Case Study: DPG Media strengthens user-needs journalism with smartocto Academy

Dpg Media trains editors with Smartocto Academy in 6-session user needs program

DPG Media, a major European media group, faced a challenge common in journalism: their editorial teams were creating content based on their own instincts and preferred formats rather than the specific needs of their audience. This often resulted in an overproduction of simple update articles that were under-engaged with, while other potential audience needs were being overlooked. To address this, they partnered with the analytics platform smartocto and utilized its smartocto Academy eLearning service to train their editors.

The solution implemented by smartocto was a comprehensive educational program through smartocto Academy, featuring expert-led modules on its User Needs Model 2.0. This trained DPG Media's editors to first identify the audience's core need—such as 'Educate me' or 'Inspire me'—before choosing a story angle or format. smartocto supplemented this training with its tool's features, including notifications and performance dashboards for user needs. The result was a fundamental shift in the editorial workflow, empowering journalists to align content with audience demand and the brand's strategic goals, leading to improved reach, engagement, and content relevance across DPG Media's properties.

Dpg Media