Post Visit: Growing Readership

After carefully reviewing The Washington Post’s website, along with a fascinating overview of the web content with mobile editor Mark W. Smith during our trip to The Post in D.C., it is undisputable that the Post knows how to get views on its content. The website is well designed and easy to use, the headlines and article summaries are clear and easy to read, and overall the paper has a real presence on social media.

The social media team has done a lot of work. From the traditional Twitter and Facebook accounts, The Washington Post’s Instagram account and Snapchat Discover story have been a great and original addition to the social media presence and viewer count. Smith showed us how the web team uses metrics to try and grow readership, along with The Post’s Twitter account to test headlines: the team often tweets the same article twice but with different headlines to see which one attracts more eyeballs.
By this kind of work and attention to numbers and details, The Washington Post shows that it wants to keep improving its offering and content.

However, I think there is always room for improvement.

First off, I think the website isn’t easy to skim through, - which is usually what a reader will do when on the first page - since the headlines aren’t aligned with one another. The reader has to jump from one sentence to another and the process is not practical when in a hurry. The layout of the website could be improved by using more of a grid system, like per example USA Today’s website.

Furthermore, the Post should have a briefing section of recent news events with summaries, like The New York Times has. It would help grow readership and attract students or occasional light news consumers.
The website should also have a special section for more developed stories like features and profiles, like The New Yorker’s. Some readers prefer to read feature stories when they have a bit more time to do so. The paper edition’s central pages mostly composed of feature stories, and the website should add a link to the latest features published.

Lastly, the Washington Post should offer a larger range of subscription options, like a cheaper plan for students, or a customizable package. Advertisement and sections aimed at students could attract more of them to subscribe and share. I feel like most students don’t feel like giving $9.99 a month for basic access to the website let alone $12.25 per week for the paper edition. By diversifying its offer, the Post would likely grow the number of subscriptions among students and colleges.

In my opinion, those points could help improve readership and keep the dynamic the Washington Post built those past years.