New features and product improvements to bookmark

By Stephanie Lottridge • *|DATE:d F, Y|*

Product updates

Newspack Dashboard redesign

We began communicating this update in November of last year. But, because it’s a major one, we want to make sure it’s on your radar. We’ve done some house-cleaning on the admin side of Newspack to make your workflows smoother and more intuitive. This update ensures that your most-used tools are easy to find.

⭐ We created a handy cheat sheet to help you navigate the new menu, on top of some general FAQs about these changes. ⭐

Manage updates to published content

Our Corrections and Clarifications feature allows you to be transparent about the updates you make to published content, helping to maintain accuracy and build audience trust.

⭐ Click here to learn how to make a clarification or correction. ⭐

Reach readers in low-connectivity areas

When you need to reach readers in low-connectivity areas, you can use our new Lite Site feature. It allows you to create a text-only version of your website that loads faster and uses less data. It’s especially valuable for readers experiencing connectivity issues, poor network coverage, or during natural disasters and emergencies when access to information is critical but bandwidth is limited.

We expanded our development of Lite Sites after partnering with the NC Local News Workshop to build text-only versions of several N.C. outlets, including public radio’s Blue Ridge Public Radio and WFD, as well as Asheville Watchdog and Enlace Latino NC, in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Set a fallback image for missing media

When images break, it’s not a good look for you and results in a bad experience for your reader. That’s why we introduced fallback images. With this change, the site editor can mark an image as a fallback image in case the asset is missing. 

⭐ Check out the latest release notes to learn how to set this up. ⭐

Links in newsletter content get UTM parameters

When you add a link to newsletter content using the Newspack Newsletters editor, you’ll automatically get more UTM parameters appended for improved analytics capability. In addition to the existing utm_medium=email, we’ll append the following parameters to links:

• utm_campaign — Should match the value of the Campaign Name field (but URL-encoded)
• utm_source — The ID of the top-level send list the newsletter is being sent to (but URL-encoded)

Note that the connected ESP or other third-party integrations may overwrite some or all of these parameters with its own. For example, if using Mailchimp with the Google Analytics extension, the GA extension will set its own utm_campaign and utm_source values, overwriting our defaults.

Campaign prompts merge tags

You can add a few dynamic tags to the prompt using campaign prompts merge tags, and the system will replace these tags on the fly with information specific to the reader currently seeing the prompt. For example, you can craft prompts like, “You’ve read 15 articles, you should consider subscribing.”

Jetpack is rolling out new security features

Your site will receive new account protection security features from Jetpack this week. Readers that have compromised passwords from various leaks will get a prompt to change their password when attempting to sign in. 

There are some new checks when setting passwords, like not allowing passwords that contain the reader’s username and other reasonable safeguards. Jetpack also overhauled the brute force login protection feature to better protect against bots brute-forcing sign in attempts on the login screen. Historically, the few site breaches on Newspack sites happened because of weak or re-used account credentials, so these changes should make a meaningful difference in protecting your site.

Newspack news

Next Data Dashboard training is April 17

The next complimentary Data Dashboard training is April 17, 2025 from 3-4 PM ET. Learn the ins and outs of the tool to help you measure campaign performance, adjust your strategy, and forecast your earnings.

This training will be held by our Head of Product, Katie Rethman. Make sure you have access to the Data Dashboard before signing up for the training. Please reach out to Ada Piotrowski in Slack or via email (ada.piotrowski@automattic.com) if you have any questions. 

⭐ Sign up for the training here. ⭐

April 1 Pub call recap

On Tuesday’s publisher’s call we had Pascale Fusshoeller — Yubanet, Shannan Bowen — NC Local, and Kate Maxwell — News Go Bag Project join us to discuss how to prepare for a breaking news event like a natural disaster.

Here are the main takeaways: 

• Preparation for disasters is crucial. Newsrooms should establish templates and plans for emergencies to ensure effective communication and resource management.
• Collaboration with local information providers enhances community support during crises. Grassroots efforts can fill information gaps when traditional infrastructure fails.
• Continuous sharing of resources and best practices among newsrooms is essential for building resilience and improving response strategies in future disasters.

Our Publisher Advocate, Scott Klein also gave a demo of the new Lite Site feature mentioned above.

⭐ Click here to watch the recording. ⭐

Resources mentioned during the call: 

• NC News & Info Summit’s keynote panel: Lessons learned during Hurricane Helene, where journalists shared their personal experiences — from providing shelter to their news teams to joining rescue efforts themselves. 
• Western North Carolina housing guide: This digital guide serves to address some of the most pressing and frequently asked questions from people living in Western NC about recovery and rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
• Blue Ridge Public Rado Lite Site: Created in the wake of Hurricane Helene in collaboration with the NC Local, Newspack, and several others. 
• I see smoke – now what?: A guide on what to do when you see smoke. 
• Local news go bag: Journalism tools and resources for disasters and emergencies.

Going to the International Journalism Festival? 

If you’re headed to Perugia, Italy for the International Journalism Festival on April 9, reach out to Kim Bode who leads our Revenue Development Program. She’ll be there representing Newspack.

⭐ Ping her via Slack or send an email (kim.bode@automattic.com) if you want to schedule a chat! ⭐

Latest launches

Welcome to our newest publisher!

The Kent Dispatch

The Kent Dispatch was born from a community-driven initiative during the COVID pandemic, The Kent Good Times Dispatch was relaunched in October 2023 to honor its 57-year legacy, ensuring Kent residents continue to benefit from independent journalism. With significant support, including over $30,000 in contributions and a successful non-profit model, Kent News, Inc. is poised to keep local stories thriving for future generations.