Why Do People Read Newspapers? The massive research can't answer all these questions, but it does identify and offer specific advice toward "four cornerstones of readership growth":
* providing excellent customer service
* improving editorial and advertising content
* building recognition and loyalty through stronger brand promotion
* reforming management and culture.
Many of the findings are predictable. Better content, especially community news, brings in readers. Variety helps. Service greatly affects readership (people aren't likely to subscribe if the paper doesn't arrive, or shows up late or wet). Newspapers need to improve how they're run and become more open to change. [...]
The most vital step of all, the research says, may be making the paper easier to use; however, contemporary touches such as more attractive design, extensive use of color and informational graphics matter less than heavy promotion and easy-to-understand organization. Advertising and service sometimes outrank editorial content in luring readers. Readers want shorter stories in some cases (about weather), but longer ones in others (about science and technology); fewer stories on some topics (crime), but more on others (community activities, lifestyles, global relations and "how we are governed").
