Audience-first publishing
At First Draft Media, we believe journalism only thrives when it puts people first. We help newsrooms and solo creators deeply understand their audience, align editorial strategy with real needs, and design engagement that lasts.
At First Draft Media, we believe journalism begins—and thrives—with the audience.
Why Audience-First Journalism Matters
Trust is fractured. Attention is scattered. But journalism that serves people deeply and intentionally? That’s the future. We work with newsrooms and solo creators to:
- Understand who their audience really is
- Identify what their audience needs
- Build editorial strategies rooted in relevance
What We Do
We combine audience research with real newsroom experience to help you:
- Map user journeys
- Align content strategy with needs
- Design meaningful engagement tactics
We embed a product mindset in your newsroom, helping you treat journalism as a service—not just a stream of content.
And we help you earn reader revenue that fits your audience: from donation asks and tiered memberships to sustainable subscriptions.
We Know the Struggles
Our team has run newsrooms and built outlets in exile. We’ve faced censorship, isolation, and burnout. That’s why our methods are designed for resilience, especially for independent and exiled media.
Journalism starts with people. Let’s put your audience first—and build from there.
First rough draft of history
"So let us today drudge on about our inescapably impossible task of providing every week a first rough draft of history that will never be completed about a world we can never really understand." – Phil Graham, 1963, quoted verbatim in Slate's "Who Said It First? Journalism is the ‘first rough draft of history’".