Step by step guide to audience research

Knowing and understanding audiences are the bedrock of success and sustainability of any media outlet; these processes inform and determine both editorial policies and business models. Today’s publishers have a wide range of technologies and research methods at their disposal, but choosing the right approach that fits time, resources and the marketplace can be a challenge. No matter how fundamental the need, local languages and fragile political environments can majorly impact the way audience research is conducted in the environments where IMS works. Moreover, markets, audience preferences, needs and opinions, operating conditions and demographics, as well as organisational capacity and strategies, shift and evolve over time.  

Digital analytics tools deliver quantitative data about online user demographics and behaviours but offer limited insights into audience psychographics and needs. Qualitative research methods provide in-depth and nuanced knowledge about an audience but often require specialised skills and significant resources.  

This concise introduction and guide to audience research methods is designed for publishers and editorial teams, especially those of small media outlets. Based on capacity development at IMS, it helps media outlets to make informed decisions about which approaches can provide the most relevant information to their research questions. Audience studies can also reveal perception around gender equality and inclusivity, making it possible to identify, measure and overcome gender consumption gaps. The resource pack introduces the essential components of the following methods:  

• Online surveys 
• A/B testing 
• 1-2-1 interviews 
• Focus groups 
• Personas 
• Observations 
• Design sprints 
• Co-creation 

Each method is accompanied by a short introduction, a description of how it operates and its advantages and limitations. The guide’s sections include working examples and case studies that demonstrate how these approaches are used in practice as well as links to further resources. The final section focuses on “triangulation,” a recommended approach which brings together a range of methods that allow outlets to transform audience research into a regular and integral part of operations rather than an ad hoc activity.  

The Audience Research Methods Resource Pack was developed by John Mills – an independent researcher based in the United Kingdom who specialises in human-centred innovation in media and emerging technologies. It distils the highlights and best practices of audience understanding webinars (conducted in November 2023 and March 2024) featured in the Local Media for Democracy (LM4D) programme. The LM4D programme provided grants and capacity building to 42 media projects from 17 EU member states. The 18-month programme was co-funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium that included the European Federation of Journalists, Journalismfund Europe, the Centre of Media Pluralism and IMS.