How the AJC used a pop-up newsletter on a big news story to build new audience

On Aug. 14, 2023, a Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury handed down criminal indictments of former President Donald Trump and 18 of his associates, alleging they tried to steal the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was on the scene covering all angles of the news of local, regional and national importance. Reporters and true subject matter experts Tamar Hallerman, Greg Bluestein and Bill Rankin, editor Shannon McCaffrey and others anchored the coverage across platforms, including via podcast. 

Two major things became apparent about both the nature of the news and the audience we were anticipating: 

1. We were attracting a new audience: The Trump Co. indictments were sparking attention from folks who may not usually be as tuned into the news, and they were sparking attention from folks from across the nation. 
2. We were committed to covering the entire news arc: Aug. 14 was just the beginning: The trials could last for months and there would be consistent, multi-platform coverage throughout with mounting interest as the RICO case unfolded. This was our story.

Those elements presented some questions for us to answer: How do we get readers, especially new readers, to keep coming back to the AJC for their news on the Trump indictments? And, as we set our sights on 2024, how might we learn from this newly tuned-in audience and how can we serve their news needs? 

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