Bloomberg Builds Audience-First Quizzes, Live Q&As to Lure, Retain, Engage

Bloomberg News was built to complement the high-priced terminal business, a wealth of data, news and analytics for financial professionals. 

But since it paywalled its consumer-facing website in 2018, it has increasingly looked to boost that subscriber base.

Bloomberg News has more than 660,000 deeply engaged paid consumer subscribers globally, a figure that is down from 740,000 in October as reported by Adweek. The publication recalibrated to focus only on the active/activated subscribers rather than total seats across media platforms.

Marissa Zanetti-Crume, who joined the company in November 2018, is global head of product. She described several new products that Bloomberg has developed to engage readers, among them:

• Bloomberg Live Q&A: A live session where up to four reporters discuss timely news and answer subscriber questions directly. 
• AI Summaries: Three-bullet point overviews of articles to help readers quickly understand key points.
• Pointed: A weekly news quiz where users can test their knowledge and bet on their confidence in answers.
• Enhanced Push Alerts: Specifically for watch lists, alerting subscribers about market movements and related news.
• Explainer Content: Providing context and basic information to help readers understand complex news stories more deeply.

These products aim to make news consumption more interactive, personalized, and accessible, catering to busy professionals who want quick, insightful information. 

“We’re taking a multi-pronged approach to conversion and retention. Some products are designed to attract and convert new users, while others are focused on keeping existing subscribers engaged,” Zanetti-Crume told AMO.

A consumer subscription cost varies based on the offer with full price listed at $299 per year or $34.99 a month. 

Zanetti-Crume said its consumer angle is primarily focused on writing for modern business leaders, decision-makers and professionals interested in business, financial and market news. Their core audience includes:

• Professionals working directly with clients
• Executives seeking insights to improve their careers and wealth
• People interested in understanding global business and financial trends

Zanetti-Crume explained that Bloomberg constantly experiments with which features are free versus subscriber-only in an effort to determine what will make a reader convert. The Pointed quiz is open to anyone as are some newsletters and podcasts. Other newsletters are behind the paywall to both cater to paying subscribers and entice new ones. Each of these features are ultimately an entry point into the Bloomberg ecosystem.  

“[Pointed is] designed to reach new audiences who may not already be visiting Bloomberg.com, as well as engage existing readers who want to interact with the news in a more playful format that inspires their competitive spirit,” Zanetti-Crume said. “The strategy behind Pointed is to combine entertainment and news in a way that feels brand-consistent to Bloomberg. It was built to support three key goals: attract new subscribers, engage existing subscribers and drive conversion.” 

Conversion to becoming paying subscribers “is driven by the full range of our products working together, which includes Bloomberg Weekend, Live Q&A, and our suite of market tools/data. Every product plays a different role in the individual user’s journey. Since launching Bloomberg Weekend, for example, we’ve seen an increase in traffic that hits similar marks to weekday performance.”

As Adweek reported at the time, Bloomberg made an investment in October 2024 to expand its Weekend Edition in an effort to reduce churn. Bloomberg Chief Operating Officer Julia Beizer told Adweek that 50% of all visitors to Bloomberg over the weekend are from outside the U.S., and about 40% of subscribers are from outside the U.S. 

Pointed may attract new users while live Q&As may drive loyalty from long-term subscribers, offering them a chance to connect with journalists and gain deeper insight on breaking news. 

“Each of our products is a piece of a larger puzzle that meets different user behaviors and needs, thoughtful layered together to create a comprehensive 360-degree experience. That’s what ultimately drives conversation and retention,” Zanetti-Crume said.