What it was like building a young newspaper for a young audience

Our young readers are the future and the audience we focus on

When we launched The Express Tribune in 2010, it was a game changer. Bringing out another English newspaper in a country where the majority of readers choose Urdu newspapers or news channels was no easy task, but today we reap the dividends.

As the CEO of Express Publications, I can clearly see the paper erase the long-standing age divide which previously used to demark which papers were read by those aged between 15-30 and those in an older group. Even the young executives who prefer to stay abreast with news on their smartphones and tablets like the feel of our bold newsprint. Today, The Express Tribune pulls together those audiences and others under its iconic masthead.

It’s a refrain which will be oft repeated in the following pages but it has to be said; our layout stands out and pulls readers in. The number boxes, pull-out quotes and intelligent designs do a number on the text-heavy, black and white newsprints which were the industry norm before we came along.

This (our) prototype was catchier, newsier and trendier. It gives you the feel of a website. With its distinctive design, The Express Tribune reached out to readers globally.  To carve out our share in the market we wanted to display our content in the best way possible. We focused on design and presentation of news.

Our young readers are the future and are the audience we focus on. And keeping that in mind, we also focus on the website. The Express Tribune’s growth is not just print-based; the site contributes plenty to our success. Approximately 60% of the country’s population looks online for their news, instead of the hard copy which allowed us to develop a bond with our reader.

We also work with the best printing equipment and split-page options in the country.  Others have tried the split-page option, but they are what I would call the Zainab Market copies of The Express Tribune. They have lost their own market and position also.

In part, our distinctive sections such as sports, life & style and business resonated with readers. The affiliation with then the International Herald Tribune (IHT) and now the International New York Times (INYT) has been a prominent factor in the paper’s success. Affiliating with the IHT or INYT was a tough decision to make for the management but we decided to invest. Other leading newspapers print about 20 to 24 pages a day but with the INYT, we print 36 pages a day at the same selling cost.

And so, The Express Tribune has emerged as a brand in the newspaper industry. It is available and on display at every bookshop, cafe and hotel countrywide.

One of the best compliments I received for The Express Tribune came from the Chief Executive Officer of The Times of India, Ravi Dharwad. He praised us on the quality of the paper.

Most of all the reporting style is what helps us. It is succinct and very well-structured. And so this success belongs to the people of the dedicated and hardworking team who helped make The Express Tribune what it is today.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2015.