Smartocto: A Story of Editors Who Built What They Needed Most
Published: 2025-07-22 | Author: VisionariesNetwork Team
Smartocto is anything but a typical analytics company. It didn’t emerge from a Silicon Valley accelerator or some caffeine-fueled hackathon. Instead, it came from the minds of journalists and editors who knew exactly what wasn’t working inside their own newsrooms. These were people who had spent years chasing headlines, dealing with chaotic editorial cycles, and constantly trying to figure out what stories were actually connecting with audiences — all while juggling outdated tools that didn’t speak their language.
An Unlikely Beginning: A Carpool Conversation That Sparked an Idea
The origin of Smartocto is as humble as it is human. In 2013, Rutger Verhoeven broke his leg playing football. This meant he needed a ride to work and started commuting with his friend Erik van Heeswijk, who, like him, was the head of digital at a Dutch public broadcaster. Their carpool chats quickly turned into critical reflections on digital publishing — especially how content was being created, clipped, distributed on social media, and then… forgotten.
They noticed something alarming: despite the flood of available data, most newsroom staff had no clue what content was truly performing well, or why. Metrics felt abstract, feedback loops were broken, and decisions often relied on gut feeling rather than strategy. This shared frustration gave rise to the idea that would become Smartocto.
The Rise of Orphan Stories
One of their recurring concerns was what they dubbed “orphan stories.” These were pieces of content that, after being published, were essentially abandoned. Without the means or time to measure impact, newsrooms had no structured way to follow up or learn from them. Editors were left guessing: Was success measured by reach? Loyalty? Shares?
Rutger and Erik imagined a tool that could fill that void — one that didn’t require a degree in data science, but instead offered timely, intuitive insights directly to editors. The vision was clear: help journalists not just publish, but optimize and evolve their storytelling based on real-world engagement.
A Viral Shark and a Moment of Clarity
Meanwhile, in Serbia, editor Dejan Nikolic was coming to a similar realization through very different means. As the founder of the satirical site Njuz.net, Dejan published a clearly fake story about a drunken tourist who killed a shark by jumping on it. It was designed to mock the media’s tendency to blow small stories out of proportion.
What followed was unexpected: the story went viral, republished without fact-checking by Macedonian outlets and even picked up by the New York Post. But the buzz left Dejan wondering — what did all this attention actually mean? Had it helped his brand? Grown his audience meaningfully? Or just generated empty clicks?
Creating Tools Journalists Actually Want to Use
Unable to find analytics tools that could answer these deeper questions, Dejan decided to build his own. That led to Content Insights — a platform that measured engagement quality, not just quantity. Like Smartocto, it was built from a deep understanding of newsroom needs, not marketing dashboards.
Across borders, journalists were arriving at the same conclusion: the existing tools weren’t made for them. They were made by developers or marketers who had never filed a story under deadline or watched an investigative piece go unnoticed online.
The Merger That Changed Everything
In 2020, Smartocto and Content Insights merged. It was more than a business decision — it was a meeting of minds. Together, the companies created something new: a hybrid system that was both technically robust and editorially intuitive. Their guiding principle was simple but powerful: editors don’t need more data — they need better signals.
Instead of overwhelming dashboards, the new Smartocto would deliver context-rich notifications at the right moment, helping journalists tweak headlines, republish at strategic times, or give a promising story the attention it deserved.
Innovation Rooted in Listening
The founders’ commitment to listening was visible long before Smartocto. Rutger once led a nature show project that wanted to engage audiences beyond the TV screen. Instead of guessing what viewers wanted, they asked them — and then built an app that let users photograph birds, mushrooms, and plants to get expert answers. It wasn’t just a clever idea; it worked. The app drew in tens of thousands of users and even expanded the TV show’s audience.
Smartocto Today: A GPS for Storytelling
Smartocto now supports dozens of publishers across Europe and beyond. With the launch of smartocto.ai, it integrates AI seamlessly into editorial workflows — not to replace journalists, but to enhance their decision-making. From headline testing to content timing, it provides precise, actionable advice to boost story performance in real time.
Erik van Heeswijk – CEO and Co-founder
As one of Smartocto’s founding minds, Erik leads the company from its headquarters in the Netherlands. Known affectionately as our ‘Big Boss,’ he steers day-to-day operations with clarity and vision. Behind the scenes, Erik is also an accomplished chess player — a talent that no doubt sharpens the strategic thinking he brings to every move he makes for the company’s future.
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