MediaNews Group is a leader in local, multi-platform news and information, distinguished by its award-winning, original content and high quality, diversified portfolio of local media assets. They offer local news and information web sites and mobile apps offering rich multimedia experiences across the nation.
MediaNews Group has a vast portfolio of local media assets including The Denver Post, The Mercury News, and The Orange County Register.
MediaNews Group wanted to build greater customer lifetime value through deepened engagement across their sites, increasing revenue while boosting internal recirculation traffic.
Using Smartfeed, MediaNews Group was able to create an optimal mix of paid and organic content in an endless feed layout, creating a continuous stream of fresh content for readers to discover.
Readers were enthralled with their personalized content discovery feed and motivated to stay on the sites and apps longer, and with greater engagement.
MediaNews Group saw results immediately after implementing Smartfeed. On average, bounce rates from Outbrain referral traffic were 34% less and session duration time was 158% greater compared to other sources. Engaging Smartfeed elements included a comments section on desktop and a carousel feature for organic content on mobile.
This engagement led to higher CTRs for both paid and organic content (using Outbrain organic recommendations):
Mobile: 40%+ paid CTR lift, 60%+ organic CTR lift
Desktop: 30-60% paid CTR lift, 40-100% organic CTR lift
And active reader engagement and loyalty translated into higher RPMs. Desktop saw a 20-50% average RPM lift and mobile had a 30% lift in RPM, leading to ever-increasing revenue gains for MediaNews Group.
With a modest amount of effort, the implementation of Outbrain Smartfeed allowed us to deliver a much more personalized experience to our readers. The ability to A/B test multiple variants has not only provided meaningful data to further enhance our engagement tactics but even more, drive direct revenue.”
