© Illustration by Aurélie Garnier
Alban Mazrekaj leads the Editorial Product Development team at NZZ, establishing a new way of working that respects journalism while making it more audience-centric, going beyond traditional journalistic performance metrics to align with broader business goals.
With this kind of job description, how could we not want an interview to find out more!
“In product management, empathy for users is key. But in media, success starts with empathizing with those who create the experience: journalists. Their work is the foundation upon which all product experiences are built. Without understanding their needs and challenges, no product can truly succeed.”
Key takeaways to copy & share
> NZZ has built an Editorial Product Development team that sits beside the classic product team. Three editorially-minded people translate journalists' needs into product decisions rather than imposing product thinking on them > Each of the three keeps a foot in the newsroom, spending two days a week in their original editorial role. One is a former newsletter editor, now the newsletter product manager > The journalists who suit these roles aren't the ones who love the craft most. They are the ones already asking about target groups, business goals and internal processes > Research found readers couldn't tell opinion pieces from news. The fix, showing the writer's face in the teaser, needed editorial buy-in, and it lands better from a colleague than from a product manager with post-its > Because the team already knew the photo desk's workflows, defining requirements took half the time. Success is measured on completion rates, recirculation and engagement, treated as a leading indicator for churn
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