News media audiences today are firmly in the driver’s seat. Online news platforms and social media have lent people a voice they’ve never had, and have turned everyone into a publisher (and a critic).
Our audiences also have more choices than ever before in terms of the media they consume. This much control, choice and access means that journalists must pay closer attention to the consumer’s needs and depend on their responses, so that we can engage AND entertain instead of simply spitting out information streams. We need to remember that what was once the one-way delivery of news (journalist to audience) has morphed into an interactive, two-way conversation.
This new way of interacting with our audiences demands of us as journalists and publishers a new way of thinking about how we give them what they want and need. The challenge now is to stop thinking about news as a service that we provide, and start thinking about our coverage and even our individual stories as products.
Like any business, we need to sell these products (news items) to our customers (our audiences) in order to help them solve a particular problem they are experiencing or meet a particular need.
This approach is called product thinking. It may seem like a subtle shift in perspective, but in our digital world, it’s a crucial one.
What is product thinking in the news industry?
Product thinking in media is about developing news content that carefully considers the audience’s experience of the product. It’s a shift in thinking that is unfolding in media organisations worldwide. It is about going beyond providing what was traditionally considered a good news item from a content-centric approach, i.e., content that delivers on the ‘five ‘W’s’, and is factual, accurate, balanced and of course, relevant to the target readers or viewers.
While these basic principles of journalism still apply, the product-centric approach does not rely solely on “news sense” or intuition to inform editorial decisions.
News organisations all over the world today are using audience analytics (quantitative data on audience behaviour) to gain insight into their audience’s needs and answer questions such as: why did the audience respond to this story more than any other in the day’s news cycle? When did we lose our audience and why?
It is essentially problem-solving. We can now rely on data to discover new things about our audience and ascertain how this information can be applied to improve the user experience.
In a recent report by the International News Media Association, product was named as the youngest but also the fastest growing department in news media organisations.
Simply put, today’s newsroom will not thrive without a shift towards considering the audience experience. Product thinking drives the sustainability of media organisations. This approach underpins everything we do at Nala Integrated Media: from our consulting to our journalism and corporate media training, we help prepare our clients and their staff to better connect with audiences in a multi-platform digital era.
‘Product thinking’ as a unifying force in a newsroom
Recently, Nala Integrated Media assisted with and consulted on the launch of South Africa’s newest 24-hour news channel. It was a new and exciting challenge for us, and for our clients, and taught us all some valuable lessons about product thinking.
As part of our consultation strategy, we immerse ourselves in our client’s environment in order to meet their needs. In this context, I temporarily took up the position of head of programming at the channel. In this role, I encouraged teams to ask themselves these key questions when developing news products:
- Who is our audience?
- What does our audience want to know and why?
- Where do we need to meet them to deliver this news product at their convenience?
- How will our audience receive this product?
- How will they respond to and interact with it?
- What questions will they be asking, and have we answered them?
- Will the recipient enjoy the product? Will it be relevant? Will it be engaging?
This constant exploration to the point of obsession is the mindset associated with product thinking.
The key to making product thinking work
In newsrooms product thinking cannot be successfully applied as a whole without the collaboration of all its teams.
It became clear to me that within our team, stand-out journalists were operating with little more than a camera person and editor to deliver great news products.
That capsular delivery may have seemed sound; however, to make product thinking in journalism work, we needed the buy-in of every team member from the ground up – all working towards the same vision, goals and strategy.
“We need to make the sustainability of the business (product thinking) everybody’s business.”
Ask any servicing person in the room what the target market is and it’s likely they won’t know. But why not? They deserve the dignity and pride of knowing what the end-goal is. We need the buy-in from everyone on the team.
Already we are witnessing some interesting developments arise from product thinking in news media, with new product-centred journalism careers emerging. Some of these include:
- A news product manager/team: Ensuring that the products developed meet both the audience’s needs and business goals.
- An audience development strategist/team: Identifying ways to reach new consumers; monitor the changing needs of consumers; and further developing relationships with and offerings to existing audiences
- An audience editor/team: Responsible for researching every possible target market; interpreting their pain points and product needs; and ascertaining how and where they want to receive their news
(Source: What journalists need to know about product thinking in 2022 by Catherine Edwards )
Managerial tips for getting everyone on the team involved
My biggest tip for community-building within the workspace is to share weekly, monthly and annual metrics with all employees. Make it your goal to help your teams to understand and analyse the data, getting them behind the aim of growing numbers for the channel. Help your teams understand that falling short of the benchmark will affect everyone. Make data and goals relatable, and morale will change. Instil the feeling that every team member adds value to the overall goal and allows them to aspire.
And finally, celebrate every win, whether you’re #3 or #1! Create your own targets and be inspirational.
How Nala Integrated Media can help
Our bespoke, holistic consulting and training equips teams reach their full potential and respond to the demands of a digital world, no matter the challenge or platform. We immerse ourselves getting stuck in on every level – from workplace culture and wellness to audience engagement and revenue.
Our channel development team executes quick, powerful turnarounds in the news industry. We also have an impressive track record of successfully taking brand new broadcasters to air.
At our very own Nala Academy, we train journalists and communicators to unlock the power and potential of true connection in the digital age. Some of these offerings include
- Digital media, new tools and technology for journalists
- Cross-platform news writing
- New media innovation and entrepreneurship
Whether it’s product thinking in digital media or any other aspect of newsroom development you require, we are ready to work together to boost audience development, audience growth and news media innovation.
Dudu Qubu is CEO of Nala Integrated Media. The founders started Nala Integrated Media in 2018 to build newsrooms, grow communicators and create great content. The Nala Integrated Media team is unmatched in terms of experience, expertise and industry knowledge, and is made up of some of the most respected and credible journalists and broadcast specialists in South Africa. Its new subsidiary, Nala Academy, was created in 2021 to respond to the demand for future-focused training for the next generation of reporters.
