The Election as a Conversion Machine

As an online editor-in-chief, I always had two conflicting feelings before major elections. On one hand: This is a huge opportunity to showcase what we as a newsroom can do, especially digitally. On the other hand: Phew, a lot is coming our way.

At the Schleswig-Holstein Newspaper Publishing Group, where I worked for a long time, there was always an extra-long shift on election day, with hot sausages in the evening and the warm feeling of: Opportunity seized, goal scored. That’s how it should be.

For the upcoming election, I see a special opportunity: the federal election as a conversion machine! Newsrooms across the country can demonstrate that what they do is worth real money.

Because they are close to the people. Because they take their problems seriously and articulate them. Because they compare election programs with the needs of local citizens. Because they explain, show opportunities, highlight contradictions, and decode political speech.

The federal election is democracy in a nutshell. From the backroom meetings of federal political elites to discussions at the local market square, in the town hall, or even at the regulars' table and on the couch, where frustration might be building up and needs to be expressed.

Using Traffic for Monetization

The ideas on how to make the most of the federal election naturally come from the newsrooms. And we at Upscore are more than happy to support. With advice, tips, and tricks on how newsrooms and the reader market can make election coverage more measurable and analyzable than ever. And by helping to make election-related paywall campaigns as easy as possible to implement. Because every major event, whether local or national, is a holiday for the paywall.

Joachim Dreykluft is Head of Data & AI Strategy at Upscore.