Our stories
The modern editor-in-chief speaks the language of digital and data
April 10, 2025 by Stefan ten Teije
News fatigue and stories that just don’t end
March 26, 2025 by Em Kuntze
We’ve unlocked the secrets of articles with top engagement
March 12, 2025 by Em Kuntze
Focus on converting subscribers with these 5 notifications
March 11, 2025 by Stefan ten Teije
Focused User Needs Articles - A Q&A with Dmitry Shishkin
March 6, 2025 by Em Kuntze
Come up with eight Valentine’s stories faster than Cupid’s arrow
Feb. 13, 2025 by Stefan ten Teije
Editorial analytics in 2025: here’s what you need to know
Jan. 30, 2025 by Em Kuntze
A data analyst in the newsroom can make all the difference
Jan. 24, 2025 by Stefan ten Teije
Increasing traffic via Google Discover: what should you do about it?
Jan. 16, 2025 by Stefan ten Teije
Social media productions: to do - or not?
Jan. 9, 2025 by Stefan ten Teije
Audience engagement managers play a key role in digital transformation
Nov. 28, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije, Mirko Maksimovic
Smartoctober: Keeping your audience engaged when they’re all electioned-out
Oct. 24, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije, Em Kuntze
Smartoctober: How to cover election day
Oct. 17, 2024 by Em Kuntze, Stefan ten Teije
Smartoctober: Constructive campaign coverage
Oct. 9, 2024 by Em Kuntze, Stefan ten Teije
Smartoctober: What we know about covering elections
Oct. 4, 2024 by Em Kuntze
If it bleeds, it leads? Not according to your audience
Sept. 25, 2024 by Bram Peeters
From our Labs Team: this is what we know about negative news sentiment and user needs
Sept. 10, 2024 by Bojana Soro
3 tips to boost conversions in the newsroom
Aug. 19, 2024 by Em Kuntze
The future of journalism: How can good journalism change and evolve?
Aug. 7, 2024 by Kamelia Kamoun
Top 5 questions we get about user needs
July 31, 2024 by Em Kuntze
User needs and AI: a deep dive in the data bunker
July 3, 2024 by Goran S. Milovanović
Reactions on the Digital News Report: ‘We produce beyond what is needed’
June 26, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije
The Reuters Institute agrees: user needs are transformative
June 18, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije
Are these 5 things holding you back from changing analytics tools?
May 29, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije
How to reach Gen Z: a guide for modern news consumption
May 8, 2024 by Kamelia Kamoun and Em Kuntze
We can increase your subscriptions by up to 39%
May 2, 2024 by Em Kuntze
What Waze can teach us about AI in journalism
April 23, 2024 by Em Kuntze
Four key topics at INMA World Congress in London
April 18, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije and Em Kuntze
User needs news: clearing up the confusion about 'Update me'
April 11, 2024 by Em Kuntze
Engagement vs loyalty: which is more important?
March 20, 2024 by Stefan ten Teije
Engaging social natives in the era of news avoidance
March 14, 2024 by Sophie van Oostvoorn
A four-point checklist for writing engaging longform stories
Feb. 9, 2024 by Em Kuntze
Our 8 rules for ethics in AI and journalism
Jan. 23, 2024 by Erik van Heeswijk
How to compare data analytics tools
Jan. 12, 2024 by Erik van Heeswijk
7 ways to create more engaging content
Jan. 5, 2024 by Rutger Verhoeven
5 great examples of innovative longform journalism online
Dec. 21, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Questions and answers about the User Needs Model 2.0
Dec. 15, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije and Em Kuntze
AI in journalism & the lessons of the early internet
Dec. 7, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
Behind our AI tool for user needs: insights and surprises
Nov. 13, 2023 by Rutger Verhoeven, Em Kuntze, Stefan ten Teije
The future newsroom has its virtual assistant
Oct. 24, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Here is how AI is changing content analytics
Oct. 17, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
How to start using AI in your newsroom
Oct. 10, 2023 by Em Kuntze
AI in news media: biggest trends and best practices
Oct. 3, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
What is the optimal number of words in a headline?
Sept. 14, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
News videos are not your ticket to higher engagement
Aug. 24, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
5 questions about smartocto’s Content Performance Indicator
Aug. 10, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije, Em Kuntze
What is Google Analytics 4 and how will it affect your work?
Aug. 1, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
For more engagement, choose the best news format
July 25, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
How to create higher engagement in articles
July 7, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Reuters Report 2023: key findings and what do to with them
June 26, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Create a checklist for ‘Update me’ stories
June 14, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
Why positive news should have your attention
June 8, 2023 by Rutger Verhoeven
Effective ways to improve the performance of breaking news
May 8, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Measure your success in 3 simple steps
March 30, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Explaining the user needs
March 1, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije, Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write a 'connect me' article
Feb. 24, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
How to write a 'keep me engaged' article
Feb. 24, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
How to write a ‘help me’ article
Feb. 23, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
What’s the difference between constructive and service journalism?
Feb. 8, 2023 by Stefan ten Teije
Why there should be more editorial focus on TikTok, according to journalist Marieke Kuypers
Jan. 3, 2023 by Em Kuntze
Contest: which notification needs to be added in 2023?
Dec. 30, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
The 2022 numbers in the context of a decade
Dec. 22, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
Six TikTok videos that prove journalism is right at home there
Nov. 22, 2022 by Em Kuntze
How TV news can boost online views
Nov. 17, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
The evolution of the user needs model: ‘it needs constant change’
Nov. 10, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
How to switch from Twitter to Mastodon after the Elon Musk takeover
Nov. 2, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
How to reuse content across social media channels
Oct. 23, 2022 by Dylan van Essen & Stefan ten Teije
Create better intros and deliver on your promise
Oct. 17, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
Writing your next article: read this first
Oct. 10, 2022 by Em Kuntze
4 things from World News Media Congress you should know
Oct. 6, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
This is what you should do to create better A/B tests
Oct. 3, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
Want to get started with the Quadrant Model? Here’s how
Sept. 26, 2022 by Em Kuntze
From newsroom to analytics tool: why I joined smartocto
Sept. 20, 2022 by Stefan ten Teije
The power of restraint: how to win by writing less
Sept. 8, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
A practical guide to using UTM tags
Aug. 26, 2022 by Danique Roefs
What social media teach us about news production
July 29, 2022 by Em Kuntze
The great shift: from tech noobs to tech natives
June 29, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
The great shift: from trust me to show me
June 14, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
Book review: All the news that's fit to click
June 6, 2022 by Erik van Heeswijk
The great shift: from product to service
June 1, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
Inventing smartify: how our Labs team did it
May 20, 2022 by Goran Milovanovic
Dmitry Shishkin: 5 years into the user needs story
May 17, 2022 by Dmitry Shishkin
Server side tracking explained
April 22, 2022 by Em Kuntze
The 7 year itch: are our founding fathers still ‘in love’?
April 14, 2022 by Eveline de Boer
Reaching Gen Z: TikTok tips for newsrooms
March 29, 2022 by Eveline de Boer
Data study: engagement on mobile vs desktop
March 25, 2022 by Em Kuntze
Part 3: The future of editorial analytics
Feb. 21, 2022 by Erik van Heeswijk
Part 2: How does Smartify work?
Feb. 16, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
Part 1: What is Smartify?
Feb. 4, 2022 by Rutger Verhoeven
What’s up with Google Analytics’ GDPR?
Feb. 1, 2022 by Eveline de Boer
5 tips to create distinctive longtail journalism content
Dec. 23, 2021 by Eveline de Boer
2021: the year the user was finally put front and centre
Dec. 14, 2021 by Danique Roefs
How to introduce a data inspired culture to the newsroom
Dec. 1, 2021 by Erik van Heeswijk
Why connecting with your audience is key for engagement
Oct. 19, 2021 by Rutger Verhoeven
Using smart notifications as a Newsroom Nanny
Sept. 1, 2021 by Rutger Verhoeven
Making content analytics data actionable
Aug. 30, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
Why you should choose editorial over generic analytics
Aug. 20, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
Why a great content marketing strategy beats third party cookies
June 23, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
Public media need a special metric and content strategy
April 22, 2021 by Erik van Heeswijk
Let's talk about innovative journalism
April 14, 2021 by Em Kuntze
How we did it: building News Needs Notifications
April 7, 2021 by Em Kuntze
Story prioritisation in the newsroom: write more about less
April 6, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
Data driven vs data informed in the newsroom
March 25, 2021 by Em Kuntze
How newsrooms can transform into editorial action centres
Feb. 15, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
9 reasons why analytics in the newsroom fail
Jan. 12, 2021 by Laurens de Knijff
RealTalk podcast episode 1: the user needs model
Jan. 10, 2021 by smartocto
Introducing the user needs model to your newsroom
Jan. 9, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write a 'divert me' article
Jan. 8, 2021 by Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write a 'give me perspective' article
Dec. 22, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write an 'update me' article
Dec. 22, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
10 things 2020 taught us about online publishing
Dec. 16, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write an 'inspire me' article
Dec. 15, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write a 'Keep me on trend' article
Dec. 8, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
How to write an 'educate me' article
Dec. 2, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
Gaining trust: what does your audience need from the news?
Nov. 30, 2020 by Em Kuntze
When longform journalism and user needs meet, the story thrives
Nov. 10, 2020 by Wessel Wildeboer
Data study: the true value of loyal readers
Nov. 5, 2020 by Milos Stanic
Redefining loyalty
Nov. 5, 2020 by Em Kuntze
5 questions about the user needs
Oct. 28, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
Building a great omnichannel strategy
Oct. 14, 2020 by Wessel Wildeboer
Should you stop writing about corona?
Oct. 8, 2020 by Jacqueline Woudstra
The added value of smart notifications
Sept. 23, 2020 by Wessel Wildeboer
11 tips to create content for younger audiences
Sept. 16, 2020 by Rutger Verhoeven
How to shift towards a paywall: a detailed guide
July 30, 2020 by Milos Stanic
Trust levels in the news aren’t great. (here’s what you can do about it)
June 30, 2020 by Em Kuntze
Reaching the ‘impossible generation’: How can publishers engage millennial audiences?
June 30, 2020 by Milos Stanic
Why the subscription model may not work for you
June 11, 2020 by Em Kuntze
Content overkill? Or: the power of longtail articles
June 10, 2020 by Milos Stanic
Smart notifications: the simple, single answer to Data Shock
June 10, 2020 by Rutger Verhoeven
How to strategically tag content and keep your visitors engaged
June 10, 2020 by smartocto
Coronavirus & audience behaviour: 5 actionable insights for editors
May 25, 2020 by Milos Stanic & Em Kuntze
Data study: coronavirus has a huge impact on traffic and reader loyalty in Europe
April 15, 2020 by Milos Stanic
This is our Story Life Cycle approach
April 10, 2020 by Rutger Verhoeven
Meet our incredible Story Value Engine
April 9, 2020 by Rutger Verhoeven
