Behind every successful digital newsroom there’s a quiet miracle happening in the background: strangers show up once from a random link… and somehow, some of them come back. Then they come back again. At some point they stop being “traffic” and start feeling like your people.
But that doesn’t happen by accident.
Most small and medium newsrooms don’t have a growth team, a data science unit, or a product squad running endless experiments. You have editors, a couple of overworked developers (if you’re lucky), and a long list of stories to ship. Audience building easily slips into “we’ll think about that later.”
This article is about making sure “later” actually happens — in a way that fits real newsrooms, not Silicon Valley unicorns.
Table of contents
- Audience vs traffic: why the distinction matters
- Know who you’re really for (and what problem you solve)
- Design the three key journeys: first visit, second visit, true fan
- Build habits with the right channels (not all of them)
- Make your content work harder than you do
- Measure what matters: simple metrics for busy newsrooms
- Create a lightweight experimentation culture
1. Audience vs traffic: why the distinction matters
Let’s clear this up straight away:
Traffic is a number in an analytics dashboard.
Audience is a group of people who recognise you, trust you, and choose you.
Traffic:
Comes in spikes.
Depends heavily on platforms you don’t control.
Looks impressive in reports, but often doesn’t pay the bills.
Audience:
Comes back on their own.
Signs up, subscribes, or supports you.
Forgives the occasional mistake because they believe in what you’re doing.
So every decision we’ll talk about in this article should pass a simple test:
“Will this help someone move one step closer to becoming our audience, not just today’s pageview?”
If the answer is no, it’s probably just vanity traffic.
2. Know who you’re really for (and what problem you solve)
You can’t build an audience of “everyone who reads news”. That’s how you end up writing for no-one in particular.
Instead, start with two brutally simple questions:
Who do we exist for?
What are we helping them do, understand, or navigate?
A few examples:
“English-speaking Ukrainians and international readers who want clear, verified reporting from Ukraine.”
“Local residents who want to understand how city decisions affect their daily lives.”
“Professionals who need signal (not noise) about climate and energy.”
Once you’ve written down your answer, pressure-test it:
Can your entire editorial team repeat it in their own words?
Would your best readers agree with that description?
Does it actually help you say “no” to some stories? (If it doesn’t, it’s still too vague.)
This doesn’t mean you’ll never cover other things. It just means your core is sharp. A sharp core is the best growth tool you’ll ever have.
3. Design the three key journeys: first visit, second visit, true fan
Instead of “user funnels” and giant whiteboard diagrams, think in three simple journeys.
3.1 First visit: “Who are these people?”
Someone lands on your site from:
A social post
A search result
A link from another outlet
A newsletter forward
They don’t know you. They don’t owe you anything. In this moment, your goals are clarity, trust, and a next step.
Make sure that:
The story they landed on loads fast and is pleasant to read.
Your brand is visible and consistent (logo, tone, design).
You offer one light-touch next step, for example:
“Read more on this topic” block
A simple “Follow our coverage on X topic” module
A very soft newsletter prompt related to the article they’re on
Don’t throw three pop-ups, a survey, and a donate wall at them in the first 5 seconds. You’re building a relationship, not interrogating a suspect.
3.2 Second visit: “Should I keep this in my life?”
The second or third visit is where real audience building begins.
This is the moment to:
Ask for a light commitment (newsletter signup, follow, bookmark).
Introduce what makes you different:
A small “About our mission” block in article templates.
A “Start here” page or collection for new readers.
A clearly signposted section that represents your core expertise.
If you do nothing on the second visit, you’re basically telling people: “See you when the algorithm remembers us again.”