2026-05-12
What “unique reader” really means across paywalled titles
Hong Kong publishers often run a free homepage alongside logged-in archives and newsletter funnels. Each surface counts people differently. A weekly unique-reader figure from the web property will not match a monthly active figure from the app, and neither will match the newsletter’s open-based “reach.”
Before debating growth, write down the window (7, 28, or calendar month), the identity rule (cookie, device, or account), and whether bots and staff traffic are excluded. Put those three lines at the top of every Audience Pulse Report so editors and commercial teams argue about the same object.
If your CMS still mixes section aliases — Lifestyle versus 生活, for example — reconcile the map once and reuse it. Re-tagging after the fact costs more than agreeing labels in the first meeting.
Page Springhub treats mismatched definitions as a reporting risk, not a failure of the newsroom. We note the gap, show both figures when needed, and recommend a single house standard for the next cycle.