Denník N has become one of Central Europe's most successful subscription-first digital newsrooms, proving that high-quality journalism can thrive without relying on advertising as its primary business model. Alongside its subscription strategy, the publisher has built an increasingly sophisticated video and podcast operation, producing dozens of short videos every week while maintaining a relatively lean editorial team. In this interview, Patrícia Voľanská explains how Denník N approaches platform-native video, balances quality with efficiency, and integrates short-form storytelling into a subscription-focused newsroom
Let’s start with your team. How is your video and podcast operation structured today?
We publish around 18 podcasts, some of them daily, some of them weekly or semi-weekly and between 4 and 10 videos every day - so it’s a fairly intensive workflow. Especially because when I started working for Denník N, as a person responsible for social media, it was just me and two people working part-time. Now there are seven people who work solely on video, plus around ten journalists who are engaged in podcasts and the entire production - so the team is 9 people and around 9 people collaborating externally.
What’s important is that we don’t separate podcasts and short-form video into completely different departments. The same team works across formats, which gives us flexibility during the day. Someone might help with live production in the morning, edit a podcast later, and work on short-form video in the afternoon.
That sounds like a significant operation. How do you manage the daily workflow?
Every morning starts with a newsroom meeting. But because we cover politics and current affairs, things can change very quickly. Sometimes a political topic is confirmed only one day before production, so we need to react fast.
There’s also no single workflow that fits everyone. Some reporters prefer working from a detailed script, while others want more spontaneity. We adapt the production process depending on the journalist and the story.
At the same time, we try not to overproduce. Just because we can publish more doesn’t mean we should. We don’t want audiences to feel overwhelmed.
How long does it typically take to produce a podcast episode?
Our podcasts are usually around 40 minutes long, although it depends on the format and topic.
In terms of production time, one episode typically requires about four hours of work from the team. That includes preparation, recording, postproduction, audio cleaning, publishing, and creating accompanying materials for distribution.
If the podcast is recorded as video as well, the process becomes even more demanding. Technical limitations in the studio mean we can currently produce a maximum of around seven podcasts per day.
Rendering is also time-consuming, especially when working in 4K. Sometimes publishing a single episode can take up to four hours after recording because of export and postproduction requirements. That’s one of the reasons why workflow efficiency and automation tools are becoming increasingly important for us.
What kinds of stories generate the highest engagement?
Political mistakes, controversial statements, moments when politicians say something unexpected - those usually generate huge attention. But positive or entertaining stories can also perform very well, especially sports successes or lighter topics.
What’s interesting is that video reaches audiences in a way links simply no longer do. Some of our videos reach millions of views on Instagram and Facebook. In Slovakia, that can mean reaching nearly half the country.
And in terms of length - what formats perform best for you today?
Definitely shorter videos. We experimented with videos around three minutes long, but the best length for us is usually between one and one and a half minutes. That’s where we see the strongest engagement.
Of course, it’s challenging because political stories are often complex. Explaining an important topic in 90 seconds requires a very different mindset from writing a traditional article. We had to teach ourselves how to simplify without losing meaning.
So video is primarily an audience and brand-building channel?
Yes, absolutely. Video drives awareness and brings people back to our website and articles. In many cases, short-form video works as an entry point into deeper journalism.
The challenge is that the business model still hasn’t fully caught up with audience behavior.
You're 40% through.
The rest opens with an email
Free - there is no payment at any point. One email opens this piece and everything else in the report.
8 locked sections of this conversation
15 remaining interviews and commentaries
All four topic reading paths, end to end
The Sotrender data, and the complete PDF