Native-Medium Experimentation
Discover a new medium by testing its native forms instead of copying the old
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 96%
Native-medium experimentation starts from the premise that a new medium is not merely another container for an old product. Teams first identify conventions inherited from the previous medium, then treat those conventions as testable assumptions. They experiment across format, storytelling, packaging, frequency, and distribution while observing what the new audience consumes, shares, and returns to. The strongest combinations become an emerging native model, but the process remains iterative because the platform and its users continue to change. This mechanism explains why copying print into digital or reading newspapers on early television underuses the medium. The desired output is a product whose form, business model, and distribution reflect the medium's distinctive capabilities rather than the habits of its predecessor.
Origin
Henry Blodget explained that Business Insider was built by experimenting with forms of journalism native to digital rather than cloning print or television. Extracted from Masters in Business.
Core principles
- 01A new medium eventually develops its own native form
- 02Legacy formats are hypotheses, not templates
- 03Audience behavior reveals what the medium wants to become
- 04Storytelling, packaging, and distribution must evolve together
- 05Repeated experiments beat premature certainty
How to run it
- 1
Expose inherited assumptions
List the format, production, distribution, and monetization conventions carried over from the previous medium. Mark each one as an assumption rather than a permanent requirement.
Pro tip Ask which conventions exist because of old technical constraints that no longer apply.
Watch out Do not assume a respected legacy format will automatically resonate in the new environment.
- 2
Study native behavior
Observe how the target audience discovers, consumes, shares, and discusses material in the new medium. Use behavior rather than stated preferences as the primary evidence.
Pro tip Segment observations by device, platform, and audience context.
Watch out Aggregate traffic can hide whether users actually value or remember the product.
- 3
Run format and distribution experiments
Test different lengths, formats, storytelling structures, publishing rhythms, and channels. Change one major hypothesis at a time where possible so the result remains interpretable.
Pro tip Include experiments that would have been impossible or impractical in the old medium.
Watch out Do not optimize solely for a transient platform metric.
- 4
Build the native model
Combine the formats and distribution methods that repeatedly generate meaningful audience response. Align operations and monetization with that emerging model.
Pro tip Preserve enough flexibility to adapt as platforms change.
Watch out An early winner is not proof that experimentation can stop.
In the wild
Instead of filming presenters reading print articles, a newsroom tests visual explainers, reporter-led field clips, animated data stories, and direct audience questions. It compares completion, sharing, return visits, and trust indicators. Short visual explainers paired with deeper linked reporting outperform literal adaptations of newspaper columns.
→ The newsroom develops a platform-native editorial format without abandoning its reporting standards.
A training provider initially shrinks hour-long desktop courses onto phones. Applying the framework, it tests five-minute lessons, spaced prompts, interactive scenarios, and peer discussion. Completion and recall improve when mobile is treated as a distinct learning context rather than a smaller screen.
→ The company creates a mobile-native learning product with stronger engagement and retention.
Common mistakes
Shoving the old product into the new medium
Literal transplantation preserves constraints and habits that may no longer serve the audience.
Testing content but not distribution
A strong format can fail when discovery, sharing, or delivery does not fit the medium.
Mistaking novelty for durable value
Short-lived engagement spikes should not replace measures of repeat use, trust, and sustainable economics.
Is it for you?
Best for
Media companies, product teams, and creators entering a new platform or adapting to a major technological shift.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal where the delivery medium, customer behavior, and winning format are already stable and tightly regulated.
From the transcript
“the idea was digital will evolve its own form of journalism, with its own model and storytelling and distribution.”
“Let's not try to jam a square peg and around hole. Let's figure out what works.”
“ultimately we experimented a lot over several years to try to figure out what worked, what people wanted, how to distribute the stories, how to…”
From the episode
Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget: Masters in Business (Audio)
Henry Blodget