🤔A university can charge a student thousands, yet that student is never a ‘customer’. 🧑🎓💰
That’s the exact mindset our latest guest, Anugrah, is using to build his news startup, Dot. With a vision to counter the current problems facing news brands and how they are perceived by the public, he believes the goal of audience engagement isn’t just to gain loyalty—it’s to make your readers feel like insiders.
🎙️In this week’s episode, Francesca dives into how Anugrah is building his publication turning readers into true advocates through:
🤝 Radical Transparency: How Dot operates are written in plain English, short & sweet and all over their news site. His philosophy: you must first explain yourself and how you operate before you can explain the world to others.
🤝 Direct Founder Access: Readers can send feedback—good or bad—and chat directly with Anugrah on WhatsApp. This human connection, while not scalable forever, builds immense trust from day one.
🤝 Embracing the Critics: Anugrah shares a powerful story of a highly critical reader who, after a long and patient conversation, became one of Dot’s biggest supporters. The lesson? A patient hearing is one of the most powerful engagement tools you have.
💭This conversation will make you rethink the transactional nature of news and the language we use to describe our audiences.
We know your time is valuable – simply browse the episode chapters below and choose the segments you’re most eager to hear.
00:00 Introduction to Anugrah and Dot
02:44 The Vision Behind Dot: Redefining News
05:15 Understanding the Audience: Who Are Dot’s Users?
07:44 Engagement Redefined: Building Relationships with Readers
10:18 Feedback and Advocacy: The Importance of User Interaction
12:46 Challenges in Audience Engagement: Lessons Learned
15:13 Effective Strategies for Audience Engagement
17:35 Transparency and Authenticity in Journalism
23:59 Building Trust Through Transparency
27:20 The Importance of Metrics in Journalism
30:49 Engaging Readers in Editorial Decisions
33:52 Balancing User Wants and Needs
40:12 The Role of Generalists in a Small Team
41:42 Engagement as the Core Strategy
44:13 The Hack: Be Your Customer