After Wordle, publisher digital products are no longer a side experiment. They are becoming a real part of how media brands grow revenue, build habits, and reach people who may never start with news content.
The New York Times helped set the pace. It is best known for Wordle, but it also built other products, including Cooking. In 2024, The Guardian launched Feast, a cooking app that follows the same logic. These products are not just content repackaged in an app. They are focused tools with their own use case, audience, and business model.
The trend goes further than food and puzzles. With LinkedIn and Scientific American releasing games, it is clear these secondary apps are becoming a bigger source of engagement, subscription, and revenue. For publishers thinking beyond ad sales, that matters.
The Shift Toward Digital Products
In 2023, the news and media industry took a hard hit. Ad revenue fell. Layoffs followed. Even with some recovery in 2024, many publishers are still trying to reduce their dependence on ads and build steadier subscription models.
That is the right context for this shift. Secondary products give publishers another way to earn, another reason for readers to return, and another path into the brand. For teams rethinking their stack and product strategy, this is also where better web development for publishers starts to matter.
Diversification of Revenue Streams
Digital products open new revenue paths through subscriptions, upsells, in-app purchases, and partner integrations. As AI-driven search changes how people find information, publishers have to rely less on pageview volume alone. Trusted brands now have a chance to turn narrow content strengths into paid products.
The New York Times is the clearest example. Its apps go beyond news. Games, including Wordle, have become a major part of how the company pulls users in and keeps them engaged. Cooking does something similar in another category. The pattern is simple. Find a repeat behavior, package it well, and make it useful enough to pay for.
User Engagement That Builds Habits
Specialized apps keep users in a publisher’s world longer. NYT’s Cooking and Games products have increased daily interaction in a big way. Wordle, in particular, created a habit that fits cleanly into everyday life.
These products are more than add-ons. They are practical tools for increasing engagement and subscriptions. When a publisher offers something tied to a clear user need, whether that is recipes, puzzles, or a niche utility, the relationship gets stronger.
Consider how Wordle brings users back daily. That repeat behavior does more than lift metrics. It builds familiarity. Users who come back every day are more likely to try other products, read more content, and eventually subscribe.
This is also why product decisions matter as much as editorial ones. Good product design helps a publisher turn a simple idea into something people actually return to.
Audience Segmentation
The New York Times has long been known for its crossword puzzles, but crosswords can feel intimidating to casual users. Wordle is different. It is simple, quick, and easy to share. You do not need to know puzzle culture to join in.
That matters because publisher digital products often work best when they reach beyond the core audience. Wordle appealed to people who may not have paid for a full NYT news subscription otherwise. Once inside the ecosystem, some of those users explored other offerings, from podcasts to opinion to bundled subscriptions.
The same logic applies elsewhere. The Guardian’s Feast speaks to food-focused users. It is not political reporting, and it does not need to be. It gives the brand a new entry point and another reason to pay.
Scientific American’s games have also generated a dedicated, engaged audience for the publisher.
Examples of Digital Products by Publishers
Here are a few examples of how publishers are building beyond the article page.
NYT’s Wordle
When Wordle became a daily ritual for millions, The New York Times moved fast and acquired it in early 2022. That was not just a lucky pickup. It was a smart way to expand its product mix and reach a wider audience.
By adding Wordle, the NYT attracted a younger demographic and users who may never have started with its traditional news coverage. Wordle became a gateway into other games like the Crossword and Spelling Bee.
The Guardian’s Feast
Feast is one of the clearest signs that publishers are learning from NYT’s playbook. It gathers recipes, food stories, and cooking guidance in one place, giving The Guardian a product with its own audience and its own subscription logic.
That is an important shift. When recipes move from scattered articles into a focused app, the value becomes easier to understand and easier to pay for.
LinkedIn’s New Games
LinkedIn has launched its own games, likely chasing some of the same gains seen by the NYT. The goal is familiar: increase session time, build habits, and create one more reason to return every day.
Newsgames Platform
The popularity of digital puzzles is also visible in the rise of outside tools that help smaller publishers launch similar products. This lowers the barrier to entry, but it also raises the bar. If more publishers can launch a game, the ones that win will be the ones with a clear concept, strong execution, and a plan for revenue.
The Challenges of Creating Secondary Digital Products
Resource Allocation
Building and maintaining digital products takes time, money, and the right team. That can be hard for publishers already balancing editorial pressure, revenue goals, and limited technical capacity.
There is also a real risk of spreading the business too thin. A weak product can drain resources without creating lasting value. That is why many teams look for outside partners who can help shape the concept, test the fit, and build the right thing. Refact’s digital product services are built for that kind of work.
Strategic Implications for Media Companies
Monetization is no longer limited to ads. Subscriptions, paid features, and product integrations can all create new income streams. More importantly, they can create stronger daily habits.
The best products usually do three things well:
- solve a narrow, clear user need
- fit naturally into a repeat routine
- connect back to the publisher’s larger brand and subscription model
DN’s partnership with Norkon is one example. Instead of building a game fully in-house, the publisher worked with a product partner to launch Fantasy Funds, a stock market game that reportedly brought in 35,000 young registered users.
That is the broader lesson. Publishers do not need to copy Wordle. They need to find the product that fits their audience, brand, and business model.
Thinking About Your Own Digital Product?
Refact helps publishers turn product ideas into clear, buildable plans, then design and ship the right solution. If you are exploring apps, member products, subscription tools, or other new revenue ideas, talk with Refact.