Offering extras makes a world of differenceOffering

A week ago the Telegraph Magazine published a feature which has turned into one of the biggest successes of recent times. It was nothing to do with food and drink but I think it’s worth looking at because there are lessons that translate to any subject.

It was an interview with a young woman who had had a shocking medical intervention when a baby, and the effect it had had on her entire life – a gripping read. But it was what happened after the interview was published that is really interesting; as our head of digital often says “publishing a story is not the end of the process, it’s just the start”.

I worked with the social team, the online designers, the heads of community and with the subject of the piece herself and the strategy to have wave after wave of activity really paid off in subscriptions and attention.

The lesson for your side of equation is that offering any extras makes a world of difference – images from BTS on a shoot; asking the subject of an interview if they’ll film a little bit of footage that can be used for social; book offers – everyone likes a deal on a cookbook; ‘ask me anything’ sessions; even going to the dreaded ‘below the line’ to respond if the audience has questions or comments (this works particularly well if it’s a contentious subject like plant-based meat or similar). 

Believe me, as editors we want that engagement so it’s a real win-win!