Expanding your audience is possible, but it requires serious preparation. Identifying the right audience, verifying that you have the means to reach them, and laying out a strategy with clear objectives: these are all milestones to set before the project takes shape.
Have you identified an audience that actually needs you?
Reaching new people isn't just about broadcasting more widely: it's about meeting the needs of a specific audience. Whether they're similar to yours or radically different, the approach is the same. Before expanding your reach, it's better to precisely map out your target audience: who are these people, what are their needs, and why your outlet over another? That's the question Marsactu asked itself when it set out to connect with residents of the Marseille suburbs, who were removed from information that directly concerned them. Next, verify that your value proposition—formats, angles, tone, channels—aligns with these needs, and adjust it if necessary… without losing sight of those who already trust you.
Do you have the resources and good reasons to get started?
Expanding your audience requires a real investment: in time, budget, and energy. Before you start, first examine your motivations: is this a response to financial pressure, or a deliberate editorial conviction? The distinction matters: it shapes how you'll build and sustain your approach over time. It was from a simple conviction, reading comfort, that the paper bet at Splann !, was born, which managed to adjust its print runs and workload so the project remained sustainable. Then examine your concrete resources: does your team have the necessary bandwidth? Have all the people involved been brought into the discussion? Are roles clearly defined? A project that's poorly planned internally has little chance of working externally.
Have you set a clear strategy with measurable objectives?
Finding a new audience requires planning like a campaign: which channels, which messages, which distribution partners, which timeline? When Voxe and Vert invest in partnerships between media outlets, they set specific subscription targets and track their results to know whether the effort paid off. Whatever approach you choose, defining success in advance is the only way to know if you achieve it. This requires establishing two things before launch: your objectives (building awareness of your media, converting new subscribers, establishing a presence in a new market) and the measurement indicators that will allow you to evaluate them. These cannot be improvised after the fact.
At Médianes, our studio supports media outlets, NGOs and institutions looking to expand their audience: identifying target audiences, verifying alignment with their value proposition, and building a strategy with measurable objectives. Learn more about our approach.
Want to reach new audiences without jeopardizing what's already working? Tell us more.
To go further
- Before expanding your reach, you need to understand who you're addressing and what their needs are: discover our practical guide to defining your personas.
- Reaching new audiences also means asking how to retain them over time, and how to turn an audience into a community.
- Expanding your audience or creating a new media outlet—in both cases, the fundamental questions are the same: does the need really exist, and do you have the means to meet it? Questions to ask yourself if you want to keep creating new media.
