Still getting news through emails?

By: Scott Stein, VP of Client Services, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

Quartz, the digital native news outlet that focuses on the global business world recently conducted a survey of business executives about how they get their news. The key finding…60 percent of the execs said that email newsletters were one of the first three news sources they look to in the morning, outpacing dedicated news apps, social networks or news sites on mobile devices or desktop.

While that may seem surprising, it probably shouldn’t be. While many have adapted the use of smartphones and tablets to get their news, there is still a significant segment of the population that looks to more traditional ways to learn what’s happening in the world. Some of us even still head to the porch in the morning to pick up a printed newspaper. 

Other findings from the Quartz survey:

• Three-quarters of executives spend at least 30 minutes a day consuming news
• 91 percent of the executives surveyed said they share work-related news with others
• 61 percent said they subscribe to newspapers and magazines, but only three percent say that print is their primary source of news 

So what does this mean for those of us looking to reach executives with our news or news from clients? It’s a reminder that we must continue to use a variety of avenues to reach our target audiences. Just sending out a news release to traditional media doesn’t cut it. But we can’t rely solely on social media either.

We are in a period of transition that could last awhile. And I’m pretty sure that as soon as we think we’ve figured out the best way to reach our audiences, something new will come along.

What do you think? Have you shifted the ways you communicate with your target audiences?