Recently, Entertainment Weekly found itself caught right in the crosshairs of the changing media market. With most people now getting their entertainment content online, or via social media, how could a glossy print publication weather the storm?
As Ronn Torossian points out, successful media companies live and breathe on the strength, or stickiness, of their content. For Entertainment Weekly the changing dynamic of the media meant that they desperately needed clicks on their online content… and they needed it pronto. So, they went to the one well they knew would never run dry: the very celebrities that were their content life blood. By forming marketing partnerships with their former article subjects, EW was able to offer their subscribers exclusive content, along with other celebrity goodies.
Torossian also points out how well EW has leveraged Facebook and Twitter to continue their transformation. The magazine posts open ended questions, surveys, and other “sticky” content on their social media pages every day.
One of the most recent gambits Torossian noticed was an ongoing “who’s the best host” survey that asks users to rate the most recent hosts of Saturday Night Live. This content provides a genius level marketing crossover for the magazine. They are featuring a recurring show that continually offers new live content. Plus, the way they ask the question is sure to not only draw fans of SNL, but also fans of the individual hosts who want to see them “win.”
What will they win? Who knows… and who cares? For EW, this is about getting people engaged, and keeping them connected. Torossian believes this combination of sticky questions, exclusive content, and teasers should prove to be a success for the magazine.
Proving him right, EW is seeing a huge increase in social media numbers as well as watching it’s web traffic increase dramatically.
Of course, the principles that EW used to build their brand can be transferred to just about any business model. For more information on how to do that, contact Ronn Torossian and 5WPR today.
Read more from Ronn Torossian:
Ronn Torossian on Forbes
Ronn Torossian on Medium
Ronn Torossian on LinkedIn
Ronn Torossian Update
Ronn Torossian on Business Insider
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