of Euphemisms for Imperial Decline
Revolution Is in the Air
U.S. Government Finally Forgives Billions in
Student Debt of Those Who’ve Become Disabled
Figure 1. Chris Hedges’ Headline Keywords
Hedges’ selection
● Emphasized mainly confrontational,
“otherizing” keywords (Figure 1),
● A tone that is emphatic, rousing and
angry, communicated with
● A voice that is authoritative and
unmoving.
Whereas our comparative selection was
● Less energized, and communicated with
● An opinion that is more suggestive to
encourage further contemplation.
However, both voices do reflect a progressive
dissatisfaction with the status quo that is faithful to
the Truthdig brand.
35. x
Content
In summary, Chris Hedges is a powerful traffic driver to the Truthdig site, and for many audiences, he and his content is a, if not the, main attraction
for site visitors.
However, if all of this audience attention continues to accrue to Hedges with no supervision, Truthdig faces significant risks in diluting its own brand
recognition, or, more gravely, losing its brand identity to that of Chris Hedges. Here, we can apply the concept of “co-opetition,” or cooperative
competition. If the relationship between the publication and its talent is not managed properly, Truthdig risks no longer being the main beneficiary in
the business partnership. Or should the partnership end, the losses to Truthdig may be irretrievable.
That said, Truthdig must take measurable steps to proactively protect its brand and business. We will explore how in the next section.
Chris Hedges’ Impact
37. x
Content
In order to increase reader engagement, it is important to understand what content people tend to click or share. In our current ecosystem, the
lifecycle of content is click-share-click-share and so forth. If that chain breaks, content stops circulating.
A study conducted in 2008 found viral content often possesses particular attributes. Content can be plotted on a quadrant. Articles that elicit strong
emotional reactions (joy, anger) are more likely to be shared than those that generate low-energy emotions (satisfaction, depression). And content
associated with positive emotions (joy, satisfaction) are clicked on more than articles associated with negative emotions (anger, depression).
In sum, articles that arouse higher levels of emotions are likely to increase audience engagement, and articles that arouse higher level of positive
emotions would have the highest chance of audience engagement.
With this in mind, the following page presents a quadrant that includes four levels of emotions: anger, joy, depression, satisfaction. We have
examined where Truthdig’s articles generally lie on the quadrant, and where the ideal balance would be going forward.
Guidelines for Engagement
38. x
Content
Hit not only anger (highly negative) but also joy
(highly positive) in some regularity, and promote on
social media
Quadrant for Measuring Engagement
1. Bernie Sanders 'Movement' Sees Progressives Planning Next Step (Apr.
26, 2016) – Gage Skidmore
2. Seymour Hersh on Sanders and Clinton: ‘Something … Amazing Is
Happening in This Country’ (Video, Apr. 28, 2016)
3. Jane Sanders Says Bernie Would Lead a NaUonal Movement Whether
or Not He Wins the Presidency (Apr. 30, 2016) – Alexander Reed Kelly
4. Actor Danny DeVito Endorses Bernie Sanders in the U.S. and Jeremy
Corbyn in the U.K. (Videos, Apr. 11, 2016)
5. Not He Wins the Presidency (Video, Apr. 30, 2016)
6. ‘Young Turks’ Shows How DNC and 33 State ParUes Used Loopholes to
Put Millions Into ‘Hillary Fund’ (Apr. 6, 2016) – Alexandra Rosenmann
1. Keeping Wall Street Speeches Secret Speaks Volumes About Hillary
Clinton (May 1, 2016) = Bill Blum
2. The Socialist AlternaUve (May 1, 2016) – Chris Hedges
3. Trump Fills a Vacuum Lec by the GOP (May 3, 2016) – Eugene
Robinson
4. Seymour Hersh on Sanders and Clinton: ‘Something … Amazing Is
Happening in This Country’ (Apr. 28, 2016)
5. Michael Moore Blasts Obama in an Open Leeer About the Flint Water
Crisis (Apr. 27, 2016) – Emma Niles
6. The Real Hillary Clinton (Apr. 24, 2016) – Lila Garree
7. When Will the ‘28 Pages’ From 9/11 Commission Report Be
Moderate
8 6
1
Negative
High Neg
39. x
Content
In the previous section, our team took both quantitative and qualitative steps to measuring the
impact Chris Hedges has on the publication’s overall health.
What we found was, that Hedges is a formidable force in attracting audiences to Truthdig. While this
may have proven to be a strategic partnership thus far for driving initial business growth, it is not
sustainable in the long term.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate two scenarios of projected audience growth over time.
In Figure 3, the organization continues to rely on traffic generated by an independent talent, until the
talent’s brand recognition eclipses that of the platform for which it provides its services. In this model,
growth is accelerated, plateaus, and ultimately falls off.
Figure 4 demonstrates a scenario in which talent is managed appropriately and resources are
distributed in strategic equilibrium across contributors. Here, growth is slowed; however, in mitigating
Truthdig’s reliance on Chris Hedges for numbers, the organization develops and strengthens the
foundation for its own continued success as the main beneficiary.
Improving talent management can be done in many ways, such as setting a schedule for submission
deadlines, and supporting other site contributors through mentions and hyperlinks included in
content pieces (i.e. “For a deeper look, read Bob’s article on the topic here.”). Encouraging support
for one another throughout the ecosystem will democratize voices, better balancing the scales to
drive long-term success.
Strategic Recommendations - Chris Hedges
40. x
Content
We would like to recommend the following to secure Truthdig’s long-term success, by:
Building a core Truthdig audience that engages with all of Truthdig
Chris Hedges is more than a columnist, he is a presence at Truthdig. In this sense, he is inarguably an asset. Therefore, Truthdig should continue to
feature Hedges and capitalize on the value he creates on a weekly basis. However, it is crucial for Truthdig to look out for the greater health of its
business, which includes other talents who contribute to its bottom line. Truthdig should then allocate increased efforts and resources to promoting
awareness of its other stand-out contributors.
Proposed action: Develop a campaign to spotlight different authors each week.
The spotlight columnist can be introduced in a note from the editor, with a selection of his or her best performing and most recent posts
featured on the homepage. This tactic encourages audiences to engage with Truthdig and its contributors in a more intimate way;
builds awareness surrounding overlooked talent; and directs audiences to evergreen content, in turn building the business’ long-tail.
Elevating Truthdig as an independent brand with a differentiated brand identity
Truthdig continues to successfully attract voices who share in the organization’s mission of challenging establishment views - and Chris Hedges’
voice is not an exception. However, we must recognize and address the strength of his already established personal brand that exists independent
of Truthdig. As the Truthdig brand grows with the help of Chris Hedges and his following, it is necessary to prioritize building a cross-organizational
identity, or else risk becoming a guest-star on the Chris Hedges Show.
Strategic Recommendations - Chris Hedges
41. x
Content
1. The current colors don’t speak to Truthdig’s voice. A font and color that will be more credible (i.e.
NYT logo) will draw in new readers that aren’t familiar with TD.
2. Color Pop (i.e. Maroon/Auburn): This is critical for social. When people are scrolling through their
newsfeeds, you want a logo+colors that will grab their attention.
3. Should consider a tagline that doesn’t have the word “drilling” in it. Going beneath the headlines
would be better, but drilling is associated with oil so the phrase could be misconstrued.
Design Recommendations - Logo
x
42. x
Content
Content should be organized and tagged properly so readers can easily find content.
1. Search bar for content
2. Tag content accordingly (with multiple tags)
3. Medium as a layout will help automate a big part of the organization process.
4. Headlines overlay visually captivating images - This will grab the attention of your readers if they aren’t grabbed by the headline
image for whatever reason.
5. Organized and easy to navigate content (i.e. categories such as ‘health’, ‘politics’, ‘religion’, ‘trending’, ‘new today’, etc.)
6. Category for Chris Hedge’s content: He is a big part of the draw to a lot of the content so want to make this clear on the
homepage.
7. Less is more. Don’t want the user to be too overwhelmed by the homepage or they will leave. Want to have just enough visuals
so they are interested enough to browse but not overwhelmed… Having a “recommended for you” section on the side of
articles they click on is also necessary to keep the reader consuming content.
QUICK READ: Good
PAGE JUMP: Bad
COMMENTING WITHIN ARTICLE: OK
Design Recommendations - User Friendly Features
43. x
Content
Chris Hedges is a huge part of the draw to Truthdig, so it’s important to make this easily accessible on
the homepage.
1. Recommended content is the biggest thing - it’s important that when users are reading Chris
Hedges’ content, they want to keep reading more content. This is your chance to lure them into
Truthdig content using a ‘recommended for you’ bar’.
2. Creating content that parallels and is related to Chris Hedges’ content is key and will help solidify
the overall Truthdig voice.
Design Recommendations - Chris Hedges section
45. x
We’ve conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of your
social media channels, including an audit of key competitors. By
looking at the analytics behind both your website and social media
channels, we were able to provide Truthdig with realistic actions to
take for each platform in order to increase website visitations.
To begin, Truthdig’s Facebook presence excels in terms of average
engagement with a current standing of 5% (being higher than the
industry average). However, we believe that your channel could
benefit from focusing on promoting “best-in-class” editorial material
in order to further boost engagement. Also, by diversifying the types
of content distributed on your Twitter feed from your Facebook
page, we believe that your followers will be better incentivized to
visit ALL of your social media channels, rather than only one.
Second, we believe that Truthdig should repurpose its content on
YouTube by uploading these videos natively to Facebook and
Twitter.
Executive Summary
Not only does it better ensure that these videos are seen by your
followers, but multimedia content has been proven to drive site
traffic for publishers.
Finally, we believe that Truthdig should either abandon its Pinterest
page or invest the resources needed to populate the channel daily.
Advantages to reinvesting in your Pinterest page include having a
unique platform for categorizing content. Pinterest is also a platform
that has historically been used by publishers in order to bring in
outside perspectives and content to make their perspective appear
more credible. Disadvantages to reinvesting in your Pinterest
channel are that your target readership are most likely not frequent
users of the social media platform, being a major reason behind
why we recommend you abandon the channel.
Overall, all of the above characteristics represent a huge
opportunity for Truthdig to drive social media engagement and
converting your large following into website visitors.
Publishing
46. x
1. To increase engagement within Truthdig’s social media channels by strategically pairing the
editorial content to match the unique characteristics of each platform.
2. Streamline social workflow to place emphasis on the content and channels that best serve
Truthdig’s editorial mission.
3. Drive website traffic through leveraging Truthdig’s unique editorial characteristics within the
social media and email marketing environments.
Goals
Publishing
47. x
Why Social Media
Simply put, social media marketing is part of doing business in the new
millennium. Facebook is now the top traffic source for news, overtaking
Google by a significant amount last year. Collectively, the top eight social
networks drove 31.24% of all website traffic in 2015.
The shift from search to social isn’t just in progress. It’s already here.
As consumers continue to migrate into the new media landscape, content
marketers have placed significant effort in trying to build a loyal social media
following. However, many publishers have failed to develop a clear strategy
for entering into this new environment, often setting the wrong success
metrics and underestimating the internal resources needed to adequately
populate their social channels.
In other words, if used properly social media represents a crucial opportunity
for publishers to drive website traffic while building a loyal base of readers.
Publishing
>
48. - Truthdig has a strong presence on both
Facebook (285k followers) and Twitter
(55.9k followers).
- Truthdig also has high average
engagement on its Facebook page,
being significantly higher than the
industry average.
- Although these statistics are promising,
there are many areas of opportunity to
grow your audience.
Truthdig Social
Highlights
49. x
Social Landscape
Truthdig appears to currently place every piece of its daily editorial
content on both Facebook and Twitter. Not only does Truthdig’s
social team post approximately 20-24 times a day on both
channels, but it appears that the same editorial content is posted on
both channels at about the same time periods. This indicates that
the social distribution strategy for Truthdig is identical for both its
Facebook and Twitter social media channels, being to to populate
its Facebook and Twitter channels once every hour, even during
time periods of low internet traffic.
Our analysis indicates that Truthdig most frequently posts content
from its “multimedia” category on its social media channels.
However, it appears that Truthdig posts content from across its
different categories relatively evenly throughout the day. We could
not find any native multimedia/video content uploaded on Twitter
and Facebook, even though Truthdig possesses a library of videos
both within its website and YouTube channels.
Truthdig Social Strategy
50. x
Social Landscape
Overview
Total Followers: 204,646
Cadence: 17-24 posts/day
Very high posting schedule compared to other publishers
Average Engagement = 5%
Industry average = approximately 2.5%
Amount of shares/comments divided by likes
Organic and Paid Reach:
Average organic reach: 122,609 this month
Paid reach: newly implemented on April 13th
● +5,000 average since then
Facebook
Engagement: This week in review…
Steady rate of total page likes
● Indicative of the page “stalling” on generating
more page likes
51. Truthdig The Nation
Total Followers: 204,646
Cadence: 17-24 posts/day
Average engagement = 5%
Total Followers: 511,082
Cadence: 7-9 posts/day
Average Engagement = 22%
52. x
Social Landscape
Overview
Overall:
55.5K followers
Cadence: 17-24/day
Engagement:
Average engagement:
● Average 12 likes/post
● Average 8 retweets/post
Compared to….
The Nation
Average engagement:
● 20 likes/post
● 26 retweets/post
Twitter
Other Notes:
The short shelf life of tweets allow for publishers to not be
penalized for having high post frequency.
Very little syndication of outside content on Truthdig Twitter
page
Highest Performing Post This Month
53. x
Social Landscape
Overview:
3,504 subscribers - 2,523,014 views
Average engagement: 7,453 views/post
● Highest performing post: 12,075 views
Average length of videos: 18 minutes
Average of 10 comments/post
Compared to The Nation:
18,338 subscribers - 12,336,855 views
Average engagement: 10,453 views/post
● Highest performing post: 3,835,990 views
Average length of videos: 3 minutes/post
Average of 21 comments/post
YouTube
Key Findings:
None of the videos were uploaded natively to FB or Twitter
Difficulty deciding who has the property rights to some of
the videos. It appears that some of the videos were
taken from outside sources without Truthdig crediting
those sources.
The Nation has more creative, polished multimedia
content.
● These videos are shorter in length, which
makes the videos more friendly for uploading
natively to FB and Twitter
54. The media landscape is changing- but you’ll be able
to use this to your advantage by embracing social
platforms as a means of reaching your core audience.
Strengthening your social media presence will give
your audience opportunity to deepen their
connection with your brand which will grow your
following.
The recommendations we will lay out in this social
media playbook will help you achieve this connection.
We will walk you through strategies for Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and your newsletter. Focusing on
creating added value for your user, rather than
focusing on just getting more traffic, will increase your
engagement and social media following. This will in
turn grow your audience, and increase your traffic
more than a simple promotional tweet will.
Your Social Media
Playbook
55. FACEBOOK
BEFORE:
● Posting every hour instead
of recognizing peak times
● Images that are generic and
don’t stop you from scrolling/
not engaging enough.
● No social native videos
● Broken YouTube link on
page
● No workflow for
engagement/response to
comments
AFTER:
● Posting best/shareable
content 9-3 (most visual and
high performing content)
● Create graphics to post with
articles as promos.
● USE Facebook (FB) LIVE
● Upload native videos
● Create strategy for
responding to users/
engaging
56. Why use FB
Live?
- Most effective form of video
creation with least amount of
effort; you just hold up a phone
and start filming
- Gives the user a behind the
scenes look at your brand
- Increases transparency
- Provides you with free video
content without requiring a video
producer/editor. Minimal effort,
enormous payoff
- Users are notified when you go
LIVE- increases traffic. Link to
relevant articles in comments
57. Facebook Live
Examples:
Go live for a discussion with Chris
Hedges
Embrace transparency by going live
during editorial discussions
Go live during elections so users
can get value add of hearing your
analysis/commentary immediately.
Breaking news=LIVE opportunities.
58. Engaging images with text like this
give the user more reason to share
your content which increases traffic.
Thinking about what the user would
like to see rather than how to
promote your content makes your
work more likely to get shared.
Create photoshop templates you
can use so you don’t have to
remake content.
59. TWITTER/FB IMAGES:
BEFORE: AFTER
:
Do more with visuals on Twitter- more graphics and pull quotes. Think
about what the user would like to see first and the value add you can
have for the user as opposed to thinking “how can I get people to click
my story?” Use shareable images with links- not just straight links to
stories.
61. TWITTER: Video Promos
BEFORE:
Use short video clips to promote articles instead of just promoting
an article/video with a still photo.
Twitter lets you upload 30 seconds of video. Upload a shorter
version of a video to promote it & include bitly link in the Tweet.
Again- think about the user.
62. YouTube Need organized account:
x
You can promote stories by including links in your video
captions.
Curate playlists based on the topic of content.
63. Newsletter
Can’t be a copy of content
running on the website.
Needs native graphics and
engaging images that excite.
Simple story bullets/
More vertical layout so the
newsletter experience is more
immersive.
64. x
WHO WHERE
Channel
WHAT
Content/
Content Type
WHEN
Date/
Frequency
WHY
Purpose/
Performance
Recommendations
Truthdig Facebook Sharing articles from
website with links
- social copy
- memes
- embedded graphics
from articles
24 posts/day Drive social followers
back to website
- Lower frequency of posts to
further boost average
engagement
- Utilize FB Live to showcase
popular editorial contributors
- Upload videos and graphics
natively to FB in order to drive up
engagement
Twitter Sharing articles from
website with links
- social copy
- embedded graphics
from articles
24 posts/day Drive social followers
back to website
- Upload videos and graphics
natively to Twitter in order to
drive up engagement
- Syndicate content from outside
sources/partners to drive
credibility.
Summary of Recommendations
65. x
Summary of Recommendations, Cont.
WHO WHERE
Channel
WHAT
Content/
Content Type
WHEN
Date/
Frequency
WHY
Purpose/
Performance
Recommendations
YouTube Behind the scenes
interviews and
exclusive content
- on the ground
coverage
- behind the scenes
interviews
1/month - Upload videos natively to
Facebook and Twitter
- Constant frequency of posts will
drive engagement
- Curate playlists based on the
topic of content.
Pinterest Sharing articles from
website w/
contributions from
partner cartoonists
DEAD Drive social followers
back to website
- Pinterest does not match TD
target readership
- Drop Pinterest channel or invest
in better categorizing content
66. x
Publishing Strategy
At a moment when technologies and platforms are evolving rapidly, more publishers are deciding that
it's not worth their while to constantly update their own sites or CMS, worry about hosting and
cybersecurity. Instead, they are joining bigger hosting platforms, which offer customizable formats. This
can improve discovery on search and social and it has the ability to monetize content built right into the
system.
Medium has emerged as a platform particularly suited for publishers' current needs. With its recent
release of “Medium for Publishers,” several independent sites have already migrated there. The Awl and
The Hairpin, sibling sites of The Billfold; plus Pacific Standard, Monday Note and NewCo Shift, a new
business media brand from John Battelle’s NewCo. Medium also named portals that will start putting
original content there, including Time’s Money and Fortune and Atlantic’s National Journal.
Website Hosting: The Best Medium
67. x
Publishing Strategy
Medium for Publishers’ main advantage is that it allows publishers to stay current without having to invest
in the technology themselves. During the release, Medium stressed that the goal was for “publishers [to]
have full control over their content and spend exactly zero time, money, or effort on tech and hosting,
instead focusing their resources on producing great content and reaching new audiences.” To reach that
objective, Medium highlighted a few tactics that speak directly to content producers’ needs:
• Sites can move their entire archives to their custom domain on Medium without having to start from
scratch. Medium also preserves timestamps and links, which helps with indexing and SEO.
• Websites migrate to Medium, but they don’t have to forfeit their original domains.
• Medium offers multiple customizable templates so that producers don’t have to worry about website
design and compatibility updates while maintaining their brand identity.
Medium Pros
68. x
Publishing Strategy
• The platform offers monetization options through sponsored content and membership-only access:
- Promoted Stories. Select publishers and bloggers who consistently produce meaningful, original
content and maintain a loyal following will have the ability to host stories from brand partners. Readers will
see these articles as suggested reads at the end of the post. They are clearly labeled as promoted
stories. Medium’s initial brand partners include Bose, SoFi, Nest, Intel, and Volpi Foods.
- Membership. Publications can offer members-only content and other perks to readers in exchange
for a monthly membership fee paid directly to the publication. In other words, Medium provides the
technology for sites to implement a paywall and section off content they determine as exclusive for
subscribers.
• Future updates to the platform will provide compatibility support for Facebook Instant Articles and
Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), making it possible for writers to reach their audience through
whatever medium their readers find more suitable.
Medium Pros
69. x
Publishing Strategy
Since the sample of publishers that have completely migrated to Medium is still growing, there isn’t much
information available about the struggles they face. Actually, testimonials have discussed the platform’s
responsiveness and willingness to collaborate and solve glitches.
It’s safe to assume that any change comes with a degree of insecurity, especially in the beginning. When
it comes to changing hosts and CMS, there’s a certain amount of preparation because it requires a
psychological shift that can be unsettling.
The Medium model, however, isn’t ideally suited to publishers that rely heavily on banner and
programmatic ads. The platform’s monetization strategy comes from branded content, which is why The
Awl Network’s humor site, Splitsider, isn’t going to be part of the migration, for example.
Medium Cons
70. x
Publishing Strategy
“We're pretty excited about it [the migration].
The transition and migration is a lot of work,
obviously, and there have been some kinks in
the process because we're the biggest publisher
to make the move so far -- but that also means
Medium's team has given us a lot of attention
and support.
For someone like us, it just makes a lot of sense
to move away from any model that's going to
require putting a lot of time or resources into
development and back-end support; Medium
provides all of that while we focus on editorial.”
Nick Jackson, editor-in-chief of Pacific Standard
Medium: Publisher Testimonials
“For a tiny operation such as ours, hosting and
security issues must be left to professionals.
We dreamed of a platform that could take care
of the problems and allow us to focus instead on
what we want to do: write decent columns
without having to worry about technical issues.
Hence my interest in Medium.”
Frederic Filloux, editor of the Monday Note
71. x
Publishing Strategy
• Medium for Publishers (Medium)
• No garbage fires here: Medium advances its quest to gentrify the world of Internet publishing
(NiemanLab)
• Medium: A Publisher's Perspective (Monday Note)
• Medium lures The Awl and other publishers to go all-in on its platform (DigiDay)
• Medium for Publishers Will Be a Hard Sell (Observer)
Medium Cheat Sheet
72. x
Social Landscape
Conclusion:
Truthdig has a core audience that is unique to your brand. We want to give your audience more avenues they can use to
connect back to the brand they feel so connected with. You have a singular voice in the space of cluttered media that
sets your content apart.
We believe following the steps set forth in this report will allow you to retain your current audience, increase traffic on
your website, grow your following on social platforms and strengthen your reach and influence in an increasingly
cluttered media space.
Re-imagining the packaging of your content will encourage engagement, which will enable your reach to expand to a
wider audience while giving you the ability to retain your current following.
The organizational shift that will come with embracing social native content will allow you to create a more personal
connection with your readers.
You can judge the success of content on FB by views, engagement, likes, comments and shares. FB provides analytics
to help you judge this. Use Twitteranalytics.com to see how many impressions & engagements your tweets get. You
should see an increase in engagement when you start creating social native graphics, photos and videos.
Least successful posts will have the lowest engagement rates. Look for commonalities among least successful posts to
gain insight into your content and audience.
74. x
Money and audiences are connected. Monetizing content will
enable Truthdig to continue to create content that helps
connect with an audience.
Truthdig’s current revenue model is a combination of banner
and sidebar advertisements, subscriptions/donations and
events.
We believe it would be a strategic move to remove all banner
and sidebar ads from the Truthdig website. Generic ads
detract from the user experience without contributing a
significant source of revenue. Instead, focusing on nonprofit
grants to sponsor in-depth reporting projects would provide
more value for the brand.
Executive Summary
By pivoting the advertising focus to nonprofit sponsored
content and building on events and membership you can put
more energy into higher value revenue streams.
We suggest hiring a dedicated team (or at the very least one
person) who can focus on monetizing sponsorship,
membership and events.
Business Development
75. x
Business
Truthdig has already created a strong model to support sponsored
content reporting projects with a dual for profit and nonprofit entity.
Expanding the focus on specific sponsor-driven topics and content
is a way of creating new revenue while also being able to focus on
in-depth reporting projects.
Content sponsored by grants and foundations has been a traditional
form of funding for nonprofit media organizations like PBS for years.
Recently, for-profit media organizations like Upworthy have started
working with foundations to create quality content around specific
campaigns and topics.
In pitching Truthdig to nonprofit foundations it is important to
present metrics and a clear brand to make Truthdig an attractive
place for foundations to invest.
While there are opportunities in strictly sponsored content (where a
brand/foundation pays to sponsor a project with no input) we feel
that it is worth opening up the conversation with foundations to
integrate them more into the process without compromising editorial
standards.
Aligning with organizations that have common goals with Truthdig
will allow you to charge higher rates and remain more competitive in
this space. In many instances Truthdig can work with a foundation
to come up with a set of clear guidelines before starting a project
that they are comfortable with and do not compromise the editorial
judgments or standards.
When it comes to sponsored content, transparency is key. It is
100% imperative to always clearly label sponsored content. If you
create a good content and are honest with your readers that a
foundation provided the funding you will have a higher level of
success.
In this section we’ve outlined three different options to explore in
working with sponsored content.
Advertising and Sponsored Content
76. x
Business
If Truthdig decides to move to Medium, there is a model of
sponsored content already built into the site. Select publishers and
bloggers who consistently produce meaningful, original content and
maintain a loyal following will have the ability to host stories from
brand partners.
Readers will see these articles as suggested reads at the end of the
post. These stories are unobtrusive and integrated into the design
seamlessly.
Case Study: Medium
77. x
Business
Upworthy’s mission is to host the intersection of the "awesome,” the
"meaningful" and the "visual." They create viral stories with a
progressive bent on political and social issues. They have more
than 9 million followers on Facebook.
Upworthy has worked with The Gates Foundation and Dignity
Health to create content with foundations that aligns with the
Upworthy brand.
The Gates Foundation sponsored a project called All 7 Billion, a
special series that aimed to bring awareness to global
health and poverty.
Dignity Health sponsored a series (currently live on their website)
about the power of kindness.
Case Study: Upworthy
78. x
Business
While not working with foundations specifically, Quartz is
considered one of the leaders in sponsored content for a digitally
native media brand.
By creating ads that are discoverable and not interruptive, they
have commanded much higher rates and created content that
performs as well as editorial content.
They have a 90% renewal rate on advertisers.
Rates are $60 per thousand impressions vs. $6.50 per thousand
impressions for a traditional banner ad.
They create ads that lend themselves to mobile
Sponsored content that comes every 3-5 articles and is clearly
marked.
People like charts, photography and interviews.
Case Study: Quartz
79. x
Events
It is important to understand the meaning of building events.
Building events and experiences is the starting point when
monetizing a community because these events empower
the community to attend exclusive activities. Rather than
marketing to the community, the experience builds upon the
values and interests of its members. It draws people
together, and provides an experience they are happy to
invest time and money in.
For the event monetization, Truthdig can invite readers to
register as members of the Truthdig community. There is a
proven strategy that Truthdig can adopt that will make this
more effective and will also help feed into the other two
revenue streams we are suggesting.
Why organize
events?
80. x
Ticket strategies
● Cooperate with other organizations to launch joint
events. Truthdig can invite known names that align
with the Truthdig brand to participate community
events.
● Provide free tickets for audiences to engage. Then
ask the audience to register, become members and
donate the money for special projects.
● Truthdig can launch online marketing events to
encourage users to repost the posters of the event
and provide promotional codes, free tickets and
discount coupons for the membership.
● Design the ticket plan, including providing annual
tickets, seasonal tickets, event tickets, family tickets.
Pre-planned event campaign
● Utilize social media platforms as the distribution channel
to promote social events. Partner with eventbrite,
doodle and splash to co-distribute the event tickets.
● Utilize communication tools (texts, emails, social media
accounts, phones, mail-box) to actively inform
consumers about events.
● Design event posters and post to social media
platforms. Provide the exclusive event information.
● Invest time and resources in post-match activities to
improve the loyalty of audiences. Send the thank-you
letters or gifts for participators for attending the events.
Event Strategy
Business
81. x
The Texas Tribune (TT) has an excellent event strategy. TT produce more than 50 events a year, ranging from one-hour
conversations with newsmakers to a three-day festival for policy wonks. These are news events first and foremost, but they drive
revenue through sponsorships and in the case of the festivals, through ticket sales. In 2015, events alone will make up 23 percent
of their revenue (the bulk of their revenue will be supplied by digital sponsorships, which is 25 percent of their earnings).
Case Study: The Texas Tribune
82. x
Business
By clearly identifying the meaning and structure behind
membership, Truthdig can not only engage with its
audience on a new level, but tap into a significant and
consistent revenue stream. Currently, Truthdig readers
have the option to donate under three labels:
● Truthdig (General donation)
● Truthdig Fund (Goes to specific reporting projects or
mentoring young journalists)
● Annual Membership (Unlocks special content/
Networking with the Truthdig team)
There is great potential in a strong membership model
because of Truthdig’s committed audience. However, as
currently formulated, there is no clear membership strategy
and increasing memberships is not a core part of Truthdig’s
experience.
Membership levels can be restructured so as to make it
clear what distinguishes one from the other, and to attract
bedrock supporters.
The first question Truthdig must answer is, what is a
member?
Truthdig members will be readers who feel an affinity
toward the Truthdig brand. We recommend that the
“member” title be limited to those who give repeat
contributions, either monthly or annually.
Members will also need to understand their role as
members, and how they directly influence the content. The
first step to doing this will be to build a relationship with
them. We analyzed The Voice of San Diego’s successful
membership program in order to inform these suggestions.
Membership Strategy
83. x
Business
Truthdig has a number of very committed and loyal readers.
They feel at home on Truthdig, identify with the viewpoints
and feel a kinship with others in the community. This is the
formula for a successful membership strategy.
Readers who feel this kinship often want a membership
plan to feel a greater sense of community. A large part of
this is getting closer to Truthdig voices, like Chris Hedges
or Bob Scheer and connecting with other like minded
members.
A successful strategy will also make it clear what readers
get from their membership. It can be helpful to break down
membership into tiers to clearly state what advantage or
special content members get from tiers.
Example Tiers
Tier 1: A weekly newsletter with an intro from a Truthdig
voice. This could be a rotation of Chris Hedges, Bob
Scheer and even guest editors who give opinions or talk
about interesting articles for the week.
Tier 2: Priority access to monthly events or a curated
coffee or happy hour with the Truthdig staff and writers.
Tier 3: Be a Truthdig contributor and stay a night at the
Truthdig writers studio. Editors could work with high level
members to create a special byline or article and really get
a chance to be a part of their favorite brand.
Membership Strategy
84. x
Business
● 14 employees, $1.7 million budget
● Access to: Major donors, foundations, community
partners, at least 2,000 members.
● Hosts a member coffee every quarter to find out what
kind of coverage members want and expect from
reporters, what they can relate to and engage with
Case Study: Voice of San Diego (VOSD)
85. HOMEPAGE: “Donate” comes up three times just on the top half of the homepage, “Join In” also evokes the same
message
Case Study: Voice of San Diego (VOSD)
86. HOMEPAGE: This embed appears halfway down articles and sometimes at the bottom of articles to give readers a
chance to show their appreciation for the content as they engage with it.
Case Study: Voice of San Diego (VOSD)
87. FACEBOOK: On Facebook, “Become A Member” is as prominent as the “About” section. They also promote
their newsletter, which is a great way to further promote membership.
Case Study: Voice of San Diego (VOSD)
88. TWITTER: On Twitter, they’ve pinned a tweet to appear at the top of their timeline that promotes their
spring campaign
Case Study: Voice of San Diego (VOSD)
89. x
To more efficiently track and acquire members, Truthdig will not
only have to invest in promotion through the website and social
platforms, but monetary investments may be necessary as well.
Activating CRM (Customer Relationship Management) through
applications like SalesForce is an invaluable way to keep an eye on
members. Also, Truthdig should consider investing in a membership
team, or, at the very least, one person whose sole job it is to attract,
retain, and reclaim members, as well as transition one-time donors
into members. This person would be responsible for operating
SalesForce, the newsletter (through MailChimp or Mandrill), and
reminders about renewals through email or other channels.
Truthdig already offers exclusive content for bedrock donors, but
consider also event series or trips. These are both things that
VOSD does even with a 14-person team, so members can be
aware of their impact on the content being produced. Truthdig could
also consider sending a monthly member report that includes
snippets of stories and series reporters are working on in order to
engage people in narratives. VOSD also does a bi-annual
magazine with exclusive member content, which could be a great
platform.
Business
In order to expand upon the current membership strategy, Truthdig
will have to be consistent and aggressive. Here are some steps to
follow:
1. Consider the advantage of the membership compared with
free content: is there value to different levels of
membership, or simply differentiating between “members”
and “donors”?
2. Define what a Truthdig “member” looks like, and design the
package of the membership plan.
3. Build and distribute the special content and connections for
members exclusively.
4. Design the marketing strategies to promote their
membership. Provide discounts or gifts for loyal audiences
to encourage them to register membership.
5. Consider combining the membership strategy and the event
strategy to build relationships.
6. Promote the membership plan. This should live on every
social platform Truthdig occupies as well as the homepage,
and pop up every third or fourth article.
Membership Strategy
