Audience research first-timers: Making the case to (finally) prioritize that reader survey

Audience research, while vital, is often deprioritized. Most publications want to incorporate audience feedback into their overall strategy but struggle to establish a structured process for receiving and acting on feedback. That’s why the LION Sustainability Audit often encourages publishers to conduct a reader survey if they haven’t. 

Multiple independent publishers acted on that Audit recommendation by conducting their first-ever survey. We asked independent publishers to share how the results helped validate or challenge their revenue strategy and editorial direction.

Some highlights:

• Loyal supporters (like donors, members, and subscribers) are the most likely to complete a survey, so start there.
• Aim for a 10% response rate.
• Every audience is different, but no matter where you are, aligning your editorial and revenue strategy with your audience’s interests produces results.

Here’s what else LION members have learned from their audience research:

East Greenwich News

With help from their LION Sustainability Audit coach, Deron Murphy of the East Greenwich News developed eight questions for the publication’s first formal reader survey. Test survey feedback from the publication’s loyal readers informed the final questionnaire that was widely distributed via Google Forms over a two-week period.

The survey was promoted in several ways:

• Dedicated email to all newsletter subscribers (10.5% click-through rate)
• Editor’s note at the top of regular newsletters
• Social media promotion
• Website pop-ups 

That promotion paid off, as 318 readers filled out the survey. That’s a 12.2% response rate based on the number of active EG News newsletter subscribers at the time. The results influenced the publication’s news priorities and fundraising tactics. For example, engaged readers confirmed they want to see more in-depth stories, explainers, and FAQs. As a result, EG News now promotes their in-depth coverage in their fundraising campaigns.

Readers also expressed interest in more in-person events with state and local lawmakers, inspiring EG News to host a public forum featuring the local state senator and state representatives. Attendees then received another survey as part of a broader strategy to gain more routine feedback. Those survey responses will influence future events. 

And the survey provided statistical evidence of the outlet’s impact, with 87% of respondents feeling more connected to their community thanks to EG News. Furthermore, 79% of respondents said they are “extremely likely” to recommend the publication to friends and neighbors. 

Those numbers will serve as benchmarks as EG News transitions to an annual survey cadence. The latest survey included more impact-related questions. Murphy said that feedback has proven helpful in communicating the publication’s worth to potential funders. 

“We hope the information we gathered will help us in our fundraising and grant-writing efforts,” Murphy told LION Publishers.

The Bedford Citizen

After completing the LION Sustainability Audit, Teri Morrow of The Bedford Citizen used the associated funding to hire external help to administer the publication’s first reader survey. That decision paid off, as work that would have taken months was completed in weeks with outside help. 

The audience research process involved three emails with a unique link to all subscribers. The survey was also promoted on social media, although most responses came from The Citizen’s email list. Over six weeks, they received 285 responses, a 13.1% response rate, with donors almost 5 times more likely to complete the survey than non-donors. 

The survey results provided several key insights, including:

• Donors (98%) and non-donors (81%) alike are satisfied with The Citizen’s work as a local news source, with nearly nine out of every 10 donors likely to recommend the publication to a fellow resident.
• Readers want more in-depth coverage (57%), municipal news (55%), and local events (55%), and they want less school sports coverage (19%) and regional news (14%).

The Bedford Citizen hired a full-time community reporter and more freelancers to boost in-depth, local news coverage. They hosted several community listening sessions to present their survey findings, yielding additional feedback from readers who wanted more story background and historical context. As a result, The Citizen has been more intentional about referring readers to prior related coverage.  

Morrow credits a professional survey company for helping craft in-depth questions that produced actionable results. The hired experts also conducted the data analysis and produced a final report that incorporated feedback from Morrow, who recommends that other LION members work with consultants on the survey writing and results.

Trenton Journal

When Kenneth Miles started the Trenton Journal, he envisioned a broad target audience, not fully realizing who his core audience might be. Following LION Sustainability Audit recommendations, the Journal engaged in its first extensive audience research project. The biggest takeaway: Get to know your audience better, Miles said.

As part of that process, the Trenton Journal asked social media followers and newsletter subscribers to participate in surveys and focus groups to inform test projects. Through trial and error, the research garnered about 200 participants, a bit more than Miles expected. Through that analysis, he confirmed the Journal’s audience is comprised of dedicated local residents who want the best for Trenton. Readers also crave more stories on local sports, government, and housing. 

By incorporating these subjects into regular editorial coverage, the Trenton Journal increased its audience size and increased the newsletter’s open rate. The results have inspired Miles to engage readers with surveys twice a year moving forward. Next time, the Journal intends to offer an incentive for participation, such as a gift card or free meal.

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Based on 2022-2024 Sustainability Audit data, ⅔ of Audit participants have conducted an audience survey, though it’s much less common for LIONs to consistently conduct audience research and leverage insights to inform editorial, audience growth, and revenue development decisions. Here’s some guidance from LION network experts on conducting audience research:

Conducting audience research on a regular basis (some organizations do this annually, others opt for quarterly, and still others do less intensive surveys on a monthly basis) can help clarify your value proposition, product strategy, content focus, and anything else you want to query your audience about. Analysis from this research can also inform strategic choices about where to invest resources and in which direction to grow.

1. Document a baseline of who you serve now. Consider public data (US Census data; Canada Census data) to create a baseline of your community to understand demographics and an adequate response rate from your target and potential audiences.

2. Conduct a simple audience survey through email, social media, or another platform where your audience is highly engaged. 

• Aim to understand who (demographically, geographically, etc.) is most invested in what you do and what they value about you. 
• Keep the survey as short as possible by cutting questions you can answer with existing analytics data.
• Be absolutely clear about why you are asking each question and what you intend to do with the information people volunteer.
• Once you draft a survey, test it out on a variety of people before sending it through your distribution channels. How long does it take them to complete? If it’s more than a few minutes, it will be difficult to get a statistically significant response. What did they understand and not understand?
• Use the survey as an opportunity to build deeper relationships. Offer something to the survey taker — a T-shirt, a meeting to talk further if they’d like, a sticker or postcard — and ask for something, such as a request to recommend your work to a friend. You can also request follow-up user interviews or focus groups that can help you better understand themes that emerged in the data. 

3. Survey existing supporters separately to gain insights into what message helped convert readers into paying supporters. Ask why they chose to give (make this a regular habit after someone supports you) — pull ideas from Membership Puzzle Project’s Supporter Survey Question Bank. Collect these answers and when you notice a few common messages, test out that messaging with new readers.

4. Use survey analysis to inform your next steps. Consider survey respondents to be representative of your loyal audience. Return to your survey results to identify themes in what people appreciate most about your organization. Audience research data can also inform your organization’s reader revenue strategy. Before you design your reader revenue program, you’ll want to know things like:

• What do people value most about my organization?
• What coverage areas or types of stories are most valued by your loyal readers? 

5. Unsure what questions to ask in your survey? Consider these three tips from the Inbox Collective or these 101 questions to ask your readers from News Product Alliance. Solutions Journalism Network also produced sample questions and distribution strategies to help measure the impact of solutions journalism, and the Institute for Nonprofit News provides audience survey templates.

6. Keep refining your audience research approach with these resources.

• Intro to Audience Research, Tiny News Collective
• Audience Research Guide, Institute for Nonprofit News
• Know Your Audiences, LION Publishers
• Audience Research: Designing Products with Your Users, LION Publishers
• Understanding Your Market and Audience, LION Publishers