How to Build Audiences with Gen Z PLUS Media Voices Podcast Talks Subs with Defector Media

July 01, 2021

Two related stories today: TikTok parent company ByteDance, Alibaba, Amazon, Google and Facebook hoover up almost half of global digital ad spend in 2020 while revenue for newspapers in the US dropped by 29%. Subscriptions grew but advertising continued to crater.

And that is why Defector decided to focus on subscriptions when they launched. They had 10,000 subscribers after their first 24 hours, and nine months in, they have grown to 39,000 subscribers.

PLUS strategies to build an audience with Gen Z and young Millennials. Why Germany's Bild is looking to expand to TV. Facebook has launched its newsletter service. My good friend Adam Tinworth explains the importance of having an audience development service. David Tvrdon was left with a few questions after the Reuters Institute's latest Digital News Report.

Defector Media Close to 40k Subs 9 Months After Launch

“Stick to sports”. An edict that caused a mass editorial exit from G/O Media-owned Deadspin toward the end of 2019. …

My friends at the Media Voices Podcast speak with the folks behind Defector. They believed that asking people to pay for a subscription was the fastest way to get to sustainability and the early results are promising.

Building an Audience in the 'Ruthless Competition for Attention"

Does SEO matter? Why should we have a social strategy? What's this fuss about newsletters? Inquire within on all these questions…

Preach it Brother Adders! "There’s a near limitless supply of other digital distractions to eat up people’s attention, and unless you’re prepared to fight for your slice of it, you’re doomed."

Digital Platforms Gobbled Up 46% of Global Ad Revenue in 2020

Mediagazer presents the day's must-read media news on a single page.

The UK's Press Gazette says that news media were left behind.

Buzzfeed Prepares for IPO; What Is It Telling Investors?

One of the fun things about a media company going public is that it lets investors (and the rest of us) get a peek under the hood.

BuzzFeed, which now includes HuffPost, Tasty, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed News plus smaller brands As/Is (beauty), Bring Me (travel), Goodful (health), N…

What Publishers Need to Know to Reach Gen Z

Why media companies need to put social media at the center of their content and distribution strategies The attention and support of younger readers is critical for the survival and sustained growth of publishers. However, “the millennial audience strategy honed over the better part of a decade will not work on Gen Z (born between …

Strategies that worked with Millennials won't work with Gen Z, a Digiday writer says. Social media needs to be at the centre of their strategies.

4 Questions Left after the Latest Reuters Digital News Report

Some important trends in the world of media – like newsletters, the creator economy, or subscriptions – could benefit from more insight and analysis First, let me tell you that I have studied and reported on the Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism for years now. It’s probably the most comprehensive …

Some good questions that remain after this years Digital News Report. The first one really stands out. With the explosion in streaming during the pandemic, has this affected people's willingness to subscribe to news providers positively or negatively?

Revenue Drops 19% for US Newspapers in 2020

Newspapers are a critical part of the American news landscape, but the newspaper industry has been hit hard as more and more Americans consume news online causing newspaper circulation to decline. See more newspaper industry statistics.

A really mixed bag in terms of circulation for newspapers in the US, but the bottom line - revenue with respect to advertising and circulation - was down 29 per cent in 2020 from 2019. 2021 will show whether this was a pandemic trend or the continuation of a trend. (Look at the collapse after 2007. Ouch.)

Facebook Launches Newsletter Service

Facebook announced Bulletin, its Substack competitor, on a call with Mark Zuckerberg. The newsletter tool has signed up writers covering sports, finance, and more.

Takeaways from the Online News Association Conference

By Penny Riordan • LMA Director, Business Strategy and Partnerships While it was sad that...

Germany: Why Bild is Looking at TV

Even with 1.2 million daily print sales and 540k digital subscribers, the news organisation wants to crack new markets and formats to safeguard its future