The evolution of the WSJ beyond finance

Rahat Kapur of Campaign looks at the evolution The Wall Street Journal.

Kapur writes, “The transformation of The Wall Street Journal from a strictly financial publication to a broader, more inclusive platform is also a central part of Dow Jones’ current strategy, led by Sheryn Weiss, chief marketing officer. ‘The WSJ has always had this strong reputation in finance,’ she shared, ‘but we wanted people to reconsider how relevant it can be beyond that space.’

“‘We can’t depend on referral traffic any more. We can’t depend on social media to bring people to our site'” Weiss acknowledged, highlighting a challenge faced by all premium publishers as platform algorithms increasingly prioritise short-form video and entertainment content over traditional news. ‘At this point, it’s more critically important for us to be loud in market with brand, to drive people organically to our site.’

Extensive customer research has informed this approach. ‘What we found was our editorial content appeals to a variety of adjacent audiences that have a lot in common with our core finance readership,’ Weiss explained. ‘They’re professionals. They view themselves as wanting to make an impact on their career. They want to be well informed, not just in the office, but with their peers and their friends.'”

Read more here.