Over the course of the past few weeks we’ve talked about the need for communications professionals to embrace analytics, how to get started with analytics, and even shared a few specific metrics that matter for PR and social media pros.
Continuing with our analytics theme and its impact on our day-to-day jobs, I wanted to draw attention to a shiny new start up, Visual Revenue, which has intrigued me to no end. According to its site:
Visual Revenue provides a predictive analytics solution that helps online media organizations set a better front page and provides online publishers with real-time recommendations on how to maximize the performance of their current content by treating the Primary Front Page and Section Front Pages as traffic channels unto themselves.
It’s refreshing that Dennis Mortensen is building a platform that ultimately serves readers and not solely search engines (obviously there’s a significant financial value proposition for publishers).
So why is this a game changing analytic tool for editorial professionals, in my opinion? It augments one of the most important skill sets required of a top-notch editor – having a nose for news.
For example, I randomly picked Computerworld.com and looked at its News section front page. The “above the scroll” news story was about Google enhancing email security. As I scroll down, I notice a story about how the Fed is boosting data security due to the WikiLeaks fiasco. No argument about the newsworthiness of either story – both are timely and relevant (i.e. well done Computerworld editor – congratulations on your strong news judgment).
However, by nature of its very placement, the Google security piece receives more traffic than the Fed WikiLeaks piece. Simple web analytics tools will inform the Computerworld editor of that fact. Visual Revenue claims to take it a step further by recommending to that editor to potentially relocate the Fed story, which will lead to more clickthroughs and more sticky readers.
Though I’m not an editor or content producer for an online publication, my team and I work with them daily. They are stressed, and for good reason. In addition to finding, interviewing, sourcing, checking, writing, re-writing, re-re-writing, editing, and posting news, many outlets require their editors be responsible for “engaging visitors and boosting traffic.” Yikes.
Will we see the “Editors Replaced By Algorithms” narrative in the coming months. Of course we will.
But, I would disagree with that sentiment. Nothing will replace an editor’s nose for news and her ability to create quality content. As with everything else in digital, she simply needs a boost to augment the creative and that’s where I see Visual Revenue coming in.
My burning question to Mr. Mortensen: can he apply his predictive technology to those of us in PR, essentially adding a bit of science to our media pitching? For example, would it be possible to pitch in a story angle to that same Computerworld editor while including potential recs on position and how the piece and placement will improve the front page, thus making the editor a star? Or am I nuts?
[Wordle art courtesy of Robert Hernandez of Online Journalism Review]
Tags: Journalism, PR Anlaytics, web analytics