How Pan Macmillan Reclaimed 90% of Moderation Time and Unlocked New Marketing Channels
“Moderating toxic comments was becoming a significant mental and time strain on my team. Areto has completely changed that. The positive impact on the team’s health not having to read that content is immediate.”
Snapshot: Pan Macmillan's commitment to publishing diverse voices made their paid social campaigns a target for coordinated hate speech, racism, and abuse. The volume was overwhelming their team, taking a serious toll on staff mental health, and forcing them to pull back on ad campaigns for certain titles altogether.
Areto's automated moderation changed that. By filtering harmful content in real time across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, Pan Macmillan's team reclaimed 90% of their moderation time, restored team wellbeing, and gained the confidence to run campaigns they had previously avoided entirely.
Features: Comment Shield, Digital Detoxifier Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
90%
Reduction in moderation time
3 to 5 hrs
Saved per team member, per week
100%
Of previously avoided campaigns now running
Problem: Diverse publishing attracting targeted abuse
Pan Macmillan's publishing mission centers on sharing stories from everybody, regardless of background. But unfortunately some books were attracting abuse. Paid campaigns promoting books by authors of color, LGBTQ+ writers, female authors, and political figures were consistently flooded with hate speech, racism, and coordinated attacks.
During high-profile releases — including memoirs from prominent political figures, and books about prominent public families — comment sections on Facebook and TikTok were flooded with vitriol. Trial data confirmed the severity, with comments including extreme identity attacks, violent language, and severe profanity.
A significant drain on time
During peak campaign periods, each team member was spending three to five hours a week manually reading and deleting hundreds of toxic comments. This left little time for the strategic and creative work that drives results.
A serious mental health burden
Constant exposure to racism, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny took a real toll on the team. Staff were feeling genuinely low from having to act as a human filter for the internet's worst content just to do their jobs.
Lost revenue and missed opportunities
The anticipated toxicity was directly shaping marketing decisions. The team had stopped running ads for certain diverse titles altogether, including a Diwali cookbook, because they did not have the bandwidth to manage the expected abuse. Important books were not reaching the audiences they deserved.
Solution: Real-time, automated moderation across paid social
Recommended by the team behind a recent high-profile political memoir, Pan Macmillan deployed Areto to automate moderation across their paid social channels.
Automated hate speech and abuse filtering
Areto's AI instantly identified and hid comments containing hate speech, personal attacks, racism, and profanity based on Pan Macmillan's own community standards, removing the need for manual review of harmful content.
Real-time protection at scale
Rather than having team members read every comment to find the harmful ones, Areto handled it in real time across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, ensuring campaigns stayed clean and safe without adding to the team's workload.
A tool the team actually trusted
While the publishing industry is often cautious about AI, Areto was embraced quickly. Because the platform is built around ethical moderation and community protection rather than generative content, staff felt comfortable using it from day one. As Andy noted: "In all of the tools, and we've tried a lot of AI-powered tools, this is the first one where people have said, 'I never thought that I would be on board with AI doing something'."
Results: By partnering with Areto, Pan Macmillan transformed their paid social strategy, protecting their team and unlocking campaigns that were previously off the table.
90%
Reduction in moderation time
The three to five hours each team member spent manually moderating during peak campaigns dropped to around 30 minutes a week reviewing the Areto dashboard. Valuable time was returned to strategy, creative, and campaign analysis.
3 to 5
Hours saved per team member, per week
With moderation handled automatically, staff no longer needed to act as a human shield against abuse. The impact on team morale and mental wellbeing was immediate and significant.
100%
Of previously avoided campaigns now running
With Areto providing a reliable safety net, Pan Macmillan immediately began running ads for titles they had previously avoided. Books celebrating Diwali, Eid, and Ramadan are now being marketed confidently across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, opening up new audiences and revenue streams.
