What happens when search and social stop being dependable – and you still need loyal readers to come back tomorrow?
That question sat at the heart of WAN-IFRA’s webinar “Mobile News Apps: Strategies for Retention and Revenue” (Nov 27, 2025). Across perspectives from WAN-IFRA, the Financial Times, and Choicely, the conclusion was clear: mobile apps are no longer a supporting channel. They are becoming the core system for retention, loyalty, and long-term revenue.
For news publishing CEOs, CTOs, and commercial leaders, the session offered a practical reframing of app strategy. Not as a list of features to add, but as a way to regain control when external distribution becomes less predictable.
Watch the webinar and read our summary below:
Kevin Anderson, Director of the Digital Revenue Network from WAN-IFRA London set the context many publishers are already experiencing: referral traffic from search and social is becoming more volatile, while platform changes increasingly sit outside publishers’ control. In that environment, apps stand out because they create a direct, one-to-one relationship with readers – one that lives on the home screen and supports habitual use.
The strategic implication is significant. If acquisition becomes harder and more expensive, retention must carry more of the business. And retention depends on channels you own.
Mobile already dominates audience reach, but the more important shift is in subscriber attention time. Across publishers, the majority of engaged reading now happens on mobile, and a substantial share of that inside apps rather than the mobile web.
This reframes the app from “nice to have” to essential infrastructure. If your most valuable users spend most of their time there, then app experience, reliability, and evolution directly influence churn, lifetime value, and the ability to introduce new products or pricing.
Muj Ali, Group Product Manager from the Financial Times illustrated how this plays out in practice. The FT has seen a structural shift toward app usage, with the app becoming its most engaged channel for subscribers. Crucially, FT designs its app for short, repeat visits, not long desktop-style sessions.
Morning, daytime, and evening usage patterns differ, and the product experience is optimized accordingly: quick updates during commutes, efficient browsing during the day, and more immersive formats in the evening. This behavioral alignment matters because it turns the app into a daily utility rather than an occasional destination.
FT also shared a key outcome that resonated with many attendees: subscribers who use the app are significantly less likely to cancel than those who do not. In strategic terms, the app functions as a retention engine, not just a delivery mechanism.
Several speakers returned to the same idea: the first interaction window after installation is critical. Clear onboarding, an immediate value proposition, and early habit cues all influence whether a user returns tomorrow – or disappears.
Features such as personalized notifications, editions, and even puzzles or light interactivity were discussed not as gimmicks, but as repeatable reasons to come back. The common pattern is consistency: tools that encourage daily or near-daily use quietly build loyalty over time.
For leadership teams, the takeaway is that retention is not driven by single “big moments” alone, but by dependable, low-friction routines embedded in the product.
Heikki Rotko, Executive Chairman from Choicely spoke about a constraint many publishers recognize: native apps are often slow and expensive to change. That friction limits experimentation with onboarding, navigation, interactive formats, and commercial placements.
The argument was not about technology for its own sake, but about organizational agility. When product teams can update apps faster, sometimes in real time, they can respond to news cycles, audience behavior, and commercial opportunities more effectively. In that sense, release speed becomes a retention and revenue lever, not just a technical metric.
Across all speakers, one message stood out: apps are where strategy becomes operational.
When external platforms become less reliable, direct relationships matter more. When attention concentrates on mobile, app quality matters more. And when retention underpins revenue, the ability to evolve the app continuously becomes a competitive advantage.
For news organizations navigating an uncertain distribution landscape, the app is increasingly where loyalty is built: one small moment at a time.