A playbook for news organisations looking to engage members and drive revenue growth

Over the last 18 months, we have heard the same question time and time again: how does engagement with the community benefit my news organisation’s revenue?

We are pleased to publish a new resource that we hope will meaningfully contribute to this discussion: the Engaged Journalism Playbook.

This practical guide has been researched and written by Krautreporter, a German reader-funded digital magazine, as part of its work with the Engaged Journalism Accelerator. Founded in 2014, Krautreporter has more than 12,000 members and specialises in collaborative journalism.

Leon Fryzser, the playbook’s author, has used statistical analysis to understand which touchpoints with members are most effective at keeping them both engaged and as paying customers. He has also drawn on five years of insights on how Krautreporter journalists have been building trust with members.

Inside the playbook, you will find:

• The five engagement principles that shape Krautreporter’s journalism
• Krautreporter’s survey strategy to engage members and drive revenue growth
• Tips for attracting new members

There’s also a practical eight-step guide to help publications create great surveys, and a free Typeform template that you can use to experiment in your news organisation.

Sebastian Esser, co-founder of Krautreporter, has written more about the playbook here.

Over the last 18 months, the Engaged Journalism Accelerator has sought to facilitate the transfer of skills, ideas and knowledge between community-driven news organisations in Europe through funding, events, case studies, reports and community calls.

Our mission is to help create positive, more resilient and more impactful relationships between news organisations and the communities they serve. This new resource continues that mission.

Read other resources published by the Engaged Journalism Accelerator:

• A useful guide for news organisations assessing revenue-making opportunities in small teams (Bureau Local)
• Stronger journalism through shared power (Engaged Journalism Accelerator)
• What would journalism look like if it was generated from within communities? (Engaged Journalism Accelerator)