Meet readers where they are to keep them reading

Katelyn Mary Skaggs

Apr 1, 2025

One of the easiest ways to drive digital traffic is to treat your website as its own publication with deadlines and special attention.

We consider our website our fifth publication, which is a daily newspaper. We have three weekly papers and one bi-weekly. If we only published stories once a week online, like our print newspaper, readers would have no reason to visit our websites.

While I was in college, I was taught “digital first.” Well, I got into the real world and learned fast. I do not believe this is the best method.

Of course, crime, breaking news, important public health or warnings are digital first and put online as soon as possible.

This past week, we put together our papers on Monday and Thursday. Then on Wednesday, the news broke that one of our Missouri–state Senators would not be seeking re-election, and two local candidates announced their campaigns. It was too late to get it in the paper. However, this is important news for our reader.

We can't wait a week.

Other papers, TV stations and radio, would share the news, too, so we cannot look behind for a week either. That story was written and put online right away and will also be updated next week for the print paper.

However, the feature on the local fish fry or church picnic is something that will always be published in the paper first and sometimes days later online after the print publications are mailed.

Generally, our rule of thumb is if we believe we are the only people reporting a feature or good news community story, it’s in the paper first and published online days later. This encourages readers to read their print newspaper first. You know, the one with all the ads.

However, keeping a good online presence increases our credibility and relevance, especially to younger generations. People expect news to be accessible in multiple ways, and if we are not online, we lose a big opportunity to engage with them. The way people read news is now less important; it’s just important that they are reading local news.

DRIVE

The top three ways we get people to our website is Facebook, direct/organic searches and our email newsletters.

While I am not a fan of what Facebook has done to our industry, it does help drive digital traffic to our website, so we post a lot. We make sure to post an early morning post, afternoon and evening story. Typically, we see traffic spikes during meals, when people are scrolling on their phones.

Next is people typing our website domain directly into the search bar or by clicking a search result when they Google news. This I love, this lets us know we have done a good job marketing our website. This is my favorite way to gain traffic because it tells us we have done a good job marketing our website. I want every single person in our coverage area to know about our website, so when they think of news, they go directly to our site first.

Third is our email newsletters. If you do not have email newsletters, start today. This is a great way to connect directly to your readers digitally. Unlike social media, where algorithms decide what people see, an email goes straight to their inbox. We have started selling email–sponsorships to advertising clients, so their ads are within our email newsletters. This has turned into a great revenue stream while also keeping our readers engaged.

BRANDING YOUR WEBSITE

I would put your easy-to-spell website domain everywhere. I mean everywhere. If your logo is on it, so should your website domain.

Make sure your website domain is easy to spell. I know this seems obvious. However, if a reader cannot type in your website domain with ease, they are likely not frequenting the site.

Think about whether a fifth or seventh grader could spell it without thinking. If they cannot, it is too complex.

Maybe it’s the name of your town and the word “news.” It does not have to be your full newspaper name. Maybe it’s your paper’s tagline.

Keep it short and simple.

Our domain, myleaderpaper.com, came from readers who often refer to our paper as “my Leader paper.” It is easy to remember and straightforward.

I would like to add a disclaimer that the Leader started its website in 2011, and I was in eighth grade with plans to be a radiologist. So, I cannot take any credit for the great name.

FROM PRINT TO ONLINE

Another great way to bring readers to your website is through QR codes in your print publication. If you are running a big story, put a QR code at the end that says, “Find more online” or “See additional photos here.” This keeps people engaged and encourages them to visit your site.

We also cannot forget about Google. If your website is not optimized for search engines, you are missing out on potential readers. Make sure your headlines are clear, your articles include relevant keywords, and your website is mobile-friendly. Most people are reading the news on their phones, so if your site is clunky or hard to navigate, they will not come back.

Driving digital traffic is not about abandoning print. It is about making sure people can access your content in the way that works best for them. Some will always prefer a physical paper, but many will turn to their phones first. If you meet them where they are, they will keep reading, no matter what the method.

Katelyn Mary Skaggs is the digital marketing manager for Leader Publications, a group of four papers in Festus, Missouri. Skaggs, a Southeast Missouri State University graduate, joined their ranks in January 2019 as a reporter. Email katelynmaryskaggs@leaderpublications.biz