News site conversion optimization

December 2014 – now

Not many news sites have yet realized that conversions (a term often coined in ecommerce) are the key to sustainable traffic. At Himate!, we are building a news site designed FOR conversions. We treat every article as a landing page, giving us the opportunity to turn a passing reader into a regularly returning visitor. Currently, we are optimizing for three possible conversions: newsletter subscription (highest value), Facebook page like (medium value), and share to Facebook (medium value).

Engagement Tracking

September 2014

Our goal at Himate! is to provide massive value with every content piece we create. With this ambitious endeavor ahead, we started with implementing a set of metrics that tell us how our audience resonates with our work. Each editor is provided not just with numbers (they won’t care) but valuable data they can easily interpret and improve upon. For example, in addition to raw page views, we look at scroll-depth as a qualitative indicator of reader engagement.

Execution of a MVP StrategY

June 2014

At Südkurier Medienhaus GmbH I introduced the Himate! product with a Lean Startup approach called Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Instead of going into a long period of planning and calculation (as many media companies still do), we quickly launched an inexpensive Wordpress site and experimented with different content styles and functionality. After four months, we had found a market-proven strategy and reduced the risk of investing significantly.

Eye-Tracking Analysis & Consulting for Men's Health

April 2011

As an undergraduate, I worked as the leading data analyst and presenter for an eye-tracking analysis of the German Men's Health magazine. This included "bringing meaning" to 12,000 lines of Excel data and a presentation in front of their management board providing suggestions for advertising and content placement.

Mobile Application Concept (sold)

February 2011

For a big German publishing house that was in search for new cross-media publication channels, my team and I developed a unique mobile application. Our concept, which merged geographic content and mobile functionality to an entire new use case, was finally sold to the company.

New York State Business Plan Competition

April 2013

In early 2013, I finished a business plan for a new mobile news aggregator and looked for teammates to help me to advance the project. Finally, after dozens of expert interviews and research in order to refine the concept, my team and I made it to the regional finals of the New York State Business Plan Competition where we lost against far more mature ventures. The work on this project included also the creation of an interactive mock-up, team recruitment, and financial planning.

RIT Shark Tank Business Idea Contest

November 2012

Being a popular and competitive contest about the best business ideas, I participated in the "Shark Tank" of the Rochester Institute of Technology. My concept included a mobile application providing a call back function for customers trying to get in contact with customer service - allowing a different form of customer communication. However, my idea did not make it to the finals. When presenting a radical idea, clear communication is the most important success factor.

Strategy Development Corporate Publishing

February 2012

During my internship with the Bertelsmann AG, I helped advancing "growth platforms" defined by the management board, in particular businesses related to B2B publishing and computing services. This included market research, company assessment, strategy development and reporting to the management board.

Strategy Development Translation Services,

December 2011

Also during my internship, I laid out a strategy for a new position in the growing market of translation services. This included gaining a detailed understanding about existing processes and mechanics of the business, extensive market research, and suggestions for an acquisition strategy.

Community Platforms Concept for DeGruyter Publishing

June 2011

With the goal of higher engagement with certain academic target groups via social media, my team and I developed a concept for DeGruyter Publishing. Our solution segmented customer communication into multiple highly targeted channels leveraging the existing business model.

Factors Affecting the Adoption of News Websites among Young Adults, Master Thesis

August 2013

My master thesis explored young people's consumption of and willingness to pay for traditional news websites with both Uses & Gratification and Diffusion of Diffusion of Innovation as theoretical frames. The full document is available on ProQuest. The slides of my oral presentation offer a quick overview.

Decision Making for The Value of a Product, Bachelor Thesis

August 2012

In times of countless ways of configuring media products, my thesis developed a decision-making model with which publishers can maximize the utility of their products. Based on several expert interviews and applying the mathematical AHP and TOPSIS approaches for the first time to the publishing industry, my work revealed great opportunities but also objections within the industry. My work was later published in the program's series for premier theses.