Redefining Engagement – Jessica Bulthé, Chief Data & Insights Officer at Mediahuis

Jessica Bulthé Redefining Engagement Blog Cover image

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 engagement. 

 

Jessica reveals that while complex formulas like FT Strategies’ Recency, Frequency, Volume (RFV) have their place, Mediahuis’s extensive research led them to a simple and powerful measurement that could bring together and work for both sales and editorial teams:

 

The #1 best predictor for both churn and propensity to buy is… The number of active days (aka Frequency).

 

Jessica breaks down exactly how Mediahuis uses this insight to:

 

💡 Segment their audience into ✅ ‘Green’, 🟨 ‘Yellow’, 🟧 ‘Orange’, and 🟥’Red’ groups based on how often they visit.

📈 Tailor content strategies and sales campaigns for each group. Now, you can “personalise” your approach at scale (in groups). 

🎯 Drive subscriptions by better understanding who to target and with what content.

 

“It’s much more explainable for all departments…” says Jessica. And when you’re managing data across multiple countries and newsrooms, explainability is EVERYTHING.

 

Simplify your engagement strategy and boost your numbers. This episode is packed with real-world insights from a data leader who’s been trying and testing, testing and trying. 

 

Tune in now to learn how focusing on frequency can transform your audience engagement.

 

What if you’re short on time? 

 

Simply browse the episode chapters below and choose the segments you’re most eager to hear.

 

00:00 Introduction to Jessica Bouté and Mediahuis

03:04 The Impact of AI and GenAI on Media

05:45 Understanding Audience Engagement

08:25 Evolution of Engagement Metrics

11:19 Challenges in Audience Engagement Strategies

13:36 Effective Strategies for Audience Engagement

23:36 Understanding Subscriber Segmentation

26:09 Engaging Younger Audiences

29:03 The Challenge of Brand Recognition

31:28 The Impact of Audience Engagement

33:00 Leveraging Technology for Engagement

34:51 Integrating Feedback into Strategy

36:58 Common Pitfalls in Engagement Initiatives

38:52 Skills for the Modern Journalist

43:39 Measuring Engagement Impact

45:46 Simple Engagement Hacks



download the step by step audience engagement guide

Struggling to engage readers at scale, stay relevant, or build trust in your news brand?  This guide will help you outline the steps you can take in order to efficiently increase Community Engagement, signed-in users and subscriptions.