how I would fix Vox's flagship newsletter: Vox Sentences
happy new year media folks ☀️
When you think about some of the most successful traditional media companies, do the New York Times, The Guardian, and Politico come to mind? How about Vox? They used to be in the same breath. But the media darling has struggled over the last 5 years.
Serious cuts to staff, Founders, and Executives leaving in droves, massive hate from other journalists and publications, and a controversial (thirsty) contribution campaign. Not to mention consistent revenue goals missed. All happening across their portfolio, under the parent company Vox Media.
But don’t get me wrong, I still think it could be great. It has a large audience, which gives it serious opportunities to innovate new ways to generate revenue. It’s profitable and they have the resources to invest. So today I want to talk about how I would fix their first flagship newsletter (which was released in 2016) called Vox Sentences.
We’ll talk about design, monetization through Ads, content strategy, voice, and how they can engage their community.
a quick bit about Vox Sentences
Vox Sentences is the first newsletter that’s ever been released by the company. It’s a daily digest, designed to keep you up to date on the most important news stories of the day.
But the problem with the current newsletter is that it falls flat on design, has no voice, uses programmatic Ads, and feels like it’s been put together last minute (copy & paste content).
There are no public numbers out there for Vox's metrics, but let's safely assume they have several hundred thousand subscribers (500k+). And that they see about 18M visits per month (Similar Web). There’s a ton you can do with that.
starting with design
The design feels like it's from 2016. And it looks like it hasn't changed since then. While I'm all for simplicity, it needs a refresh.
The main focus would be to update and modernize. While we do this, we need to ensure we keep readability and accessibility. You can have great design, but if no one can read it, it doesn’t matter.
With that ethos, we can establish a hierarchy and layout that has prominent headlines and subheadings to keep a logical flow. Next, we can give an update to the type (websafe of course) and revamp the color scheme/branding while keeping the original feel. We also need to make sure it’s inclusive. Immersive audio and other forms of accessibility will allow everyone to consume. And lastly, we need to make sure we’re mobile-friendly and use holistic and branded images with prominent CTA's.
here's the current version:
an updated version:
monetization
The first thing we’d have to deal with is the programmatic Ads. Look, I’m all for generating revenue in different ways. But if you’re trying to build a better audience experience that can increase revenue and long-term partnerships… you should not go that route. You lose control of your creative and what your audience sees. Why would you want to do that?
We need to create natural Ad products. Ones that blend the voice of Vox with the newsletter, have creative power behind it and promote products that our audience would be interested in based on our surveys. With an audience size of several hundred thousand, we can price high because of name brand, audience size, and audience demographics (assuming they’re premium). Keep pricing simple with flat rates.
Our product doesn't have to be complicated. But it does have to perform. So we’d create a suite for different kinds of budgets and advertisers. But not too many products that make it overwhelming (for the advertiser and the team).
example:
build community
I find it hard to believe that many newsletters don’t try to foster community.
The first thing I’d do is survey the audience regularly. You learn so much. We need to focus on audience feedback and making the newsletter better. The newsletter isn’t for you, it’s for them. So what are their interests (to back into advertiser partnerships) and have they used any products that have been advertised?
You can also leverage reader testimonials (social proof) in Ad products to boost performance (for those that have used them) and shed light on current readers while incorporating reader stories or opinions. Can you imagine what your engagement metrics would look like if you did that?
editorial & voice
I think the current Vox Sentences voice is ok. Same with the topics. We have to remember that this is simply a digest, so it's explaining the most popular stories from the day that they've been reported. But I would avoid link dumping (hurts deliverability), and discuss 1 or 2 topics in depth to keep the audience engaged. But if Vox insisted that they needed to point to the blog, I would provide snippets that are designed tastefully to preview the stories.
I would also bring more light to the writing team, and give them a prominent voice in the intro. The current content isn’t personable. Folks want interesting and unique opinions. They also want to learn about where the info comes from. They want credible writers. You can build that by throwing out the boring writing style. You also have to think about the habits of the reader. They probably subscribe to your newsletter because it's the easiest way for them to consume, so act like you're making a first impression every time.
It’s not too late for Vox Sentences to change. With a swift strategy shift, they can delight their readers again, generate serious revenue, and become a leader in an extremely competitive market.
see you next week,
shaan
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