The past two academic years have been dedicated to understanding how The Post functions as a media outlet with a weekly print product and an daily online presence. For the last two years, Post staffers have been discussing internally the best ways to make the paper happen.
We made changes to our daily production and updated the way we produce content for the tabloid. It has been a learning process, but we have found a way to make The Post newsroom run smoothly. But as a media outlet, we are still working to develop our audience across different mediums. The Post as a newspaper has been functioning well for more than a century, but the digital side of the newsroom is always changing.
Our audience at Ohio University is also changing. Every year, students graduate and new students come to campus — and our staff changes, too. Everyone at OU falls into different groups and has different interests, and The Post needs to determine the best way to reach and represent all of those audiences.
Throughout the end of this year and into next year, The Post is going to work to determine how to best serve its audiences across all platforms. The next editor-in-chief, Lauren Fisher, will work to better understand what The Post audience is looking for on each format and plans to expand the way Post staffers tell stories.
When considering The Post’s digital audience, there is a lot that must be accounted for. Online does not just mean thepostathens.com — it means Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and any other social media site gaining popularity.
To better understand The Post’s print audience, The Post will conduct another print audit by the end of the semester. That entails going to all of the different drop points of The Post twice in one week to determine the pickup rate. Staffers count the number of papers left on the stand and also take in account if the stands are visible and easy to find. This year, I have received a few inquiries about where The Post distributes. We want to ensure being able to find and read The Post is as easy as possible.
And during Fall Semester, The Post will distribute a survey to potential readers to determine what people think of The Post and what they are looking for when they see The Post on newsstands or on social media. The Post is setting out to get as much feedback as possible so next year can be even better.
Elizabeth Backo is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. What is the best way to reach you with The Post? Tell her at eb823313@ohio.edu or send her a tweet at @liz_backo.
