Axios Local Insights Engine
A scalable, always-on audience intelligence system powering editorial, growth and revenue strategy across Axios’ 34+ local markets
Opportunity
Build a high-velocity insights engine that could scale across every city, every quarter, without slowing the newsroom down.
I designed and operationalized a quarterly, 34-city research system delivering deep audience insight at scale. The system combines standardized methodology, automated workflows, consistent KPIs and city-specific reporting to show:
What readers value most
Where Axios stands out (and where competitors lead)
Habit + loyalty drivers
Frustrations + content gaps
Trust signals
Conversion interest
Local market nuance
Each wave generates both city-level snapshots and cross-city trend reports, giving teams the intelligence needed to improve coverage, messaging, retention and market strategy.
Outcomes
🧪 4500+ readers surveyed every quarter across all 34 cities
⏱️ Reporting time reduced through templated analysis + automation
📈 50+ editors, marketers and leaders rely on insights each quarter
👀 Provided critical inputs to editorial planning, habit strategy, advertiser narratives and competitive positioning
🗺️ Enabled cross-city comparison → revealing maturity levels and content opportunities
The Insights Engine is now a foundational system supporting Axios Local’s editorial, revenue and growth strategy.
My Roles
Accountable for:
Maintaining the quality, consistency and reliability of insights across all 34 markets
Ensuring the system remained fast, usable and aligned to cross-functional needs
Driving adoption by guiding teams on how to interpret and act on the findings
Preserving methodological rigor over repeated quarterly waves
Responsible for:
Designing the full quarterly methodology, KPI structure and survey instrument
Creating repeatable analysis templates, workflows, dashboards and synthesis frameworks
Generating both city-level insights and broader cross-city trends
Translating complex signals into clear recommendations for editors, marketers and revenue teams
Process
Methodology & KPI Development
Defined consistent measurement constructs: trust, value, differentiation, habit, standout factors, frustrations, discovery, topic depth and market competitors.
Survey & Workflow Design
Built standardized surveys for all 34 cities; created automations for data cleaning, response tracking and one-pager generation.
City-Level Analysis
Produced local insights for each city, highlighting what makes that market unique — including standout content, tone perception, community expectations and local media dynamics.
Cross-City Trends
Aggregated data across all cities to reveal patterns in reader maturity, topic fatigue, regional variance and brand perception.
Activation & Application
Delivered insights through editor briefings, marketing collaborations, competitive positioning decks and Local leadership sessions.
Deliverables I Created
City One-Pagers for all 34 markets
Quarterly Cross-City Trends Report
Competitive Landscape Maps
Habit Drivers Framework
Frustration Maps + Opportunity Areas
Tools I Used
SurveyMonkey
Google Sheets + “Autocrat” automation
ChatGPT
Skills I Applied
Research operations
Survey design
Insight synthesis
Systems design
Automation + workflow engineering
Cross-functional communication
Strategic framing
Reflections & Lessons
Scale only works when the system is simple. The more intuitive the workflow, the faster teams adopt and trust it.
Comparative insight is power. Seeing markets side-by-side unlocks smarter editorial and revenue strategy.
Insights must be useful—not just interesting. The engine works because every deliverable is built for immediate action.
