User Needs Labs

Understand your audience

Understand your audience

FT Strategies and smartocto present User Needs Labs, a comprehensive
5-month programme designed to supercharge your content strategy
and accelerate audience growth.

Supercharge your content strategy

FT Strategies and editorial data analytics company smartocto present User Needs Labs, a comprehensive training programmme designed to accelerate audience growth. Over the course of five months, you will be expertly guided through your own audience data, drawing actionable insights to optimise your content strategy and create impactful content that resonates.

You will also receive 1:1 consulting sessions and assistance in implementing our user needs approach, adopted by leading media brands including BBC, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Reach, Vogue and many more.

This ambitious programme is tailored for all individuals involved in news content, from editor-in-chief to head of digital, innovation and strategy, as well as audience engagement managers, data strategists and business analysts.

What does the programme include?

  • Content research: the analysis of one thousand articles, followed by the implementation of 'growth hacks'
  • User needs-driven strategy: this involves an explanation and training in the quadrant model, the creation of unique dashboards, and the evaluation of the outcomes of the 'growth hacks’
  • User needs reporting: customised and automised dashboards and reports, based on a thorough analysis of collected data
  • Workflow integration: newsrooms will receive practical guidance on how to seamlessly integrate the user needs approach into their daily workflow
  • €2000 worth of credits for smartocto.ai
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.
Click the image to read the User Needs Lab explainer and how to apply.

Six steps to mastery

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Stage 1: Initiation

Contribute data derived from a minimum of 1000 recent articles and partake in an interview to grasp your business model and strategic objectives. Together, we will define your 'North Star' goal and compile a comprehensive baseline report, offering innovative growth hacks focused on specific opportunities tailored to user needs.

Flexible Working icon
Flexible Working icon
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Stage 2: Exploration

Learn the core principles of the User Needs Model 2.0 and virtually meet fellow participants. FT Strategies will offer personalised consultations focusing on learning objectives throughout the programme, such as an effective tagging strategy and in-depth data understanding. Smartocto will facilitate the onboarding process, introducing you to the key features of our user needs tools.

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Stage 3: Strategy Design

Explore the Quadrant Model and the crafting of unique dashboards. This stage marks the beginning of your newsroom's practical experimentation with the tool. FT Strategies will provide tailored one-on-one consultancy sessions, aimed at enhancing your comprehension of a data-driven strategy. Smartocto offers technical support and showcases various tactics related to user needs.

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Paid Volunteer Days icon
Paid Volunteer Days icon

Stage 4: Calibration

Elevate the quality of your content and discover your unique market position through a detailed analysis of collected data. FT Strategies will assist in the deeper integration of the user needs approach, offering fresh perspectives on transforming your organisational workflow. Smartocto begins the fine-tuning of KPIs, helping in feature utilisation such as headline testing and dashboard interpretation.

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Stage 5: Implementation

Build your core use cases with data collection ongoing and the responsibility of the user needs approach resting within the newsroom. FT Strategies remains available for individual consultations to support and guide the strategy's implementation. Smartocto enriches your experience by adding €2,000 worth of credits for continued editorial assistance and virtual user needs support via smartocto.ai.

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Stage 6: Mastery

Seamlessly integrate the user needs approach into your everyday workflow. FT Strategies will compile a conclusive report detailing the results of growth hacks and mapping out a strategy for sustained commitment and long-term application. Smartocto will assist in standardising the process and offer an ongoing data support system.

"In the newsroom, so much is happening simultaneously. The user needs approach ensures a greater focus on your work, so that quality takes precedence. During the User Needs Labs project, it felt like a big relief to see that other media are experiencing the same problems. And that we can help each other to move forward when we use the same editorial language."

Johanna Käkönen Digital producer at Turun Sanomat, Finland

"It is essential that you ascertain why visitors specifically choose your news coverage over that of your competitors. We are committed to assisting participants in integrating the user needs approach into their daily operations, enabling them to maximise the potential of data analytics.”

Rutger Verhoeven Co-founder and CMO at Smartocto

"Engaging your audience with journalism that is relevant to their needs should be the top priority for any publisher. A deep understanding of user needs will help address the common misalignment between what an audience wants and what it receives from news media organisations. The User Needs Labs with FT Strategies and smartocto enables publishers to leverage advanced analytics to create a more compelling offering that will in turn drive audience loyalty and engagement."

Aled John Director, Deputy MD, FT Strategies

Register for User Needs Labs

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