Election Buzz: How to Hook Readers and Gain Subscribers

Every four years, news and media outlets see a surge in readership as people seek timely, accurate, and insightful election coverage. But election season is more than just a season – it’s an opportune moment to convert this surge in visitors into long-term subscribers.

However, keeping user attention and driving engagement requires more than just offering relevant news—it demands strategic, targeted approaches to make your content irresistible.

This post will guide you through proven tactics to boost reader engagement and maximize subscription rates during the high-stakes time of year that is election season.

1. Personalized Content Recommendations

Mobile messaging personalization is the key to capturing the attention of readers who are bombarded with a constant stream of information from multiple sources during election season. By delivering tailored content that aligns with their specific interests and concerns, you can cut through the noise and provide value, making it more likely that they will engage deeply with your platform and consider subscribing for ongoing, relevant updates.

Use data analytics to understand individual user preferences based on their browsing history, reading patterns, and click behavior.

During election season, readers are likely looking for specific topics, such as candidate profiles, policy analyses, or real-time updates.

Not sure where to start? User data comes in several forms, many of which can provide helpful insights into what resonates most with particular audience segments:

• Content Engagement Metrics: Track which articles, topics, or formats (e.g., videos, infographics, long reads) are getting the most clicks, views, and read-through rates. This helps identify the content types and themes that resonate most with your audience.
• Behavioral Patterns: Analyze user interactions such as time spent on specific topics (e.g., candidate profiles, policy breakdowns), repeat visits, and navigation paths through the app. Understanding these patterns can help pinpoint areas of high interest and moments when users are most engaged.
• Search Queries and Keywords: Monitor the search terms users are entering within your app to identify trending topics or issues they are specifically seeking out. This provides insights into their immediate concerns and informational needs during election events.
• Click-through Rates (CTR) on Push Notifications: Evaluate which push notifications have the highest open and engagement rates. This data reveals what type of messaging or content headlines are most effective in capturing attention.
• A/B Testing Results: Regularly test different content headlines, notification formats, and CTA (Call-to-Action) placements to see what drives the most engagement and subscriptions. Analyzing these results allows for continuous optimization of user engagement strategies.
• Geo-location Data: Use location-based analytics to understand regional preferences, as election-related interests often vary by geography. This can help deliver more relevant content to users based on their local or state election news.

A news app could use push notifications to send personalized headlines like, "You’ve been following healthcare debates—Check out our latest analysis on candidate X's healthcare policy." This tailored approach makes readers feel seen and understood, increasing the likelihood that they’ll engage with the content and subscribe for more.

Looking for more ways to personalize your app messaging?

Our Mobile Personalization Companion breaks down the must-have personalization strategies, by industry, to help you understand exactly what your campaigns should look like.

2. Interactive Features to Boost Engagement

Interactive features are powerful tools that can turn passive readers into active participants in the election discourse. This is a period of time when people are more motivated than ever to voice their opinions, engage in discussions, and stay informed about issues that directly impact them. By offering interactive features like live polls, quizzes, and debates, you tap into this heightened interest, making users feel involved and invested in the content.

Prioritizing interactive experiences not only increases immediate engagement but also fosters a sense of community and loyalty, which are key factors in converting users into long-term subscribers.

Gamification strategies such as quizzes (e.g., "Which candidate aligns most with your views?") or trivia challenges about election history. This fun, engaging approach keeps users on the platform longer and builds a deeper connection with your content. At the end of the quiz, you can offer a subscription to access detailed candidate profiles and analysis based on their results. This creates a direct link between the engagement activity and the subscription offer.

When it comes to interactive app features, your creativity is really your only limit. Consider the following approaches to creating engaging and interactive in-app content:

Interactive Maps and Timelines

Allow users to explore election results, voter turnout, and candidate campaign trails in real-time. Use push notifications to alert users of significant changes or updates on these visual elements to keep them engaged across channels.

User-Generated Content Sections

Enable readers to share their own articles, videos, or opinions on the election, creating a platform for diverse perspectives. Promote the most popular or insightful user contributions through email newsletters and social media shout-outs to drive wider visibility.

Fact-Checking Tools

Offer a tool where users can verify statements made by candidates or public figures, enhancing their trust in your platform. Utilize SMS alerts to inform users when a significant fact-check update or clarification is available, prompting them to revisit the app.

Interactive Q&A Sessions

Host live Q&A sessions with journalists, political analysts, or even AI bots that answer users’ election-related questions. Advertise these sessions via personalized push notifications and emails, highlighting trending questions to encourage broader participation.

Crowdsourced Predictions

Let users make predictions about election outcomes, such as who will win key states or which policies will gain the most support. Follow up with in-app messages and leaderboard updates to show how their predictions rank among others, driving ongoing engagement.

3. Real-Time Updates and Push Notifications

Timely information is the lifeblood of election coverage, and keeping readers informed in real time can significantly enhance user engagement.

Use push notifications to deliver instant updates on election results, debate highlights, or critical campaign developments. Ensure that these alerts are concise, compelling, and relevant to the reader’s preferences.

Use these push notification best practices to engage users and help convert them into long-term subscribers during election season:

• Align with user preferences: Tailor notifications based on user reading habits, such as sending alerts about specific candidates or issues they’ve shown interest in.
• Concise and Actionable Messaging: Keep messages short and direct, with a clear call-to-action that encourages users to click through for more details or exclusive content.
• Segmentation: Segment your audience based on their location or political interests to ensure they receive the most relevant updates, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
• Frequency Control: Avoid notification overload by spacing out alerts and prioritizing the most critical updates, so users don’t get overwhelmed and disable notifications. This is precisely why OneSignal offers Frequency Capping to help avoid over-messaging at scale.

You may also consider creating a calendar of key election events, such as debates, town halls, and election night coverage. Allow users to subscribe to alerts for these events, ensuring they receive timely updates that keep them coming back for more.

4. Exclusive Content for Subscribers

Offering exclusive content during election season is a proven tactic to convert engaged readers into loyal subscribers. Provide in-depth analyses, data-driven insights, and expert opinions that are accessible only to subscribers. Highlight these exclusives in both your promotional materials and in free articles to entice non-subscribers.

Host live Q&A sessions or expert panel discussions with political analysts exclusively for subscribers. Market these events as "behind-the-scenes" looks at the election process or debates.

A banner on a popular election article could read, "Enjoying this content? Subscribe now to access our exclusive, in-depth analysis of the latest debate." This creates a clear value proposition for the reader to become a subscriber.

The best mobile messaging channel to support exclusive content is in-app messaging, supported by a mix of push notifications and email for broader reach. Here’s why:

In-App Messaging

In-app messages allow you to deliver highly contextual and visually rich messages directly within your app while users are actively engaged. You can use in-app pop-ups, banners, or slide-ins to promote exclusive content or highlight subscriber-only events like live Q&A sessions. It's an ideal way to create a seamless experience that keeps users immersed in your platform.

Push Notifications

Push notifications are perfect for driving users back to the app with timely alerts about new exclusive content or live event reminders. These alerts should be personalized to emphasize the urgency and value of the subscriber-only benefits, nudging users to explore further.

Email

Use mobile email campaigns to reinforce the value of subscribing by summarizing the benefits and providing a taste of the exclusive content available. This channel is effective for longer-form messaging that can include detailed explanations of what's offered to subscribers and how they can sign up.

5. Leverage Social Proof and User-Generated Content

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to follow the actions of others, especially in decision-making scenarios like subscribing to content. To leverage social proof effectively, showcase testimonials from existing subscribers about the quality and relevance of your election coverage. This is your chance to sway readers on the fence about subscribing.

Encourage readers to share their opinions or experiences related to election events in comment sections or through social media. Highlight the most insightful or thought-provoking comments in your newsletters or articles to increase user engagement.

Consider creating a community poll on social media, asking, "What issues matter most to you this election season?" and feature the most common answers in your next newsletter. Mention that the newsletter is available to subscribers, encouraging social media followers to subscribe for more personalized content.

An Important Note on Healthy Discussion

While encouraging discussion is valuable, you must be cautious not to fuel inflammatory rhetoric, especially during a divisive election season when tensions are already high. It's essential to promote a respectful and balanced dialogue that fosters healthy debate rather than conflict. By setting clear community guidelines and moderating content, you can create a space where users feel safe to express their views without fear of hostility, ultimately leading to a more constructive and engaging platform that prioritizes thoughtful discourse over sensationalism.

An Opportune Moment to Switch to OneSignal

Ready to boost your subscription rates this election season? OneSignal’s suite of engagement tools are tailor made for news and media apps looking to convert new users into long-term subscribers.

• OneSignal’s mobile push notifications, web push alerts, and in-app messages are easy to implement and ideal for delivering personalized messages, whether users are actively engaged in your app or they need a gentle nudge to return.
• Use your mobile channels independently or together with our drag-and-drop Journeys builder – it is designed to help you quickly create automated workflows that guide users through a series of personalized messages based on their interactions with your app.
• OneSignal also supports iOS Live Activities which help highlight real-time updates on users’ home screens, keeping election coverage and other important events visible to your audience without requiring them to open your app.
• Create quality engagement by ensuring your users are only notified about topics they care about with OneSignal’s Category Prompts for web push notifications. This allows users to opt-in to specific types of notifications, such as breaking news, political updates, or local election results.

These strategies and features only scratch the surface of what OneSignal is capable of. We encourage you to create a free account and discover why one in every five apps choose OneSignal for their mobile engagement solution.

And don’t forget to vote!