At Launchmetrics, our mission is to deliver metrics that accurately reflect the true value of your media presence. Over the past year, we’ve been refining the Media Impact Value® (MIV®) algorithm to better align with your brand’s goals and investments.

Starting January 2025, we’ll launch an updated version of the MIV® algorithm, designed to address three key areas:

• Enhanced Value for FLB content on high-quality generalist websites: we’ve improved the recognition of FLB content published on top-tier generalist websites, ensuring the impact of this premium exposure is better reflected in your MIV®. 
• Greater relevance for niche and industry-specific content: Articles from niche or specialized industry websites will now receive a more accurate valuation, recognizing their importance in reaching highly targeted audiences.
• Reduced overvaluation of lower-quality high-traffic sites: To ensure fairness and accuracy, the updated algorithm will mitigate the overvaluation of content from websites with large audiences but lower content quality.

These updates are part of our ongoing effort to provide you with the most reliable and meaningful metrics to measure your brand’s impact. By refining our algorithm, we aim to give you better insights into the value of your media presence, empowering you to make more informed decisions for future strategies.

Recomputation

As with any significant change, and following our policy, the data for the entire 2024 will be recomputed with the new version of the algorithm.

High Quality Generalist Websites

High-quality generalist websites, such as The New York Times, The Sunday Times, Le Monde, or Corriere della Sera, have historically received lower-than-expected Media Impact Value® (MIV®). Despite their large audiences and credibility, the algorithm previously favored FLB-centric websites over these generalist platforms.

With the updated algorithm, we’ve introduced a correction that elevates the value of content from high-quality generalist websites, provided the articles are FLB-related.

As a result, customers will notice these relevant articles appearing more frequently in top positions, ensuring the rankings better reflect customer expectations and the prestige of these platforms.

Sample Article - Forbes

Old MIV® 24,671.44 - New MIV® 33,306.44

 

 

Sample Article - Financial Times

Old MIV® 4,636.27 - New MIV® 6,258.97

 

 

Niche or Industry Specific Websites

Websites specializing in specific industries, such as watches, jewelry, or sports shoes, often cater to a more targeted audience, such as industry experts or consumers seeking specialized information. While their content is highly relevant to users interested in these topics, their smaller audience size has traditionally resulted in lower-than-expected Media Impact Value® (MIV®).

With the updated algorithm, content from niche websites will be valued more highly, bringing their MIV® closer to that of top-tier generalist FLB websites. However, the overall value will still reflect the smaller audience size, ensuring a balanced approach. This change will enable articles from niche sources to appear more frequently in top positions, provided they focus exclusively on a specific industry.

Sample Article - Byrdie US

Old MIV® 11,474.62 - New MIV® 19,124.37

 

 

Sample Article - Time and Watches

Old MIV® 487.44 - New MIV® 1,137.37

 

 

High Audience and Low Quality Websites

Some websites, such as portals like MSN or Yahoo and tabloids like The Daily Mail, boast exceptionally large audiences but often have lower overall quality or limited relevance for FLB content. Due to their massive reach, content from these sources has historically received disproportionately high Media Impact Value® (MIV®), frequently appearing in top rankings despite their limited importance for FLB customers.

With the updated algorithm, a penalty (malus) will be applied to these websites. This adjustment ensures that articles from these sources rank lower in the MIV® hierarchy, better reflecting their true value and aligning with customer expectations. As a result, these articles will no longer dominate top positions, allowing more relevant and impactful content to stand out.

Sample Article - Daily Mail GB

Old MIV® 9,014.15 - New MIV® 4,507

 

 

Sample Article - Yahoo! JP

Old MIV® 551.87 - New MIV® 275.93

 

 

Conclusion

These updates to the MIV® algorithm represent our commitment to continuously improving the accuracy and relevance of our metrics. By addressing specific feedback and rebalancing values across different types of websites, we ensure that MIV® better reflects the quality and relevance of content for your brand.

If you have any questions or would like to understand how these changes impact your reports, feel free to reach out to your Customer Success manager or our support team at support@launchmetrics.com.