Humans over algorithms

Gaius Kowene

Digital Media Consultant.

Reach the right people.

GET IN TOUCH

Tell me what you need help with.

Portrait of Gaius Kowene, Digital Media Consultant
Sound familiar

You post. Nothing happens.
You post again. Still nothing.

You only post when you can, with no clear strategy.

You don't need to post more. You need to know exactly who you're talking to, so that everything you publish lands instead of disappearing into the feed.

Track record, not a pitch

I have spent the last 15+ years in journalism and communication tackling exactly this.

While leading the BBC's French service, I helped grow overall audience by 41% (GAM 2021), by replacing guesswork with real performance data in every editorial decision. In 2026, I helped a nonprofit organization grow its organic reach by 80% in 30 days, with no ad spend, no big team, and no influencers.

I've also researched internet governance in Africa, contributing to the Internet Freedom in Africa reports (2016, 2017) and the Africa Data Revolution report (2019), worked as an External Relations Associate for a UN agency, consulted for multi-governmental organizations, and advised executives and diplomats on media relations.

15+
Years in journalism & communication
41%
Audience growth at the BBC's French service (GAM 2021)
80%
Organic reach growth for a nonprofit, in 30 days
€0
Ad spend, no influencers, same 30 days

So when I say I know how to find your audience and speak directly to them, that's not a pitch. It's a track record.

Gaius Kowene at the BBC

From newsroom to nonprofit growth engine

Gaius Kowene is a Digital Media consultant for non-profit organisations and small businesses. He helps them turn their inconsistent and scattered online activity into an audience growth machine, without spending a cent on advertising or on influencers.

Former head of the BBC's French service, he combines data insights and storytelling to design a content strategy that speaks to both your target audience and algorithms. This builds trust, credibility and authority.

Gaius has worked or freelanced for some of the world's most respected organisations, including the UN and the African Development Bank. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Digital Media at the University of Porto, in Portugal.

The system

The Organic Audience Growth Engine

I did not reinvent the wheel nor discover the light bulb. However, I built a system that will move your metrics in the short-term while building a strong foundation for the long-term. The following five services will take you from mindlessly posting when something comes up to knowing exactly what you are doing online and why.

01

Audience Profiling & Market Research

Every post your team publishes is a bet. Without real data, you're betting blind, and that's exactly why so much content dies with zero engagement.

I find out who your audience actually is, what they care about, and what makes them act, using real data rather than assumptions. Then I study your competitors: where they're strong, where they're weak, and the one gap only you can own.

Think of it like fishing. Most organizations stand on the shore, throw bait everywhere, and hope. I tell you which lake the fish are in, what they're hungry for, and where to drop your line. Same effort. Completely different catch.

Audience Profiling & Market Research
02

Digital Campaign Management

I design and run digital campaigns, short and long term, with zero spend on ads or paid influencers.

Paid ads stop working the moment you stop paying. Organic reach, built right, keeps working long after the campaign ends, because it's the right message reaching the right person in the right place. No one paid to force it in front of them.

With a small team and no complicated software, I set the goal, shape the message, and steer the campaign day by day so it keeps building instead of fizzling out after the first post. You won't go viral overnight. You'll watch your numbers move steadily, and build a community that trusts you enough to show up on its own.

For nonprofits especially, this is the difference between mobilizing a community around a cause they care about and becoming another notification people learn to skip.

Digital Campaign Management
03

Content Strategy & Editorial Curation

Most organizations produce content. Very few have a strategy behind it.

I build you a strategy that works for two audiences at once: real people, and the algorithms deciding who gets to see you, without making your organization sound like something it isn't. It's a guidebook: what you produce, where you invest your time, and why, so your organization shows up as credible and worth trusting every time, well beyond generic posting-frequency advice.

If your team already creates content, I'll show you what's worth using, what isn't, and which formats carry your message best. Most organizations are sitting on raw material that's already gold. They just don't know it yet. I train your team directly, so this way of thinking doesn't stay with me. It becomes how your organization works, every day, with or without me in the room.

Content Strategy & Editorial Curation
04

Media Coaching & Emergency Communications

When your executive has to face the media, I get them ready. Drawing on 15+ years inside journalism, I show you exactly how to answer the hard questions, and what to say when you can't or shouldn't answer. You control the interview. It doesn't control you.

One-on-one interview, press conference, live or pre-recorded: you won't be caught off guard. And if you're in the middle of a crisis, I can lead your communications response or simply make sure everything going out is consistent, professional, and doesn't make things worse.

Media Coaching & Emergency Communications
05

AI-Assisted Content Production

I teach your team to use artificial intelligence to produce better content in less time, without sounding too generic like any other organization using the same AI tools. Your team uses it as an assistant to be more creative, consistent and productive, keeping full responsibility for what goes out under their name.

AI-Assisted Content Production
Real results

Don't believe what I say. Just see for yourself what I have achieved.

Screenshots from a nonprofit organization's own analytics, before and after we started working together.

Analytics screenshot before working with Gaius Kowene
Analytics screenshot after working with Gaius Kowene
+80%
Organic reach growth in 30 days, with €0 ad spend, no big team, no influencers.

You take zero risk.

If, within two weeks of working together, you don't feel confident we're going to get the results we promised, you can walk away immediately. No cost. No questions asked.

How we work together

Each of these five services stands on its own, and you can hire me for exactly what you need. Most organizations get the most out of combining them into one connected engine, and I can build that bundle around your goals. Custom deliverables are also on the table if your situation calls for something specific.

  • Audience profiling & market research
  • Digital campaign management
  • Content strategy & editorial curation
  • Media coaching & emergency communications
  • AI-assisted content production

"Fill out the form below and tell me where you're stuck. I'll get back to you personally to talk through how we can fix it."

Reach the right people.

GET IN TOUCH

This link will take you to a short form. I read every response myself.