The mobile revolution continues to create new opportunities for accessing news. The convenience is great for readers. However for publishers, the challenge to engage and retain audiences is ever more complex.
One of the latest trends in mobile – truncated articles. As recently reported by Digiday, these are becoming popular among publishers as a means for grabbing an untapped (and previously untraceable) population: anonymous mobile and social readers.
Over recent years, publishers have toyed with the idea of providing shorter articles with a “Read More” or “Show Full Article” links, to attract customers interested in getting less information quicker. Before taking the plunge, it’s important to examine both sides of the news spectrum.
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Publishers consider it a benefit to them (and readers).
Publishers view this new approach as a win for both themselves as well as their readers. For readers, they are able to view just enough of the article to inform and entice them. Should they choose to read more, they can select “Show Full Article” and quickly continue reading. If uninterested, they can either choose from similar articles that may be of interest or ads. This strategy allows publishers to provide readers with multiple alternatives to the original article, with minimal annoyance or effort required.
For publishers, they are able to target and engage a demographic of users they wouldn’t normally be able to: anonymous mobile and social readers. Since these readers tend to have a higher bounce rate, truncated articles retain readers for a longer time period. If readers aren’t interested in an article, they can quickly find an alternative.
The method also increases the visibility and viewability of both the content as well as the ads. Because ads are strategically located below the “Show Full Article” button, publishers are able to directly increase revenue in a manner that doesn’t intrude on the reader’s user experience. The more readers click on website links, the more likely they are to not only view, but also click on links to ads. This is an attractive option for advertisers. Publishers can also leverage this strategy to understand additional metrics on which articles, ads, and even writers generate more (or less) “click-through.”
Readers may not see things the same way.
While publishers assume readers appreciate this new tool, they may be in for a surprise. Readers may find the only ones benefitting from truncated articles are the publishers and advertisers. The placement of ads directly below the “Show Full Article” button means there is a better chance than before that readers could accidentally click an ad.
In addition, many readers won’t click the “Show Full Article” link if they are not captured in the first few lines of the article. Whereas before, a reader could quickly skim through an article to find if it was worth reading, they are limited in text now. The truncated style also requires more time and effort on the reader’s part to view the entire article. This could potentially result in the loss of readership if they aren’t quickly captured.
Understand your audience and what motivate them.
Truncated content has benefits for publishers and even readers. However, it’s important that the former take great care to understand their reader base and what motivates them. Taking these steps can potentially create long-term solutions that increase revenue and also show readers they (and their time) are valued.
Establishing reader loyalty means creating a relationship with them, such that they want to not only remain on the site, but also come back. It’s unlikely that publishers will retain every reader, especially side-door ones. However, truncated content presents an opportunity to build a better business model that makes readers want more. At the end of the day, isn’t that the true bottom line?