The Athletic's Click-Boosting Trick

Getting readers to click on online articles is becoming more challenging. With changes in search and referral traffic, publishers need to find better ways to attract and retain their audiences using the platforms they control.

One simple approach used by The Athletic could offer some inspiration. The sports publisher displays the number of comments generated by selected articles on its homepage, giving readers an idea of which stories are attracting the most discussion.

This small feature uses social proof to highlight popular content and encourage more people to read it.

The Athletic, which is part of The New York Times, has also shown strong financial results. In the second quarter of 2025, its revenue increased by a third to $54 million, while adjusted operating profit reached $5.8 million. Advertising revenue also nearly doubled to $14.1 million.

Its success makes the publisher an interesting example for others looking to improve their digital publishing strategies.

Why Does This Matter?

Showing comment numbers gives readers a quick indication of which articles are generating interest. It is a simple way of making audience engagement more visible and helping people decide what to read.

1. Encourage More Article Clicks

Readers are often curious about content that has already attracted attention from others. An article with hundreds of comments may appear more interesting than one with very little discussion.

For example, if one story has 500 comments while another has just one, readers may be more inclined to open the first article. The high comment count suggests there is an interesting conversation taking place, or at least a topic that has encouraged people to share their views.

This shows that attracting clicks is not just about having an appealing headline or image. Engagement indicators can also influence a reader’s decision.

This approach could be particularly useful for publishers with large homepages and an established direct audience. As referral traffic becomes harder to secure, making better use of existing visitors is increasingly important.

2. Make Other Engagement Signals Visible

Comments are not the only way to measure audience interest. Publishers could also experiment with displaying likes, shares and other engagement figures.

Different articles attract attention in different ways. A story may receive relatively few comments but generate a large number of shares. Another may achieve unusually high engagement compared with the amount of traffic it receives.

The aim should be to identify what readers genuinely value and make that information easier to see. Highlighting these signals can help publishers give greater visibility to content that resonates with their audience.

3. Use Engagement Data to Promote Content

Many publishers already use combined engagement measurements to understand how readers interact with their websites. These can include time spent on a page, clicks, scroll depth and comments.

Rather than focusing mainly on traffic numbers, publishers can use these indicators to identify content that attracts meaningful engagement.

Statistical analysis, potentially supported by AI, could help identify articles performing better than expected. These stories could then receive more prominent placement on homepages, category pages and topic sections.

Combining editorial judgement with actual reader behaviour may help publishers make better decisions about which articles to promote. It could also improve the browsing experience and create more opportunities for readers to discover relevant content.

How Can Publishers Test This Approach?

Publishers do not need to introduce a complicated system straight away. A simple trial with clear performance targets can help establish whether displaying engagement figures makes a difference.

Some practical steps include:

Start by showing comment counts: Display the number of comments on selected homepage articles and measure whether this improves their click-through rates.
Test different engagement indicators: Experiment with likes, shares and other signals to understand which ones encourage meaningful reader activity.
Identify articles performing above expectations: Compare engagement levels against relevant benchmarks rather than automatically promoting the stories with the highest traffic.
Give successful content more visibility: Test whether placing articles with strong engagement figures in more prominent positions leads to further clicks and interactions.

Click-through rate (CTR) should not be the only measure of success. Content designed purely to attract clicks can easily become misleading or rely on sensational headlines and controversy.

Publishers should focus on encouraging genuine interest rather than simply generating attention.

As referral traffic becomes more difficult to obtain, making better use of an existing audience is increasingly important. The Athletic’s approach offers a straightforward idea that other publishers could test to help readers discover content that is already generating discussion.