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 industry is better at words than ours?
Christopher Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Overtone, is an ex-reporter who turned to tech (Ie. the perfect purple person). He shares his insights and here’s a sneak peek of 3 of our favourite bits:
The Purple People: Christopher champions the idea of “Content Scientists”. Individuals who blend editorial smarts (the ‘red’ team) with tech and business acumen (the ‘blue’ team). Breaking down silos is about this vital new purple breed.
Audience engagement is to take responsibility for the people reading your article, and to be laser focused on your relationship with those people.
AI & Advertising for monetisation: Christopher explains how sophisticated language models can understand the nuance of content – how funny, happy, or in-depth it is. And that quality news CAN compete for advertising space at scale when its true value is highlighted.
Let’s look at an example:
You’re a brand. Would you want to advertise next to Ryan Gosling being funny?
Of course you would.
What if the news article were about aliens? Well then, no, of course not. It’s OBVIOUSLY a conspiracy theory story in that case… right?
Christopher shares a telling example of why nuanced understanding of content (like Ryan Gosling joking about aliens on SNL) is crucial for monetisation. Highly engaging news content will get blocked by advertisers if the wrong keywords appear when really, who wouldn’t want to be advertised next to Ryan Gosling?
🎧 Get your tech on this week and open your mind to a more Data and AI centric episode.
And if you’re short on time? No worries.
Simply browse the episode chapters below and choose the segments you’re most eager to hear.
00:00 Introduction to Christopher Brennan and Overtone AI
02:43 The Evolution of Engagement in News
05:24 Defining Audience Engagement
08:02 Measuring Engagement Effectively
10:45 Challenges in News Engagement Strategies
13:17 Effective Strategies for Audience Engagement
15:53 Segmentation in Content Distribution
18:13 Involving Audiences in Editorial Decisions
19:54 Engaging Readers Through Direct Communication
20:44 Leveraging Data for Audience Engagement
22:22 Navigating Industry Standards and Advertiser Relationships
23:44 The Role of AI in Audience Engagement
26:27 Empowering Newsrooms with Data Analytics
27:48 Overcoming Organisational Challenges in Newsrooms
30:00 Collaboration in the News Industry
32:56 The Future of Local News and Community Engagement
35:50 Practical Hacks for News Brands
