The content and appeal of newspapers

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 Newspapers must appeal to audiences and advertisers to stay profitable in an increasingly competitive market. They do this through the content they offer their audiences. There are a number of methods used to ensure content attracts a target audience:

  1. News stories selected
While the stories featured in a paper reflect the viewpoint of the owner and the editor of the paper, they must also reinforce the values and interests of the target audience.
When considering how print news content appeals to target audiences, we can refer to Harcup's news values (2001). These values address the importance and appeal of celebrity and sensationalism in attracting audiences;

Example of Harcup news values

2. Technical Codes

This refers to the elements used to construct a media product so that it looks the way it does. Key technical codes include:
  • Layout, sell lines and cover lines- The layout is designed to attract readers and helps the readers eye guide down to the main points of coverage on a paper. Headlines, bylines and copy will be in different sizes to break up information and enable readers to quickly skim the news
  • Colour and fonts- Newspapers rely on colour to appear eye-catching. Popular tabloids use brighter or contrasting colours for impact, whereas broadsheets use subdued colour palettes as the style of reporting is the focus for the reader. The masthead will be large and use a familiar font so that audiences clearly recognise the paper as a brand. Newspapers use different fonts to appeal to their audience.
3. Language
Use of language and mode of address often depend on the genre, ideological values and educational level of the target audience for the paper:
  • Mode of address- this refers to the way the paper addresses and talks to its audience. It can be informal and conversational, or formal and serious
  • Lexis- This refers to the compliation of words and language. It is the vocabulary used by journalists to make the content appeal to the audience. The choice of words can eb emotive and hyperbolic, or objective and balanced.
How content is used to target, reach and address different audiences:
Newspapers address the values and interests of their audiences in the content they include in the paper. But in order to reach their target audience, newspapers have to market their news brands to create awareness of the paper and:
  1. Encourage reader loyalty
  2. Attract new readers
  3. Increase sales and advertising revenue
How do newspapers target and reach their audiences?
  • Price- the cover price is set to appeal to the audiences socio-demographic profile, in particular their income
  • Cross platform advertising- Newspapers will market their print news version across a range of converged media. This can include adverts for their print paper in their online and social media platforms
  • Promotional offers- Offers such as free giveaways, posters, discounts on holidays, book clubs, and shopping vouchers are all used to appeal to their target audience
  • Subscriptions- audiences are invited to express their loyalty to a paper by committing to monthly and annual subscriptions where they pay for copies in advance and recieve a discount on the cover price
  • Sponsorship- Newspapers will sponsor events that reflect the values of the paper and appeal to the interests of the reader- The Guardian sponsoring Glastonbury festival helps the paper brand for millenials who enjoy culture and music
  • Partnership marketing- These are synergy deals with other companies to help promote both products to similar audiences with the aim of widening the market share both products can access
How audiences use and interpret media:

Uses and Gratifications theory as developed by Bulmer and Katz suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. Bulmer and Katz believed that the user seeks out the media source that best fulfils their needs.

The uses and gratifications theory assumes the audience chooses what it wants to watch for five different reasons.

Information and Education – the viewer wants to acquire information, knowledge and understanding by watching programmes like The News or Documentaries.

Entertainment – Viewers watch programmes for enjoyment.

Personal Identity - Viewers can recognise a person or product, role models that reflect similar values to themselves and mimic or copy some of their characteristics.

Integration and social interaction – the ability for media products to produce a topic of conversation between people. For example who is the best contestant on The X-factor who which was the best goal shown on Match of the day.

Escapism – Computer games and action films let viewers escape their real lives and imagine themselves in those situations







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