Lantern, created in-house, will provide journalists with access to rich, real-time data, helping them better understand the impact of stories and how audiences are engaging with FT journalism.
Lantern is unique in that it focuses on reader engagement rather than visits or page views, says the FT. Other elements are given just as much weight: depth of scroll, time spent on page, traffic source, and device breakdown. It contributes to the FT’s company-wide engagement metric which measures the frequency of visits, time spent reading, and the volume of articles read.
General editorial access to the dashboard is coupled with personalised, beat-specific analysis by the audience engagement team, allowing the newsroom to understand more about reader preferences and the impact of editorial decisions on audiences.
Renée Kaplan, the FT’s head of audience engagement, said: “The goal of Lantern is simple: to bring data into the newsroom in a clear, practical way. Our aim is to demystify data and empower our journalists in real time. Understanding what stories are topical and relevant to different audiences will in turn lead to a better experience for our readers.”
The launch of a new analytics tool is part of a wider FT focus on quality reach and deep user engagement as a means of building richer relationships with audiences. That’s also the motivation behind other recent innovations, including a new access model, a time-based advertising metric, CPH, and numerous editorial products, like podcasts, newsletters and author alerts, say the publishers.
