The Lansing Journal, a non-profit, all-digital newspaper founded seven years ago provides independent local news to the suburban Lansing community by covering a diverse range of subjects important to its audience.
The Lansing Journal joined the Local News Accelerator in hopes of determining ways to capitalize on a growing YouTube presence to build a stronger publication. In 2024, The Lansing Journal accrued over 1.7 million views on the platform, many of which resulted from coverage of local politics in Lansing.
During its time in the Accelerator program, The Lansing Journal utilized Medill-facilitated audience surveys to identify the demographics and news consumption habits of Lansing-based news consumers to refine its strategy moving forward. The publication learned its core audience regularly accesses content on YouTube and prioritizes content about local government, community and arts and entertainment.
YouTube views in 2024
Forecasted increase in ad revenue for locally-focused video products
Increase in email list size
I learned that there are people in Lansing who watch YouTube and who found the Lansing Journal on YouTube, so now I am able to speak to them more directly than I was before.
Melanie Jongsma, executive director
They also integrated and streamlined the content strategies across products while focusing on an audience-centered holistic approach to what they cover. All of this allowed The Lansing Journal to refocus its wide-reaching YouTube content to content that served the town’s local population with refined branding and targeted content. Further, the publication tapped into YouTube as an additional source of sustainable revenue by creating new ad products catered to local businesses that align with the Journal’s mission rather than relying on less predictable, traffic-driven YouTube ads. The team sold its first ad before the end of the Accelerator.