From platforms to products: Owning your audience relationship

As digital platforms shift their priorities—and news becomes increasingly deprioritized in social feeds—newsrooms are rethinking what it means to own the connection with their audience. That theme was central to the AP Forward webinar, “Shaping the Future of Audience Engagement,” where Emma Patti of Atlas Obscura and Juan Carlos Van Meek of Al Jazeera offered insights on reducing dependency on intermediaries.

“You need the platforms to reach people,” Van Meek noted, “but you can’t depend on them to prioritize you.”

The Strategic Pivot to Owned Channels

Patti explained how Atlas Obscura is leaning hard into newsletters and gated communities to establish one-to-one connections with readers. “We’re building back that relationship through community-first content,” she said.

Platforms can change overnight. That’s why The Baltimore Banner created members-only events and subscriber Discord channels to foster loyalty that doesn’t vanish with the next algorithm shift.

Van Meek emphasized a similar transition. Al Jazeera is developing OTT streaming and mobile-first web experiences to retain control over content reach. These assets allow for content depth and context—key advantages over feed-based consumption.

Products, not posts

Treating journalism as a product means packaging it around habit. What starts with content evolves into daily touchpoints—newsletters, alerts, podcasts, community forums. These are spaces where engagement metrics matter less than relationship-building.

“It’s not just about discovery anymore,” said Patti. “It’s about building presence in people’s daily routines.”

Organizations like the News Product Alliance argue that product-thinking is now as important as editorial judgment in sustaining digital news businesses. It’s not enough to report the story—you have to deliver it in ways that feel essential.

Actionable takeaways

• Identify and prioritize first-party channels you can fully control.
• Redesign content formats for email, app notifications, and push alerts.
• Develop exclusive or gated products that reinforce habit and value.
  

Questions for leaders

• What proportion of your traffic comes from platforms you don’t control?
• Are your newsletters and apps serving editorial value or just repackaging links?
• What new habit-forming product could you test this quarter?