The Lallantop is the world’s first digital-first original news brand with more than 24 million subscribers on YouTube, with an average 0.22 million views per video and over 280 million monthly views. On Facebook, the brand clocks in about 100 million monthly views. 

A subsidiary of the India Today group, The Lallantop’s motto is to be Real, Raw and Relatable. 

Saurabh Dwivedi, the Founding Editor of The Lallantop, joined WAN-IFRA’s recent Digital Media India conference to talk about the rise of language journalism in India and offer insights on some of the best brand practices.
Know your audience
During the Uttar Pradesh (the most populated state in India) assembly elections in February 2017, The Lallantop conducted a massive ground reporting exercise. 

The company was in a nascent stage and had neither resources, nor the training for such a huge venture. “What we did have was intent,” said Dwivedi.

“To truly connect with the people on ground, you need to leave your power position and take authentic interests in their lives and vocations. Don’t start bombarding them with political questions – who will you vote for? It’s a secret ballot, why will they tell you?” asked Dwivedi. “However, if you talk to them genuinely, they will share their concerns with you.”

Reporting live from the ground where emotions ran high, the brand connected with the audience directly, which resonated with viewers and proved successful.

Building on this triumph, the brand used this ...