5 Ways to Increase Engagement Using Indie Website

Why Website Engagement Matters for Publishers Today

‍

In today’s digital publishing landscape, capturing and keeping your audience’s attention means going beyond simply posting articles. With Indie Website, powered by Indiegraf, publishers can use tools to improve storytelling and increase engagement.

‍

How Does Indie Website Help Increase Engagement?

‍

Whether you're looking to spark conversation through comments, showcase multimedia content, or offer downloadable resources, Indie Website makes it simple to create a more interactive and dynamic online presence. In this article, we will look at five effective ways to engage your audience. These tips will help you get the most out of your publication. 

‍

We will share our best practices approved by experts. We will also show real examples of how Indiegraf network publishers are using these features now. 

‍

5 Features to Increase User Engagement on Your Website

‍

1. Encourage Discussion with Comment Sections

‍

Comments are a great way to boost interaction and help your audience feel more connected to your community. Indie Website has a commenting feature that allows readers to leave comments on posts. Publishers can manage and review reader comments on the website's backend. This includes approved comments that everyone can see and comments that are waiting for approval. 

‍

For case studies and the benefits of having a comments section, check out “Nine Publishing’s new comment strategy increases subscriber base, engages community” from the International News Media Association and “Here’s Why Every Publisher Needs a Comments Section” by Open Web. Hear from two indie publishers’ strategies for creating a safe online space. 

‍

The Waltham Times comment section. Powered by Indiegraf.

‍

2. Bring Social Media to Your Website with Embedded Posts

‍

Your social media is an extension of your publication’s editorial brand and voice. It’s a valuable channel for growing your audience and highlighting different storytelling formats. Indie Website allows publishers to embed social content from Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and X using a custom HTML block.

The process has three simple steps:

1. First, get the embed code from the social media platform.
2. Next, add a Custom HTML block in WordPress.
3. Finally, preview and publish!

‍

Just like this! 👇

🇺🇸Cientos de personas participaron en la manifestación a favor de los inmigrantes y en contra de la Administración Trump realizada este miércoles en el Capitolio estatal de Arizona.
➡️Más detalles: https://t.co/1RUFuffJmc
📷Y la galería de fotos, por @DanRoblesFoto: pic.twitter.com/LndrjiIizZ

— Conecta Arizona (@ConectaArizona) February 6, 2025

READ MORE: Explore a curated list of free resources and content creation tools designed to simplify journalism and publishing.

‍

3. Embed a Playlist or a Single Audio Track

‍

Who doesn’t love a multimedia experience? Showcase the local music scene or put your publication’s podcast front and center using this feature.

‍

Publishers can embed a playlist or a single audio track from Spotify right onto Indie Website. All you have to do is add the corresponding URL to the Spotify Embed URL design block. Once embedded, your Spotify audio will be accessible directly from your website. This method ensures the website remains fast and responsive while leveraging the advanced streaming capabilities of Spotify.

‍

2PuntosPlatform, a hyper-local media outlet connecting Philadelphia's Latine migrant, first-, second- and third-generation communities, uses this feature to showcase their podcast on the homepage.
‍

4. Offer Downloadable Content

‍

Does your publication produce digital guides or magazine issues? With Indie Website, you can share a downloadable PDF or Word document. Our platform offers a block type called File block, which allows you to create a text link to a media file, with an optional download button and print.

‍

5. Use Videos and Livestreams

‍

Looking to use videos in your revenue campaigns or live stream from a community event? You can easily add an MP4 video file or a live video stream to your Indie Website. Just use a video platform like YouTube or Vimeo. These platforms provide stable, high-quality streaming options and generate a shareable video link for embedding. 

‍

Here are the steps:

1. Upload the video or set up your live stream on your chosen platform.
2. Once your video is uploaded and active, copy the video URL provided by the platform.
3. Navigate to the page or post where you want to display the video and add the corresponding design block — YouTube Embed URL or Vimeo Embed URL.
4. Finally, paste the video URL into the block and publish!

Conexión Migrante is an independent digital media outlet. It provides quality information and support to migrants entering Mexico. It also helps Mexicans and Latinos living in the United States. Their homepage features videos from their YouTube channel.