Very recently our MD, Hana, spoke at BrightonSEO all about contacting journalists and outreach email tips. One of the things Hana highlighted was understanding publications’ readership. And to understand it, we need to research it.

We’ve looked at 9 national publications and their readerships. Here is the analysis. We used YouGov data (featured in a great article published in the Guardian), and Facebook Insights.

The Guardian

According to YouGov Profiles, The Guardian readers are more likely to be men.

Their favourite food is antipasti, aubergine parmigiana and braised endive.
They are into writing, hiking.
Sport-wise, they like cricket and cycling.
General interests are politics, exhibitions and international news.
Niche interests are women’s issues, culture and the arts, human rights, charities and London. And cats!

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like The Guardian, also like:

Daily Star

According to YouGov Profiles, Daily Star readers are also more likely to be men.

They enjoy Neapolitan ice-cream, chips and curry sauce.
They enjoy buying and selling online, fishing and collecting.
When it comes to sports, they like boxing and darts.
General interests are people and celebrities, television.
And they like dogs and watching Emmerdale.

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like Daily Star, also like:

Daily Express

According to YouGov Profiles, Daily Express readers are, again, more likely to be men (older).

They like eating meat pie and ham salad.
They enjoy gardening, DIY and reading.
Their favourite sport is long jump and golf.
General interests are cars & motoring and politics.
Their favourite pet is a dog.

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like Daily Express, also like:

The Daily Mirror

According to YouGov Profiles, The Daily Mirror readers are most likely older men.

They enjoy eating chips, curry sauce, ham and eggs.
They also like DIY, shopping, and going on a day trips.
When it comes to sports they like football and boxing.
General interests are politics and television.
Their favourite pet is a bird.

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like the Daily Mirror, also like:

The Daily Mail

According to YouGov Profiles, The Daily Mail readers are women.

The like eating cheese and tomato sandwiches, lobster and sweet and sour prawns.
Their hobbies are reading, gardening and DIY.
Sport-wise they like golf and tennis.
General interests are personal finance, property and celebrities.
Their favourite pet is a dog.

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like the Daily Mail, also like:

The Daily Telegraph

According to YouGov Profiles, The Telegraph readers are more likely men.

The enjoy Vichyssoise soup, stinking bishop cheese and Tournedos rossini.
They like trekking and hiking, reading and writing.
When it comes to sports they like cricket and rugby union.
The interests are politics and the British monarchy.
Their favourite pet is a cat.

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like the Daily Telegraph, also like:

The Sun

According to YouGov Profiles, The Sun readers are most likely men.

They enjoy eating pork chops and chips.
They like video games, DIY and fishing.
Sport-wise they like darts and horse racing. (Watching sports in general).
And they like dogs.

Facebook insights not available. 

The Independent

According to YouGov Profiles, The Independent readers are most likely younger men.

The enjoy eating antipasti, braised endive and Gambas Al Ajillo.
They like writing, trekking & hiking and going to museums & galleries.
When it comes to sports they like cycling and cricket.
Their interests are politics, exhibitions, women’s interests, culture and the arts.
Their favourite pet is a cat.

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like The Independent, also like:

The Times

According to YouGov Profiles, The Times readers are most likely men.

They enjoy eating tarte au citron, baklava and pomme lyonnaise.
The like trekking and hiking, reading and exercising.
They enjoy rugby union and cricket.
They are interested in business and finance, and politics.
They also like culture and the arts. 
Their favourite pet is a cat. 

Facebook Insights suggest that those who like The Times, also like:

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/media/yougov-polling-blog/2014/nov/18/yougov-profiles-the-nations-newspaper-readers
Facebook Insights data were checked on the 24th of April 2019.