Redefining Engagement is your go-to podcast where Francesca Dumas, Director of Audience Development and Strategy, sits down with visionary leaders, innovative journalists, and media industry trailblazers. Together, we dive into the evolving world of audience engagement, exploring the latest strategies, trends, and challenges shaping the future of media.
Join us as we uncover actionable insights, fresh ideas, and expert advice on how to connect with audiences more effectively—what works, what doesn’t, so that we all can do more engagement, better.
How Daily Maverick Builds Member Loyalty Through Engagement
Julia Harris (https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-harris-abb61080/), Head of Reader Revenue at Daily Maverick (https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/), shares how one of South Africa’s independent news organisations drives member loyalty and retention through emotional connection, user-initiated journalism, and community engagement.
In this episode of Redefining Engagement, we explore:
How Daily Maverick Connect is creating safe spaces for reader participation
Why emotional engagement is key to retention and reader revenue
What “lurkers” can teach us about silent participation
How onboarding emails boost long-term loyalty
The role of journalists in building trust and community
Whether you're working in subscriptions, memberships, or newsroom engagement, this episode is packed with actionable insights.
20 Nov 2025
Storytelling strategy is not marketing. They are two different things.
This week’s Redefining Engagement podcast guest is not from the news industry. So if you’re a news professional who doesn't normally think in terms of narrative strategy (not marketing!), you should be listening.
🎬 Théo Mahy-Ma-Somga is a filmmaker, narrative strategist and founder who helps people build narrative equity – by asking one deceptively powerful question:
“Why are you doing this in the first place?”
…in journalism we think it sounds like 'to hold power to account' but is there more to it than that?
We talked about what journalists, editors and publishers can learn from content creators, filmmakers and solo founders who actually know how to connect with audiences today.
Some standout takeaways 👇
🎯 Engagement starts with emotional stakes “If there’s nothing at stake for your reader — no emotion, no reason to care — they’ll scroll right past you.”
💡 Pick your voice, and stick to it “Stop trying to speak to everyone. A 16-year-old, a 35-year-old, and an 82-year-old don’t want the same story told the same way.”
📢 Newsrooms need a face “People don’t trust companies. They trust people. So who are you? And why do you show up for this work every day?”
This is the storytelling reset the news industry needs.
It’s not about marketing.It’s not about spin.It’s about meaning and inviting your audience into it.
🎧 Listen to the episode now — it might just change the way you think about your brand.
3 Nov 2025
We asked our teams: what is your claim to your community? What do you promise them in one sentence? Most have never thought about it. But it changes everything.
“We built a digital newsroom from scratch… and our most viral story was about benches.”
On this week’s Redefining Engagement, we sat down with Charlie Walter, Audience Development Lead at Funke, who’s working hands-on with over 100 local newsrooms across Germany to shift from print-first to people-first.
Here are a few lessons that stood out:
Our favourite:
🗣 Redefine your audience relationship.
“We ask teams: what’s your claim to your community? What do you promise them in one sentence? Most have never thought about it. But it changes everything.”
🛠 Transformation takes time, and mostly repetition.
“You can’t just drop in, give a talk, and expect change. You need to show up every day, repeat the message and build trust. Otherwise, nothing sticks.”
🪑 Relevance = surprising, hyperlocal, emotional.
Two new benches in a town in Germany sparked 300K views and 1,100 comments. Not groundbreaking journalism but massive engagement. “Suddenly, everyone knew our account. And trusted us to lead the conversation.”
👥 Feedback loops matter more than assumptions.
“When we go out and ask people why they don’t subscribe to a news brand, their answers are sobering. Sometimes they don’t even know a brand. That’s humbling… but it’s also the start of change.”
💬 Newsrooms as relationships.
“This process is like counselling. You start questioning everything. But on the other side is real clarity, relevance, and connection.”
If you're trying to shift your newsroom’s mindset or help someone else do it (regardless of whether you’re moving from print to digital), this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen in for real tactics, real examples of challenges, and real team motivation insight.
And if you’re short on time? No worries.
Simply browse the episode chapters below and choose the segments you're most eager to hear.
00:00 Introduction to Charlie and Funke
02:55 The Digital Transformation Challenge
04:53 Coaching Newsrooms for Digital Success
07:00 Defining Audience Engagement
09:25 Building Engagement through Data
11:46 Identifying Key Topics for Engagement
14:07 The Importance of Community Connection
16:31 Challenges in Transitioning to Digital
18:35 Understanding Audience Needs
21:02 The Human Element in Journalism
23:27 Closing Thoughts on Audience Engagement
25:27 The Sobering Reality of Journalism's Evolution
25:56 Redefining Journalism: A New Opportunity
29:03 Crafting Claims: The Heart of Local Journalism
30:47 Engagement and Audience Connection
31:53 From Claims to Practice: Making Journalism Relevant
34:03 Harnessing User Feedback for Better Engagement
36:25 Surprising Engagement: Leading the Conversation
40:04 Building Loyalty Through Relevant Content
41:44 The Journey Ahead: Engagement Strategies in Progress
42:53 The Uncertain Future of Journalism
44:26 Removing Fear: Cultivating a Culture of Experimentation
47:14 Building Relationships: The Key to Successful Change
Who has been a guest on Redefining Engagement
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dmitry Shishkin
Nic Dawes
Anugrah Agnihotri
Kiki De Bruin
Sophie Van Oostvoorn
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
58
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
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