RYOT is important because it offers publishers an interesting new paradigm: Connect the news of the day with a tangential social cause and readers will engage more, stay longer, and bestow more trust in the publisher's brand.
Every news article on RYOT.org is not just an invitation to donate. Rather, many stories click through to a cause-related subpage - titled "Racial Tolerance" or "I Am That Girl," for example - full of curated stories, videos, and ways to take action and participate.
Certainly RYOT is facilitating donations to vetted nonprofits. And with about 2 million unique visitors a month, it is also raising awareness and engagement for those nonprofits, while fortifying its own brand.
While RYOT news is 100% linked to underlying issues, other publishers might consider a test of RYOT-like functionality -- to see the effects on site traffic and sources, experiment with new value for sponsors, and measure the potential for reader revenue.
Thanks to Sarah McKinney for her article on RYOT, which appeared in Forbes.
Overall Rating: 6.0
Revenue Potential: 6
RYOT will eventually produce revenue. With about 2 million unique visitors per month, clearly there is an audience attracted by the promise of engagement - ideal for RYOT's nonprofits and advertisers. The site should prosper as it extends beyond cause-advocacy and begins offering quality sponsors access to its subscribers.
Value to Brand: 6
RYOT is not for everyone. They know this, of course, and are already selling branded T-shirts, which may foreshadow other more substantial brand extensions. The point is this: RYOT represents an ideal that readers of major news-making problems can be minor players in their solution. That has currency and will serve the RYOT brand well.
User Experience: 6
RYOT's UX is simple and sufficient. Meaningful national and global news coexist with less urgent trending stories, because RYOT's brand promise that "every story lets you take action" smooths over what otherwise would be seams in the UX.