This article appears as part of the Editor's Pick newsletter.
We are always working hard to reach new audiences, to get noticed by more readers, and to grow our loyal and supportive subscriber base.
That is the whole point, is it not? The very essence of why we are here? To be heard? We have a lot to say, so many stories to tell, a determination to influence change, and a passion for our work we want to be felt by our readers. We want people to engage, to trust us, and to support our work every day. We believe we are worth listening to and paying for.
Journalism, in my opinion, of course, is one of the best jobs out there. The excitement and variety draw people to work in the industry, while the infectious opportunities to steer change, entertain and inform readers fuel their hunger for success and compel them to stay.
For decades, the newspaper industry was relatively straight forward in how it reached its readers: quite simply, through its printed products.
In 2023, while our physical newspaper remains a huge part of what we do, in a digital world, our online offering is a key focus as potential audiences are greater there than ever before. We are indeed speaking to more readers than The Herald ever did (or could) in its purely print focused era.
But while reaching audiences, getting noticed and growing our subscriber numbers is at the forefront of all we do, we have had to adapt and work hard over the years to discover the best ways to do it, using the many tools now at our disposal.
Newsletters, just like this one, are a key way we choose to engage with readers (and attract new loyal readers), by giving them exclusive content direct to their inboxes at set times and making sure The Herald is part of their routine.
Over the last six months there have been a lot of changes behind the scenes at The Herald as we have created a new editorial structure to best serve the needs of both our digital and print products. Within that, our focus on newsletters has increased, allowing us to introduce 12 more to our already rich suite.
Read more:
Editor's Pick | Catherine Salmond: Has it really been a year since I took on editor role?
Not only do I engage with readers personally through mine every Friday, but my team creates its own across the week on a huge range of specialisms, allowing writers to come out from behind their day-to-day work to speak with our readers in a different style.
It has been great to see the engagement and growth in sign-ups, and our data allows us to not only see who is subscribing, but how much they are enjoying them. For example, our daily politics newsletter, Unspun, written by our team at Holyrood, is a clear favourite with readers who get our take on the issues of the day, direct to their inbox at 7pm each weekday. It is a brilliant and engaging read and one of my own daily highlights.
If you have not already signed up for Unspun, you can do so here. You can also look at the impressive range of other newsletters we have available, across topics such as health, business and sport, and sign up for them too.
We have so much to say. Thank you for listening.
Catherine Salmond,
Editor
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here