When I first sat down with the team at uh.ro, one thing was immediately clear: they weren’t lacking talent, ideas, or passion. What they were missing was a strategy that could transform a small, energetic outlet into a financially independent, forward-leaning digital media brand.
Today, uh.ro is still a small and annoying outlet (for authorities and politicians) in a small town, mostly Magyar ethnic, from Harghita, Romania. Though it’s not a big media outlet, it has embarked on a transformation journey in order to become an agile and resilient digital media business.
uh.ro is a Romanian-based Hungarian language media outlet, created with the mission to deliver smart, community-focused journalism for its local audience. A small operation, just a handful of people doing reporting, video and social media without marketing or business development strategies. The team had strong editorial instincts but limited structure around revenue, sales, and product strategy.
This is where our mentorship journey began.
When I first began working with the team at uh.ro, I quickly noticed that their journalism foundation is very strong, but the marketing structure is missing. Their journalism had energy and personality, and their audience clearly appreciated the tone of voice they had built. What they lacked was a real business engine.
At that time, there were no advertising contracts, revenue from ads stagnated around 2,000 euros a month, and although the founder had ideas for video formats, newsletters and paid content sections, none of these ideas had been shaped into products that could be sold. There was no sales pipeline and no organised way to approach potential partners. The audience was growing, but in waves, not in a steady and organic way.
Shifting from stories to products
It became clear that if they wanted to hit long-term resilience, they needed to develop a different mindset. Instead of thinking only in terms of stories and daily publishing tasks, the leaders needed to think in terms of products, partnerships and business strategy.
So we started working on the basics. We created a pitch deck and a strategic plan that would allow them to present themselves professionally to advertisers. We also explored how they could build thematic sections on their website that local companies or national brands might want to sponsor. The approach was simple: use your main force, translate your unique selling proposition into action, and be persuasive.
Betting on video and audience expectations
At the same time, we focused on expanding their video formats, because this was something the public, even their own audience, was already expecting from them.
A big part of the work happened inside the team. The founder was used to doing everything by herself, reacting to the newsroom’s daily pressures without having time to step back and think strategically. During the mentorship, she gradually shifted from this reactive mode to a more structured approach. In time, the team began to see their work not just as a flow of articles but as a portfolio of potential products that could bring sustainability to the outlet.
The editorial staff also went through changes.
At first, they were hesitant to use AI tools or to follow a detailed content calendar. Over time, they discovered that these tools could help them research faster and free up time for better journalism. They also began organising their work for sponsorship opportunities when needed.
This shift was essential because it changed the way they saw their audience. Instead of seeing audience numbers only as subscribers, they started to understand them as a community that can become that “unique selling proposition” for advertisers.
Capacity building was another essential part of the process.
We worked together on improving their sales abilities, such as how to pitch, how to follow up with potential partners and how to present sponsorship proposals.
The team learned to use AI and some automation tools more effectively. They improved their video production skills and became more disciplined about distributing their content across multiple channels, something that will eventually be one of their strongest points for the growth strategy.
As expected, the journey didn’t lack challenges.
One of the most persistent difficulties was the speed at which the team implemented recommendations. They often needed more time to test new ideas or turn concepts into deliverables. They were cautious when approaching ideas about their content formats and hesitant when experimenting with new products. Progress was at times slower than expected, but patience turned out to be essential.
Analysing the processes and what is not working is painful. The joy of finding the path to remediation always compensates.”
– Agota Petroczki, uh.ro’s founder.
Selling before perfection
A few important decisions helped unlock progress. One of the best decisions was not to wait until new products were perfect. Instead, we went to potential sponsors with early versions of new content sections and also started the selling process before the new website was launched.
This simple shift helped uh.ro secure a contract with a major national advertiser, which immediately strengthened their credibility and will serve as a proof of concept for other targeted players. Another positive development came when the team started to distribute their content more strategically across platforms, a multi-channel approach.
This change contributed directly to a 50% percent increase in subscribers, and to a significant improvement in YouTube performance, with growth reaching 35%. Going for the video format was the move that eventually paid off. A further unexpected win was the team’s initiative to launch a weekend newsletter. Even though it was not accepted by the team, during the mentorship, it became a reality and will serve their sustainable growth and business development efforts in the future.
Looking back at these months of work, the most important transformation did not come from a single action but from a continuous shift in behaviour, discipline and mindset. The outlet became more agile and thus grew its audience, built a real pipeline of advertisers, secured new contracts and expanded its content formats.
The team learned how to use technology more effectively and to think with a long-term perspective in mind. By the end of the mentorship, uh.ro was no longer operating like a small and fragile digital outlet. Today it’s acting like a team with a strategy, business model, and a clear path toward financial independence.
This mentorship process was conducted as part of the Business Innovation Synergizer programme within the Deepening Digital: Reinforcing Resilience project.