User needs’ real impact, the Make it Fair campaign, and Reach plc reaches 100 M on social | Adrian, your AI curator

User need articles boost engagement

Smartocto, Do user needs-focused articles perform better?

A data analysis of Ringier Media International articles revealed that articles with a clear user needs focus (over 60% alignment with a single user need) consistently outperformed those without.

Focused articles saw higher reader engagement, with readers staying longer and exploring more pages. Notably, “loyalty scores,” defined as habitual high engagement, were significantly stronger for focused articles.

Reach plc’s data-driven social media strategy

Media Voices, How Reach plc hit 100 million followers across its social channels

Reach plc hit 100 million social followers, but their Engagement Director emphasizes that simply having a large audience isn’t enough; publishers must strategically “unlock that audience” by adapting to each platform’s unique algorithms and user behavior.

Reach is now prioritizing data-driven decisions and careful resource allocation to ensure a return on investment beyond just follower growth.

The key takeaway is that publishers must move beyond a “spray-and-pray” social strategy, instead focusing on understanding platform nuances and delivering targeted, valuable content to maximize engagement and traffic.

UK newspapers launch coordinated “Make it Fair” campaign

Press Gazette, News titles from Guardian to Daily Mail unite in opposition to AI copyright grab

The UK’s national newspapers are uniting against a government proposal that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted content without permission or payment. They argue this “opt-out” model would devastate the creative industry, forcing publishers to individually fight AI giants to protect their work.

This coordinated campaign, “Make It Fair,” aims to raise public awareness and pressure the government to protect intellectual property rights in the age of AI.

AI platforms drive growing, but still small, referral traffic to publishers

Digiday, Referral traffic from AI platforms grows despite publishers’ attempts to block crawlers

Traffic referrals to publishers from AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are on the rise, even for those who haven’t partnered with or are actively trying to block these platforms. While the overall volume is still relatively low compared to other sources, the trend is notable.

Some publishers report significant increases, however, for many, AI referrals remain a small fraction of overall traffic. Interestingly, having a content licensing deal doesn’t seem to correlate with referral volume, and some publishers are seeing traffic despite blocking AI crawlers.

Liquid content: An explainer

INMA, What is “liquid content” and why should we talk about it?

“Liquid content” is a concept focused on delivering news to consumers in their preferred format—whether it’s watching audio, reading video, or listening to text—based on individual preferences and context.

This approach, pioneered by Finnish broadcasting company Yle, aims to personalize the news experience beyond just topic selection, taking into account factors like time of day, location, and even a user’s prior knowledge of a subject.

While still largely conceptual, advancements in AI could make liquid content a reality, potentially increasing audience engagement by catering to diverse consumption habits.