Redefining Engagement

Julia Harris , Head of Reader Revenue at Daily Maverick , shares how one of South Africa’s independent news organisations drives member loyalty and retention through emotional connection, user-initiated journalism, and community engagement. In this episode of Redefining Engagement , we explore: How Daily Maverick Connect is creating safe spaces for reader participation Why emotional engagement is...

This week’s Redefining Engagement podcast guest is not from the news industry. So if you’re a news professional who doesn't normally think in terms of narrative strategy (not marketing!), you should be listening. 🎬 Théo Mahy-Ma-Somga is a filmmaker, narrative strategist and founder who helps people build narrative equity – by asking one deceptively powerful question: “Why are you doing this i...

“We built a digital newsroom from scratch… and our most viral story was about benches.”   On this week’s Redefining Engagement , we sat down with Charlie Walter, Audience Development Lead at Funke, who’s working hands-on with over 100 local newsrooms across Germany to shift from print-first to people-first. Here are a few lessons that stood out: Our favourite: 🗣 Redefine your audience relationship...

Unfortunately listening to your readers isn't usually considered a productivity measure… This week, Francesca sat down with journalist and audience specialist Sebastián Auyanet to redefine the purpose of community engagement—and why AI might be the key to unlocking it. Here are 3 critical shifts your newsroom needs to make right now: 1. Engagement Must Be Intentional Conversation 🙏 Sebastián...

This week, the tables have turned, and our very own co-founder Francesca is stepping into the interviewEE seat. Francesca emphasises that we often don't know our audience as well as we think, and by inviting readers to speak, we can become infinitely more relevant. This means moving beyond one-way broadcasting and simple comment sections and truly inviting people into the conversation WITHIN every...

What makes an audience feel seen and valued within the news? 🤔 It looks like belonging and seeing themselves reflected can be a very strong indicator, and no one embodies that better than Contacto. According to Francesca’s chat with Editor-in-Chief Filipa Matias Pereira, we’re talking about a brand that has mastered the user need “Connect me” to the point where readers reach out to offer their st...

Is your newsroom red people vs. blue people? Do you think you could motivate them to become Purple People? 💜 The biggest challenges we face in media are often people problems, not tech problems, but as Christopher Brennan says in our latest Redefining Engagement interview, “now that tech is about words”, could this be the perfect opportunity to get more red people on board with change? Which indu...

Why is simpler better when it comes to measuring audience engagement? Because it’s actionable for everyone. 🧠 This week on Francesca's virtual sofa , we're getting super actionable with Jessica Bulthé, Chief Data and Insights Officer at Mediahuis! 🚀 She oversees data for 6 countries, 20+ editorial rooms, and 8+ B2C teams – meaning she knows a thing or two about what truly drives audience...

🤔Have you ever considered these insightful questions within your newsroom? They could be the difference between setting yourself up for maximum audience engagement or secretly holding you back. ⛓️ This week, Francesca sits down with Dmitry Shishkin, CEO of Ringier Media International and visionary of the brilliant ‘User Needs’ model. Get ready for a powerhouse discussion that will make you rethin...

Local and Hyperlocal newsrooms - listen up! How is tangible impact measured? 📏  Francesca sits down with Nic Dawes this week, Executive Director at The City, a non-profit local newsroom in NYC. Nic shares perspectives on how to build engagement that serves public interest and mission outcomes. 💪 So how does this work for The City and what can you learn from it? One of the ways The City measures...

🤔A university can charge a student thousands, yet that student is never a ‘customer’. 🧑‍🎓​​💰 That’s the exact mindset our latest guest, Anugrah, is using to build his news startup, Dot. With a vision to counter the current problems facing news brands and how they are perceived by the public, he believes the goal of audience engagement isn't just to gain loyalty—it's to make your reader...

🚀 News Avoidance: Will this open your eyes or will it resonate with you?  Are you scratching your head wondering why some readers disengage, or why "news avoidance" is such a buzzword? This week, Francesca sat down with leading researcher Kiki de Bruin, who has spent 5 YEARS studying 4,400 self-identified news avoiders. Kiki reveals that "news avoidance" is a deeply misunderst...

🎙️ Journalism is meant to solve a problem. Are you open to a radical change within your news brand?  If so, it is a must that you hear this week's chat. Francesca sat down with Rishad Patel, Co-founder of Splice Media, who argues that traditional audience engagement often misses the mark. 🎯 He describes the "journalism industrial complex" as focusing on supply – creating content we...

🇵🇹Don’t underestimate the power of the Portuguese mentality and keeping things simple!  🧲 This week, Francesca chats with Catarina Osório, Publishing Manager at Contacto (Mediahuis Luxembourg), about the often overlooked nuances of audience engagement. With over 100,000 Portuguese people in Luxembourg, Contacto has built up a large community that spans generations, creating its own challenges in...

How do you walk the line between frustrating readers and driving valuable engagement? 🤔 🎧This week on Redefining Engagement , Francesca spoke with Madeleine White, VP Marketing at Poool and Co-founder of The Audiencers, about the delicate balance publishers need to strike to convert casual readers into loyal subscribers. 💙 Madeleine highlights that every conversion (newsletter sign-up, app down...

📢 Stop Guessing, Start Listening: Engaging Your Audience Beyond the Dashboard 📢 This week on Redefining Engagement, Francesca spoke with Fabienne Meijer, Head of Journalism Products at The OCCRP. Fabienne dropped some serious truths about how newsrooms need to rethink their approach to audience engagement. 👂Hear about: - Strategic vs. Tactical Research : Are you just trying to get people to con...

📣 What motivates journalists to engage with their audience? It might not be what you think! In this week's episode, Francesca speaks with Lars K. Jensen, Audience Lead at Berlingske Media, about the importance of cultural shifts in newsrooms.  Lars asks a powerful question: Are reporters being rewarded for engaging with audiences/readers? 🤔 Are they incentivised for it? Lars challenges us to...

“We need to know our audience in real time.” Are you pouring hours into content that's just not landing? You're not alone 😔 In our latest episode of Redefining Engagement, Francesca spoke with the brilliant Andrew Webb about the crucial link between content creation, data, and achieving a real return on investment. 📈 Andrew hit the nail on the head: "The absence of understanding tha...

ℹ️ Defining Engagement... Media brands - Where is the line between informing the public and "hooking" them into the screen? 👀Is your definition of "engagement" benefiting your readers or just your short term bottom line? Juan Carlos Lopez Calvet, Director of Data & AI at Schibsted Media, shares a crucial perspective: We don't want engagement for engagement's sake -...

“Focus on the “flabby middle” of the audience funnel” and “Is the news industry truly representative of the communities it serves?” 🤔 This week on Redefining Engagement, Francesca Dumas sits down with Yunus Emre Oruc to dive deep into audience engagement strategies. Yunus, with his extensive experience at Al Jazeera Turk, TRT World, and Middle East Eye, shared some powerful insights. 🏋️ Firstly,...

L'excellence journalistique seule ne suffit plus. Nous devons comprendre les mécanismes économiques et les stratégies de marketing qui stimulent l'engagement du public et, en fin de compte, la pérennité des médias. Un contenu de qualité est Roi, mais la valeur qu'il apporte est Reine (et c'est elle qui porte la culotte !) 👑➡️🚀Cyrille Frank a vraiment partagé une sagesse profonde sur ce qu'il fau...

📣 Is your team rowing in the same direction? 🚣 This week on Redefining Engagement, Francesca sits down with Martin Vodermair. Not only has Martin been shortlisted as one of the best editors in chief of Germany for his adaptation and implementation work on Dmitry Shishkin's user needs model!! 🤩 OVB24.de also won an INMA Global Media Award for "Best Innovation in Newsroom Transformation&...

Audience engagement isn't just a metric; it's a mindset. 🧠 This week's episode really hit home on something crucial.  Joe Cawthorn, Content Strategist at National World highlighted, "if the journalists and the editors don't buy into the reason WHY they are doing it, then it will just be a box ticked. 'I've sent that newsletter' or 'I've sent that message&#...

We can learn so much about community engagement from Bellingcat’s way of working. 🐈‍⬛ Community engagement is central to their mission, empowering individuals to participate in their investigations. It is clear that their focus is what is best for their community. ♥️So what does putting their community at the heart of their work look like in practice? For their members this means: - Joining a mi...

🙋Have you asked yourself these questions lately?  🗞️Have you changed your journalism to try to connect better with your audience? If so, how?  🔍Have you worked with your journalists in your newsrooms to change: The way that you present stories? How you research stories? How you distribute them? 🥷What is your purpose/ mission as a brand? What do you want to be known for?  🧑‍💻 Have you done the...