Do readers want to hear from you?

The yays and the nays

Now that you have attracted people to read your content and create an account on your publication, how do you keep them engaged, so they come back for more?

Nobody likes receiving spammy emails or notifications. But some informative messages are tolerable and even welcomed when done right. Keep in mind that readers like to be in control of what they want or don’t want to receive.

We did a couple of interviews with readers about their most and least favourite ways of being reached out by publications they are subscribed to.

Monthly Newsletter

Depending on the frequency and type of content, your readers may subscribe to a newsletter. We recommend a monthly newsletter over a daily option to avoid cluttering up your readers’ inbox.

I personally like the short monthly recap style newsletters. They feel like they respect my time and if there are any stories that I want to read in more detail there are always links I can click on. — Nick Martin

I rarely check my email. So, I think it is better to use app notifications, but make sure don’t send too often. — Julieca

I rarely read the few monthly newsletters or weekly digests I am subscribed. I usually search on demand for whatever I am interested in. — Dan Malone

Weekly digest via email

This is my favourite way to keep up with most publications. The frequency is just enough for readers to stay up to date, without disrupting their daily activities. Often, the weekly digest curates trending articles of the week, and it’s relatively easy to read.

Toby and Rafael agree with me.

I like receiving weekly digest via Email, mainly for media, news, and podcasts. — Tobias Strebitzer

I check out the weekly digest via email. It usually has a short article and a CTA to read more. Often, it also comes with an action to subscribe and a special price. — Rafael Kawatu

In-app notifications

As the name implies, in-app notifications are messages that appear within the app and only while users have it open. It could be a message displayed when logged-in users are browsing your publication. Or, it could be aggregated info listed in the bell icon in the top right corner of the app.

Subtle in-app notifications are preferable, as it doesn’t disrupt the reading experience. As long as readers can control what type of activities are going to be delivered, they usually don’t mind receiving an in-app notification. It usually comes in handy, especially when readers are expecting engagements or replies to their comments.

Many readers seem to like in-app notifications and even couldn’t stop themselves from checking them out.

Badges on apps I usually check because I can’t stand having tons of unread badges. Also, in-app notifications are OK since I’m already on the app anyway. — Firza Raditha

I have do not want those red circle badges on the app drawer so I always open them up regardless of what app they are. In-app-notifications are less annoying for me. If you’re already choosing to use the app , you would think that their notifications won’t be quite bothersome, right? — Davinci Solidario

If reader actively using the app, reader will more easily access information via in-app notification. — Febby Rahmat

Push Notifications: Would readers like to stay updated each time a new article is published?

If you publish time-sensitive content, such as breaking news, giving readers an option to enable push notifications is a good idea. However, be wise in using this for content types that don’t require immediate attention. With a few missteps, a push notification can transform from invitation to intrusion.

Hear how readers feel about receiving Push Notifications.

Love-hate relationship with push notifications because some app tends to send them every day and it becomes annoying. But appreciate it when they send it once a week or every other day just so I won’t completely forget about them and miss out on good deals. In-app notifications are good only if I open the app often. Otherwise, I tend to forgot I installed the app. So, I found this part where push notification is winning. — Natasha Kumala Dewi

I’m on the fence when it comes to push notifications. I have shopping apps that annoy the hell out of me with their push notifications. But for the life of me, I haven’t turned them off yet! — Davinci Solidario

These mixed feelings are also shared by Shulha.

That’s depend on how much I am interested in that publication. Normally, I just want to get summary and see whether there is interesting topic via email, and turn-off the notifications. However, if it’s an interesting publication, then I will hope to get update as soon as possible via Push Notifications. — Shulha Yahya

What about you?

Which type of communication do you prefer to receive from a Publication?