Making data part of your comms strategy, from OKCupid’s Michael Kaye

When you’re working in communications, the main goal is always to get to the heart of the story. To that end, having supporting numbers that help you illustrate the point you’re trying to make will always result in a fuller, more vivid picture.

Michael Kaye, Global Head of Communications at OkCupid, knows that even communicators who mainly work in words can use data strategically to create a fuller story and find new stories within the sea of numbers and responses. Ahead of Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference this November, Kaye shared some of his thoughts on data in storytelling.

“For me, communications is just as much about strategy as it is about execution,” Kaye said. “I like taking a hands-on approach. That includes how I think about data when it comes to telling the OkCupid story.”

Building a relationship with your data team

Kaye relayed an anecdote about when he joined OkCupid in 2019. One of the first things he did upon joining the comms team of the global dating platform was sit down with the data and analytics team and learn how they work.