
La Voz de Galicia: Your local digest
Two projects which enable journalists to identify and publish stories that are most relevant to local audiences.
Bringing together behavioural science and tech innovation, the team at VOL.AT (a local news site for Vorarlberg, western Austria) created a loyalty scheme, encouraging users to engage with its content by awarding them redeemable points, called Ländlepunkte, as they read articles.
Given how important it is to get users to log in, the project has surpassed expectations. “We used to have 3% of our users logged in,” says CEO of Russmedia Gerold Riedmann. “Now, about 30% of our repeat users are.”
The loyalty scheme was created using techniques seen in gaming platforms to build a loyal base of users. Riedmann explains, “A extensive project like this wouldn’t have been possible without external backing. DNI funding offered us the chance to escape the zero price point trap.”
The technology is not restricted to this publisher and can be used on any website – it’s already being used by IKEA in Switzerland and supermarket chains.
There are plans to expand the rewards scheme into a local currency, and then use GPS functionality to trigger mobile messages and nudge members to visit VOL.AT business partners for special offers or promotions. Ultimately, says Riedmann, the technology enables businesses to “make loyal customers out of fly-by web traffic.”
Two projects which enable journalists to identify and publish stories that are most relevant to local audiences.
Local News Engine uses algorithms to generate leads for potential news stories from local data.Now complete, it is available to all via GitHub.
Tagesspiegel LEUTE provides digital local news to subscribers in 12 districts of Berlin.
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