The internet isn’t what it used to be. Algorithms shift, audiences fragment, and attention is harder than ever to capture. While some publishers struggle to keep up, creators are thriving, turning personal brands into multi-million-dollar businesses.
As someone working on a platform that integrates social tools into publisher websites, I see firsthand how community drives engagement, retention and revenue. If influencers can sell out energy drinks and burgers in minutes, imagine what publishers could do with the right engagement strategy.
Lessons from the Creator Economy
Influencers like KSI, Logan Paul and MrBeast have built empires rooted in community. Their direct relationships with fans, constant interaction through comment sections, and dedicated online spaces allow them to monetize their audiences in ways traditional publishers often struggle to match.
KSI has built an audience of over 25 million YouTube subscribers and successfully launched ventures like Prime energy drink, which brought in over 1.2 billion dollars in retail sales in 2023.
Logan Paul has turned his following into a multi-business empire, with Prime, Maverick clothing and WWE partnerships bringing in around $20 million per year.
MrBeast, now the most-followed individual YouTuber with more than 200 million subscribers, has created businesses like Feastables and MrBeast Burger, with a reported $700 million in revenue last year.
One of the biggest cultural shifts we’ve seen is in live streaming. Streamers like IShowSpeed refer to their audience as “chat,” turning broadcasts into two-way conversations. His meteoric rise, including tens of thousands of concurrent viewers and more than 25 million subscribers, proves how real-time interaction increases depth and loyalty. The energy of his streams is powered by engagement, live donations and meme-fueled feedback loops that make the audience feel like part of the content itself.
What We’re Seeing from Publishers
This kind of community-driven engagement isn’t exclusive to YouTubers. Publishers integrating social tools directly into their websites are seeing real, measurable outcomes.
Just like creators turn comment sections into million-dollar engines, publishers are unlocking real value through community. We’ve seen it first hand:
Fox News used OpenWeb’s Live Blog and Conversation tools during the U.S. presidential debates to spark real-time, civil discourse—and saw a 2.1x spike in new registrations, 21.3% more engagement, and 12.9% more pageviews.
One Comscore Top-20 publisher saw 60–74% of all new registrations come directly from implementing OpenWeb’s community engagement solutions across their sites and apps.
At the New York Post, OpenWeb helped create a social media-like experience right on-site with commenting and reactions tools. Engaged users spent over 10x more time on page; commenters? 15x more. Plus, 2–4x more pageviews per session.
Another major news publisher used OpenWeb to turn 2020’s traffic surge into long-term growth—with our conversation and Community Spotlight solutions, they saw a 196% increase in sign-ups, 46% growth in retention, and a 159% jump in replies.
And when The Times wanted to know if Brexit still mattered to readers in 2023? OpenWeb BI revealed over 100K mentions—more than “Sunak,” “NHS,” or even “health”, helping Times better understand their community and tailor their editorial strategy accordingly.
These are just a few examples of what we consistently see across our publisher network of over 5,000 partners. When users are given ways to interact, they stick around, consume more, and are more likely to register. That means more first party data, more loyalty, and more monetization opportunities.
How Publishers Can Apply the Creator Playbook
The potential here is huge. Here’s how publishers can adapt the winning strategies of the creator economy:
- Encourage more interaction
Design your platform and content experiences to spark dialogue. Prioritize features that invite users to share their thoughts, ask questions, or respond to others. When users engage with each other, not just with the content,it creates a network effect that enhances the overall value and relevance of what you’re offering. Make conversation and commenting a central part of the user experience. The more people engage, the more valuable the content becomes. - Use your audience as a feedback loop
Treat every comment, reaction, and piece of user-generated content as a window into audience sentiment. By actively listening to and analyzing these signals in real-time, you gain a clear sense of what topics, formats, or perspectives are resonating. This data can directly inform both your editorial calendar and your product roadmap. - Build spaces for the interactive generation
Younger audiences aren’t just consuming—they want to co-create, contribute, and connect. Whether it’s through live Q&As, polls, gamified experiences, or user-generated content opportunities, empowering them to take part in the narrative builds deeper emotional investment and long-term loyalty. Younger audiences expect to be part of the experience. Give them ways to participate and they’ll give you their attention and loyalty. - Maximize your first-party data
With third-party cookies fading out, your best source of insight is the direct relationship you build with your community. Every interaction—comments, likes, shares, subscriptions—is a signal that, when tied to a trusted identity, can inform smarter ad targeting, deeper personalization, and more compelling product and editorial decisions.
The Future of Audience Engagement
The creator economy sends a clear message to publishing executives. Community is not a feature—it’s the foundation. If publishers embrace this shift and put connection at the centre of their strategy, they’ll not only build stronger relationships with their audiences but also create more sustainable business models.
What do you think? How can publishers go further with community engagement?
