Industry insight: Niche publishers pursue an 'Everything about something' approach to local news

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Local news outlets are looking to niche publishing to provide better customer satisfaction. In-depth coverage about a specific topic can be a better alternative to the approach many newsrooms take: trying to cover everything in a community with little staff. This approach creates shallow coverage, leaving readers wanting more. Instead of a “something about everything” approach, newspapers that focus on “everything about something” do not cover everything that is going on, but cover the topics they choose to report on extensively.

Some newspapers are even launching digital subscriptions for only niche coverage and independent online niche sites are growing, North Carolina Health News included. Working in a niche market allows for greater search engine optimization, Facebook engagement and knowing that your readers are passionate about the topic and will most likely come to you as a news source.

Niche publishing is more than in-depth coverage. Reporters engage the community with the topics they cover and bring readers together to continue the conversation. If there is another outlet that is writing about the topic, they point readers in the direction of that information as well. Niche local reporting, can create in-person events and entice readers to become members of a publication or subscribe.

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