By: Elizabeth Coffey, Marketing G2 Digital Marketing Specialist

How do you differentiate yourself and create brand loyalty when all news organizations seem to be reporting on the same exact stories?

Brand loyalty has been an uphill battle for many news publishers. Sure, the Washington Post and the New York Times have it, but how do you create brand loyalty when your newspaper is more locally based?

Satisfying readers and satiating their thirst for news isn’t enough to turn the consumers of your content into loyal, subscribing brand advocates for your news publication. To truly inspire advocacy, you must put the experience of your readers above all else, removing sources of friction.

To find sources of friction for your readers and encourage brand advocacy, you must:

1. Have empathy – Put yourself in your reader’s shoes. Is there anything that makes signing up for subscriptions or reading your articles more difficult? Is your website clunky or slow?


2. Earn your readers’ trust – Your news stories mean nothing if your readers don’t trust you or trust that the information you report is accurate. Be quick with corrections and be accountable for errors. Demonstrating proactive honesty and the desire to fulfill your readers’ need for fair and accurate news is paramount.


3. Don’t ditch your humanity – The last thing you want to do when a reader has chosen to reach out, interact, and to engage with your news brand personally is to respond in a way that’s cold, calculated, and standardized. Find a way to have a real human interaction, a real conversation that’s cost effective for your news company.

What do you do to encourage readers to advocate for your brand?