Success Story

The Economist

Connecting with new and existing readers on Quora

5M

Quora session views

Idrees Kahloon, Data Journalist, The Economist

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The Economist Internal Data

1.5M+

new content views

Tom Standage, Deputy Editor and Head of Digital, The Economist

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The Economist Internal Data

About The Economist

The Economist is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally that focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture.

Their Goal

Acquire & engage with subscribers

The digital age introduced instant access to news and direct communication with publications. The Economist recognized its need to join online conversations with current and potential subscribers. With Quora, The Economist outlined 3 primary goals: 1. Reach new audiences to drive subscriptions and generate interest in new verticals. 2. Connect The Economist’s experts directly with Quorans. 3. Engage existing subscribers and learn more about their curiosities and preferences.

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We were really impressed with the quality and specificity of the questions and how engaged people were on the platform.

Denise Law

Community Editor

The Economist

Their Solution

Quora Sessions

The Economist used Quora Sessions to demonstrate authority and expertise on various topics. This includes science and technology, topics it is less known for. Journalists and editors for The Economist also made personal profiles, allowing them to gain followers and interact with the individuals who may be current or future subscribers.

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Their Creative

Make it personal

To demonstrate authority and expertise on various topics, The Economist used Quora Sessions as a platform to demonstrate its expertise. There are many topics it is less known for, but science and technology were less known. Additionally, The Economist's journalists and editors created personal profiles so that they could interact with subscribers and gain followers.

Their Advice

Active commenting

Beyond writing and hosting Sessions, The Economist used comments to join conversations on Quora. Writers and publishers engaged with current or future subscribers by responding to their Quora questions.

Their Results

Millions of engaged viewers

Sessions effectively distributed content to Quora's audience. For example, Idrees Kahloon’s Session on data science received 5M views alone. The Economist contributors and editors with Quora profiles also benefitted from large followings and the ability to answer questions that users asked them specifically. Since joining Quora, Deputy Editor and Head of Digital Strategy Tom Standage amassed over 9k followers and 1.5M+ content views.

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Clearly, Quora has built a community of smart people, which attracts experts; we’ve not been able to build a similar environment on the Economist.com.