Seeking new ways to connect with readers, Hub newsrooms are turning toward SMS

How do you reach audiences when they’re visiting news sites less often and more spread out across social media? It’s a critical challenge for news organizations, and the News Revenue Hub is committed to finding solutions. That’s why, in early 2024, the Hub launched an SMS cohort to help newsrooms experiment with text messaging as a tool to engage audiences, strengthen community relationships, and explore new revenue strategies.

The cohort aimed to explore SMS as a direct, owned-and-operated news delivery system and address key questions, such as:

• How can SMS increase civic engagement?
• How do audiences interact with SMS news delivery?
• How can newsrooms use SMS for fundraising and reader revenue?
• What additional needs can SMS fulfill?

The cohort also examined whether SMS could better connect newsrooms with underserved communities — especially those disengaged from traditional news sources or living in rural areas with limited broadband access. The two-way nature of SMS messaging also offers a potential solution to one of journalism’s biggest challenges: rebuilding trust with readers.

The cohort required a minimal time commitment — three hours or less per month — and included hands-on support. The Hub helped onboard participants to an SMS platform (all newsrooms chose Subtext, a tool that allows users to text directly with audiences at scale); assisted with setup and user automation; and facilitated monthly check-ins where participants shared updates, wins, and challenges. Newsrooms were also encouraged to share engagement and performance data, though success metrics varied based on each news organization’s SMS strategy.

“Newsrooms need to start meeting people where they are, and SMS is a critical way to do just that,” said Mary Walter-Brown, CEO and founder of the News Revenue Hub. “Now is the time to build a list — before the next breaking news event, when your community needs reliable news the most.”

“Now is the time to build a list — before the next breaking news event, when your community needs reliable news the most.”

Several promising use cases emerged, despite newsroom staff being spread thin in an election year. According to Subtext, which offered discounted rates through its partnership with the Hub, newsrooms in the cohort saw above-average click-through rates, strong audience engagement, and high host-response rates.

Three Hub clients — El Paso Matters, San Antonio Report, and Cityside, which operates Berkleyside, The Oaklandside, and Richmondside — participated in the SMS cohort and saw notable success. Here’s how they experimented with messaging.

Election Resources

Many newsrooms have effectively leveraged SMS to provide election resources, including voter guides, election updates, and responses to reader questions.

For instance, when the San Antonio Report shared its 2024 Voter Guide via SMS, it received a 35.14% click-through rate (CTR), surpassing the average industry rate by more than 13%. A subsequent broadcast with election results saw an even higher CTR of 47.1%.

With San Antonio heading into an open mayoral race in May, Editor-in-Chief Leigh Munsil noted that disseminating voter information via SMS “will be a key strategy” for 2025

With San Antonio heading into an open mayoral race in May, Editor-in-Chief Leigh Munsil noted that disseminating voter information via SMS “will be a key strategy” for 2025. “We also want to improve our feedback loop after San Antonio Report events,” she added.

El Paso Matters also utilized SMS to share election resources. The Texas-based newsroom facilitated easy access to critical information by sending basic information about where and when to vote via text and providing simple prompts for readers to obtain additional information about specific El Paso races.

Ahead of a mayoral runoff election, El Paso Matters hosted a forum between the two candidates and invited readers to text in questions. Readers responded with queries about tax policies and economic development, demonstrating the potential for SMS as a tool for civic engagement.

“‘SMS is a great way to meet audiences where they are,” said Ashley Webster, a Hub project manager overseeing the cohort. “With so many people on their phones, engaging directly through text messages makes sense.”

Breaking News Alerts

Beyond election coverage, El Paso Matters has used SMS for breaking news alerts, offering immediate on-the-ground updates. On January 30,  the newsroom sent out an alert about an immigration enforcement action in El Paso, resulting in a 28% CTR — 7% higher than the industry average.

Providing real-time news via SMS helps newsrooms fill the gap previously served by platforms like Twitter for live updates. Webster emphasizes that adding SMS doesn’t require a large newsroom. El Paso Matters operates with a nine-person news team, for instance, including two audience-focused staff members.

“It’s another way for newsrooms to ensure readers see the great work they’re already producing,” Webster added.

Diving Deep on a Specific Topic

While the cohort focused primarily on news alerts and election coverage, SMS can also be a powerful tool for deep-dive coverage and crisis response.

Munsil pointed to a recent natural disaster as an example. “The wildfires in Los Angeles underscored what I think is the most compelling use case of SMS technology: emergency and disaster reporting,” she said. “I hope we never have need of SMS technology in San Antonio in that way, but the point of building a list before you need it is that you’ve built a list before you need it.”

All the cohort members mentioned the challenge of building and growing an SMS audience. “It’s not easy to build the list,” Munsil acknowledged. “You need to keep touting it and making its availability visible to the audience over and over again.”

Webster echoed this, adding, “Newsrooms need to think more about how they promote SMS sign-ups. Relying solely on website CTAs and newsletters means you’re only reaching people already engaged on those platforms.” She recommends thinking creatively and expanding beyond digital. Promoting a newsroom’s SMS service by distributing flyers at libraries or events, for example, can help reach new audiences.

Two-Way Communication

Newsrooms also experimented with SMS as a tool for gathering reader input and fostering dialogue. The Oaklandside, which was not part of the cohort but does use Subtext, is a leader in this space, regularly sending surveys and questions to solicit reader responses.

“Texting is casual but effective,” said Alejandra Armstrong, audience engagement editor The Oaklandside, Berkleyside, and Richmondside, all Bay Area sister sites that are part of Cityside Journalism.

The Oaklandside, which launched in 2020, wanted a way to hear from voters directly about questions they had leading up to the 2024 election. The newsroom had some experience using SMS in 2021 to help readers get Covid vaccination updates but hadn’t used an SMS strategy for an election before. For their Election Hotline, they started by asking readers to send them questions but it wasn’t until they rebranded the service to include regular updates on election results that it took off.

“A simple shift in what we were promising with the text service resulted in a dramatic increase in subscribers,” Armstrong said. “It proved to me that your value proposition needs to target a specific need or problem.”

Trust should be at the core of any SMS strategy, she added. “Someone giving you their phone number is a big deal and requires trust that you’re not just going to bombard them with messages they don’t find useful. You need to offer them a compelling and specific service with a high value.” 

The metrics speak for themselves. A simple November 1 text survey asking Oaklandside subscribers if they’d already voted resulted in a 65.52% engagement rate. Overall Oaklandside has an impressive 60% response rate, roughly 150% higher than the industry average.

“Interestingly, changing our approach still resulted in readers asking us questions, one of the reasons why we wanted to launch a text service in the first place,” Armstrong said.

Richmondside, which launched in summer 2024 and participated in the SMS cohort, is still figuring out its texting strategy but hoping to learn from Oaklandside’s successful playbook.

“Richmondside currently offers a way for readers to text our newsroom but truthfully, we’re still figuring out what our value proposition is,” Armstrong shared. “I imagine a lot of newsrooms may be figuring this out too.” 

“I think being open is a good way to start,” she concluded. “Readers often tell us what they want from us, we just need to listen.”

If you’re interested in exploring SMS strategy and receiving a Subtext discount, email [email protected].