SODP Dispatch - 19 June 2025

A Publisher’s Engagement Playbook!

🚀 We’re launching the first industry research report in partnership with Glide Publishing Platform!

Join global publishing leaders, product owners, data strategists, and tech innovators to benchmark how your team personalizes, engages, and grows using first-party data.

🔍️ What’s in it for you?

✅ Benchmark CDP Engagement, Adoption & Performance

✅ Discover Emerging Personalization Trends

✅ Access Actionable Best Practices

✅ Learn From Real-World Challenges & Wins

Whether you're using behavioural signals, AI-powered tools, or topic-based tagging, your insights matter. Help shape a report that reflects what’s really driving results across the industry.

👉️ Take the survey and be the first to receive exclusive insights.

10 Best Content Analytics Software for Publishers in 2025

By Vahe Arabian 

Do you have an eye on top performing content your audience craves and the content analytics tools to help you work smarter, not harder? WordPress claims that its users publish about 70 million new posts every month. With almost millions of blogs posted every day, publishers need more than just quality content to stand out. Content analytics help publishers gain valuable insights into how their content is performing and what type of content resonates most with their audience.

This article will define content analytics tools, discuss their importance for publishers, and review the best content analytics software solutions available in 2025.

What Is Content Analytics Software? Content analytics software is a toolset that helps teams assess how readers interact with their published material.

According to Grand View Research, the global content analytics market size was valued at USD 9.31 billion in 2024 and is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 18.9% from 2025 to 2030.

Beyond user behavior, content analytics helps publishers understand reader preferences, recognize trends, and refine their content marketing efforts accordingly.

How Does Content Analytics Software Work? A content analytics platform enables publishers to accurately measure the impact of their content and make informed, data-driven decisions. Apart from views or feedback, it helps publishers uncover patterns in reader behavior and discover best performing formats.

Through natural language queries, trend analysis, contextual discovery, and predictive analytics, it can identify distinct patterns. For instance, it may reveal that readers are more engaged with content posted on Tuesday mornings, or that “How-to” articles receive more shares than other types.

Beyond identifying current digital publishing trends, content analytics software also uses predictive analytics to anticipate future patterns. This enables publishers to make informed decisions about choosing the best topics, optimal length, and the most effective publication time.

🚀 Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025

This year’s Digital News Report breaks down global shifts in news consumption, from the rise of video and AI chatbots to falling trust and stagnant subscriptions. Essential reading for anyone shaping digital media strategy in 2025. See more ▸

🤖 AI in the Life of an SEO Professional

SEOs are under more pressure than ever to deliver faster, smarter results. This resource explores how AI is reshaping daily SEO work—eliminating repetitive tasks and unlocking time for strategy. If you're ready to work smarter, not harder, this one's for you. See more ▸

📚 NESS25

The 2025 edition of the annual online event brings together top industry experts to share actionable insights, proven strategies, and hard-earned lessons tailored to news and publishing professionals navigating today’s SEO challenges. See more ▸

By Vahe Arabian

📬 From churn to connection: the power of niche communities in publishing

Reader churn is growing, while attention spans are shrinking.

The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025 highlights a critical challenge for publishers: while the 2023 edition reported that over 50% of digital news subscribers in countries such as the US and UK cancelled within their first year, the 2025 update reveals why this churn may only deepen. News habits are shifting, especially among younger audiences. Over 15% of under-25s now use AI chatbots weekly to access news, and video-based news consumption has climbed to 65%, up from 52% in 2020.

These behavioural shifts suggest readers are not just cancelling—they’re substituting. For publishers relying on paywalls or premium models, this marks a double challenge: retaining current subscribers while staying relevant to the next generation.

After reviewing data from The Audiencers on El País and insights from B2B newsletter strategies, here’s what you need to know:

1. Community cohorts reduce churn by 29%. During The Audiencers Festival, El País revealed that premium newsletter subscribers in topic-specific cohorts saw 29% lower churn compared to the general subscriber base (https://theaudiencers.com/from-newsletters-to-predicting-possible-cancellation-tactics-to-reduce-churn-from-the-audiencers-festival-madrid/). These cohorts (e.g., climate, books, politics) function as identity-driven micro-communities with their own tone, calls to action, and engagement channels.

   That means:

   📌 Segment your audience by interest using first-party data.

   📌 Launch newsletters/groups exclusive to each cohort.

   📌 Offer moderated forums, webinars or meetups to deepen the connection.

If readers feel they belong, they’re far less likely to leave. It’s publishing with membership logic.

2. Participation boosts perceived value. Communities retain not just for content, but for connection—through book clubs, live Q&As, surveys, feedback loops, and shared editorial influence.

The more your readers contribute, the more they commit. Community is reciprocal.

3. Onboarding is a retention anchor. Publishers who invite new subscribers to join a cohort during their first 30 days report notably lower churn at the 90- and 180-day marks.

   Best practices:

   📌Add cohort opt-ins on thank-you/confirmation pages.

   📌Feature communities in welcome emails.

   📌Track churn by cohort to identify high performers.

It’s better to build community from day one than graft it on later.

Here are the takeaways for publishers:

• Identify 2–3 interest-based segments using subscriber behaviour and preferences.

• Launch a cohort test: niche newsletter + feedback loop + bonus content.

• Track churn at 30/90/180 days against your global average and refine.

How AI Overviews (AIO) Are Changing Your Google Ads | Oceania Marketing

In 2025, digital marketing is experiencing one of its most transformative shifts yet—AI Overviews (AIO) are redefining how consumers interact with search engines, and what that means for paid search advertisers is nothing short of seismic. For marketing leaders and digital agencies alike, the rise of AI-generated results on Google is impacting everything from keyword strategy and ad placements to how brand visibility and consumer intent are measured.
Read more ▸

Streaming surpasses broadcast, cable for first time in monthly US TV usage | StreamTV Live

Streaming accounted for 44.8% of all TV viewing in the U.S. in May, according to Nielsen, narrowly surpassing for the first time the combined monthly usage of linear broadcast and cable, which accounted for 44.2% of domestic TV watching. In May 2021, the first month for which Nielsen published its monthly usage share graphic, The Gauge, SVODs, FASTs and AVODs accounted for just 26% of usage versus 64% for broadcasting and cable. Streaming usage has increased by 71% over that four-year span, Nielsen said.
Read more ▸

Google Launches ‘Search Live’ Real-Time Voice Search In AI Mode | Search Engine Journal

Google is rolling out Search Live with voice features through its AI Mode Labs experiment. You can now have natural, spoken conversations with Search while receiving web links in real-time. The was previewed at Google I/O and is now available today for U.S. users. You can access the feature by opening the Google app on Android or iOS. Tap the new “Live” icon under the search bar, as shown below. Read more ▸

New report reveals the sports Gen Z have stopped watching | Independent

A new report published by Ofcom has revealed that tennis and rugby have experienced the biggest decline in viewership among young people watching live sports. The report, conducted by Ampere Analysis for the broadcasting watchdog, indicates that football remains the most popular sport for both 18-34-year-olds, with a quarter interested in watching it. For 35-54-year-olds, that figure is at more than a third of all UK viewers. Read more ▸

How Digitalhaus Franken tackles churn using AI | JounalismAi

Subscription cancellations present significant challenges for many digital media companies. For us at Digitalhaus Franken, this is not only about economic stability but also about our mission to provide people in our region with well-founded information, contributing to the democratic opinion-forming process. To significantly reduce churn rate, we are implementing an AI-based prediction system PULSE – Predictive User Loyalty System for Engagement.
Read more ▸