Is there a business model in ‘trust’ and ‘community’?
Solstice Media’s Managing Director, Paul Hamra, knows so.
Two key themes emerged from the pandemic for media companies – trust and community. They are not new, but I think they are going to stay high on the agenda.
The world relied on its media outlets to provide us with daily, sometimes hourly trusted health information for almost two years – free, without spin or agenda – and the audience responded with record engagement.
People want to be able to trust their news.
InDaily, South Australia’s leading open access, public interest journalism site, went into overdrive during the pandemic – updating information from journalists working in lockdown at home and feeding the insatiable desire for trusted information.
Our monthly unique audience peaked at more than 800,000 in March 2020, as measured by Nielsen’s Digital Content Ratings – 300,000 more than usual, in a state with a population of 1.8 million.
Through our agreements with Google and Facebook, our content was amplified and shared at pace.
Trust builds loyalty for media companies and those who were exposed to our daily local journalism knew they could rely on us to explain what was going on with this once in a lifetime news story.
They are now ongoing loyal readers.
Advertisers want to, and have, engaged with this journalism knowing it is real and knowing it is brand safe.
A true demonstration of loyalty has also been expressed in the increase in donations from InDaily readers, who are not looking for any reward other than ensuring we continue to provide quality, local, independent journalism.
Another, back-to-basic, trend emerged from COVID, and has remained, and that is the heightened sense of community.
People wanted to know how others were coping in their street and suburb or how they could help and connect in these dark days.
Neighbours acquainted themselves, produce was shared, gatherings were held and stories were told.
With all the negative news from around the world people were interested in their own backyard again: the local community was back in vogue.
Our lifestyle publications, SALIFE and CityMag, with local information and content full of practical inspiration, saw a surge in circulation.
Woolworths and Coles wanted to add our local magazines to their racks of national titles in South Australia during the pandemic, knowing local products were in demand.
Printed magazines were a return to traditional media values which now, supplemented with a strong digital offering, are reaching audiences in a way not seen before.
South Australia is a smaller state but it is one with a proud media heritage.
It’s a state where if you can get the trust of the local community, the audience, and the business, will follow.
Solstice Media publishes the national news website, The New Daily, InDaily, SALIFE and CityMag in SA and InQueensland and Weekend Edition in Queensland. To get in touch email spool@solsticemedia.com.au.
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