Illustrative engagement. A representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work in news media. It does not describe a specific client; outcomes are described qualitatively.
Industry overview
What is shaping news media
News publishers and broadcasters are rebuilding trust and revenue through subscriptions, regional coverage and new formats.
- Trust is a competitive advantage
- Subscriptions need a clear value proposition
- Regional news has loyal audiences
Client background
A digital news outlet, working in India. This is an illustrative engagement: a representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work, not a named client project.
- Organisation
- A digital news outlet
- Sector
- News media
- Team engaged
- Digital Marketing
- Services
- Email marketing, Content marketing, Landing page & CRO
Client challenge
The outlet depended on social traffic, which fluctuated.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: growing a news publisher's newsletters.
- Set measurable targets and a tracking baseline before launch.
- Improve results through structured testing, reported in plain language.
Target audience
Scope: Six-month programme.
Audiences we typically reach in news media
Readers and viewersSubscribers and lapsed subscribersRegional audiencesAdvertisersYoung news consumers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: India. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A test-and-learn programme: a clear baseline, focused campaigns and weekly optimisation against agreed targets.
- 1Brief
- 2Newsletter sign-ups
- 3Onboarding emails
- 4Insight
We created newsletter landing pages, in-article sign-ups and onboarding emails.
Email marketingContent marketingLanding page & CRO
Sampling strategy
- Audiences were defined from the client's customer data and platform targeting, with test and control groups where possible.
Data collection
- Campaign, website and CRM data were tracked daily through analytics and ad platforms.
Data quality & validation
- Conversion tracking tested end to end
- Consistent UTM tagging on every link
- Numbers reconciled between ad platforms and analytics
- Two-person check before anything goes live
Data analysis
- Funnel analysis from impression to lead or sale
- A/B test results on creatives, keywords and pages
- Channel and campaign attribution
Key findings
- Owned audiences are more stable.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: owned audiences are more stable.
- Keep testing creatives, keywords and landing pages against the new baseline.
Business impact
- Newsletter subscribers grew steadily, providing a direct audience.
Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Campaign assets and landing pages
- Monthly performance report
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what do regional readers want?