8 Reasons Your Apple News Content is Underperforming (and How to Fix It)

Between juggling websites, apps, and content management systems, it’s easy for web feeds to slip down the priority list.

And when you’re publishing on a free platform like Apple News, the pressure to monetize content might not feel as urgent as on paid channels. We get it.

But here’s the thing: while Apple News doesn’t cost you anything upfront, it offers genuine opportunities to generate revenue – from advertising and subscriptions to driving traffic back to your site. It’s a platform worth your attention.

Not seeing the results you want from Apple News? Let’s dive into some common reasons why your content might be underperforming and discover how to get it the attention (and the revenue) it deserves.

Eight Reasons Your Content is Underperforming

1. Corrupted Data

When your feed contains coding errors, unresolved tags or other structural problems, Apple News may not display your content as intended. Many content management systems (CMS) or publishing platforms automatically try to revise or ‘correct’ unresolved tags or code. For example, a missing closing tag in HTML may cause the CMS to adjust your content’s structure. But this error is not resolved in an RSS or API feed. As a result, your content could appear incomplete, with broken images, missing multimedia or distorted text, disrupting the user experience and reducing your article’s ranking in Apple News.

2. Design Issues

Due to the inherent simplicity of RSS feeds, most aggregators strip down content to basic text and images. However, Apple News supports high-design elements like custom fonts, interactive features, galleries and animations and rewards publishers that embrace rich, visually engaging layouts. If your content isn’t optimized for Apple and is just being pulled from a plain RSS feed, it may look bland or incomplete compared to other articles. This can reduce engagement and make it harder for your content to stand out among the highly designed stories that the platform favors.

3. Missing Articles

In most cases, feeds are public, so publishers aren’t keen to include premium or exclusive articles since they don’t want to give their valuable content away for free. As a result, much of the high-value content stays off platforms like Apple News. However, you do have the option to include premium or special content in their feeds and even gate it behind Apple’s paywall with News+ subscriptions. This allows you to offer exclusive, high-quality articles to a larger audience while protecting your revenue streams.

4. Missing Content and Multimedia

RSS feeds are traditionally designed to be simple, focusing on delivering text and basic images. Because of this, they often exclude videos, embeds, and other multimedia elements, as these components cannot be reproduced on most aggregator platforms. However, Apple News is different. It supports a variety of rich media formats to significantly enhance the reader’s experience. If you’re not leveraging these capabilities, or if your content is being stripped down to fit a basic RSS feed format, you’re missing the chance to fully engage your audience and showcase your content in its best form. This can make your articles feel incomplete and less compelling compared to fully optimized Apple News content.

5. Missing Affiliate Revenue Opportunities

If you use affiliate links, make sure they’re set up correctly to retain the affiliate link and that they’re able to track conversions back from Apple News, by using mechanisms like UTMs.

6. Missing Calls to Action

One of the most valuable factors in ranking your content higher on Apple News is building a solid follower base. The more followers you have, the more likely your content is to be prioritized by the algorithm, leading to better visibility. The best way to grow your follower count is to encourage readers to follow you directly on Apple News. Integrate Follow widgets into your articles and web pages, giving readers an easy and direct method to subscribe to your channel. Without them, you’re missing key opportunities to engage readers and build a loyal audience, which will impact your ranking and reach.

7. Missing “Sponsored or “Affiliate” tags:

Apple has strict editorial guidelines to maintain a curated, trustworthy and enjoyable news experience for its users. If you fail to properly label paid or affiliate articles, Apple’s editorial teams may deprioritize or even flag your content. By clearly labeling content with tags like ‘Sponsored’ or ‘Affiliate’, you not only comply with Apple’s standards but also build trust with your audience. Readers are more likely to engage with your content if they know it is transparent and trustworthy, and following Apple’s guidelines is crucial for maintaining visibility and credibility on the platform.

8. Lackluster Articles

In a crowded marketplace, first impressions matter. It’s not enough to just have well-written content; your articles need to visually stand out. The flashier and more polished your content looks, the more reputable it appears to readers. Articles that are plain or poorly formatted can seem less credible, and users are more likely to skip over them.

Why Should You Care?

The platform’s algorithm prioritizes high-quality, engaging content. And Apple News editors are naturally drawn to brands that consistently deliver.

Less visibility equals fewer eyeballs on your content. And fewer eyeballs mean missed opportunities for revenue.

Remember, Apple News is free to use, but there’s a real cost to not making the most of it.

More Visibility = More Opportunities

It’s simple: the more places your content appears, the more people will see it. And more eyeballs on your content translates to more opportunities to generate revenue. Here are a few ways Apple News can help:

Direct Sold Ads: Sell your own ads directly on Apple News and keep 100% of the revenue.
Apple Backfilled Ads: Let Apple sell ads in your content and earn 70% of the revenue.
Apple Pooled Ads: Earn 50% of the revenue from Apple-sold ads in feeds outside your articles.
Referral Traffic & Subscriptions: Drive traffic back to your website, where you can convert them into subscribers or newsletter signups.
Promote News+ Content: Give readers a taste of your premium Apple News+ content to entice them to subscribe.
Affiliate Revenue: Reach a wider audience and earn commissions through affiliate links.
E-commerce: Promote and link directly to your products within Apple News.
Video Streaming: Embed your streaming service and get more views (and potential subscribers).

VMG: Your Partner in Apple News Success

VMG’s Web Feed Syndication Service helps you get the most out of Apple News without having to invest in expensive in-house development.

Our solution is:

Simple: We make it easy to get your content on Apple News and keep it looking great.

Fast: We’ll get you set up quickly so you can start seeing results.

Low Cost: Our service is a fraction of the cost of hiring your own developers

Proven: We’ve helped publishers achieve significant increases in their web feed revenue.

Ready to see real results from your Apple News content? Let’s chat about how we can help you boost visibility and revenue.