You're reading The Audiencers' newsletter #80 sent out on January 7th, 2026. To receive future newsletters straight to your inbox every two weeks, sign up here.
Marion here, I’m the (French) Publisher and CEO of Audiencers – Madeleine, currently enjoying the thousand wonders of Nicaragua (ie: beaches and sunset beers), has left me the keys to this newsletter so that we don’t let you wander alone in the audience engagement world for the first half of January.
Happy New Year! I wish you, and those you love, countless small joys and immense happiness.
In today’s edition: French jokes and a selection of last year’s articles 🎁 gifted 🎁 to celebrate the New Year (you can click on all of them, none will be paywalled if you come from this newsletter – yes, it’s a little Poool trick that works quite well):
- Value proposition: Being able to say why people should buy your product is the first step before any other
- KPIs: Your most valuable newsroom indicator is no longer reach but belonging
- Editorial: What other format than articles could work for what you have to say?
- Retention: What a fitness app has to teach us about habits building
- How do the others do it? The ultimate case study list to inspire your reader revenue model, sorted by type of strategy
“Why should I subscribe?”
Before optimizing your paywall, pricing or conversion funnels, there’s a more fundamental question to answer : why should anyone pay you?
This article walks you through a rigorous, battle-tested method to define a clear, compelling value proposition – one that aligns editorial, product and marketing teams, and actually resonates with your audiences.
From the Value Proposition Canvas to the Golden Circle, with concrete media examples throughout, it gives you the tools to write sharper conversion messages, stronger offer pages and more convincing campaigns.
Why the most valuable newsroom KPI is no longer reach but belonging
Pageviews and reach still look good in dashboards, but they no longer explain what really drives loyalty, retention and revenue.
This article makes a clear case for shifting newsroom KPIs from visibility and interaction to belonging – the signal that readers return, build habits and truly care.
Drawing on concrete examples from the Financial Times, Der Spiegel and community-driven publishers, it shows why engagement alone is not enough and how belonging becomes a stronger predictor of long-term value.
When the article is no longer enough: formats that outperform the article on news apps
For mobile audiences, the article is no longer the obvious entry point – and often not the place where attention actually lands.
This piece challenges the article-centric mindset and shows how formats have become the real interface between journalism and product. Through 10 concrete, mobile-first formats used by leading publishers (from threads to live feeds, polls and timelines), it explains how to capture attention earlier, reduce friction and guide readers more gently toward depth.
Retention: what a fitness app has to teach us about habits building
What can a fitness app teach newsrooms about engagement, retention and habit-building? Quite a lot, it turns out.
This deep dive breaks down how Freeletics keeps users coming back every day – through emotional motivation, smart onboarding, streaks, community challenges and radical personalization. Each lesson is easy to translate to media or SaaS products, from reducing conversion friction to designing rituals that stick.
How do others do it? Our ultimate case study list
Looking for concrete inspiration, proven tactics or solid benchmarks – without starting from scratch every time? This curated index brings together every Audiencers article that breaks down a winning strategy from publishers around the world. Organised by topic (engagement, paywalls, subscriptions, onboarding, AI, apps, retention and more), it’s designed to be bookmarked and reused whenever you need ideas, comparisons or ammunition for internal discussions.
> A practical map of what’s actually working in reader revenue today.
See you in 2 weeks for the next newsletter,
Marion
