Have we reached 'peak subscription'? asks @EstherKeziaT PLUS How to improve your approach to push notifications from @RJI

September 02, 2022

With economic storm clouds building for businesses and consumers alike, publishers and media executives are casting their eyes to the horizon. Signs are that advertising is softening, but the picture is more mixed for subscription revenue. Esther Kezia Thorpe takes the temperature about his important issue for media companies.

And we look at puzzles, which have become an important way for publishers to engage audiences and an increasingly important part of bundled subscriptions.

Of all the trends publishers have pivoted to over the years, subscriptions was one of the more sensible. Relying on the support of those you serve puts pressure on content and quality in all the right ways. But as economic headwinds blow, there are forecasts of not just a slowdown, but a decline in subscriptions …

Some publishers rushed to launch subscription products during the pandemic, according to Toolkits co-founder Jack Marshall, speaking to What's New in Publishing's Esther Kezia Thorpe. I love the detail about BMW launching a heated-seat subscription, and of course, so many podcasts I listen to have ads for all kinds of subscriptions. As someone who has been decluttering like mad after moving back from the US to the tiny-house kingdom of the UK, I can't imagine why anyone who subscribes to things like Loot Crate.

For publishers who have come to rely more on reader revenue, the question becomes how durable this revenue stream will be and how they can retain the subscribers that they gained during the pandemic.

"Some subscribers would rather game than sift through the wreckage. Can you blame them?"

One of the trends in subscriptions has become bundling, adding more to a subscription package or tailoring subscription packages to certain customers. Puzzles have become an important part of this mix.

This RJI Fellowship research report offers recommendations and insights on how to improve your approach.

People might say that they only want their phones to buzz with the most important breaking news, but data from the Associated Press and an RJI fellow tell a different story.

Social Media Today

Reels are hot, or is it just that Meta is pushing reels? Regardless, Meta has pulled back the curtain and explained what their algorithms reward. Do you ever feel like you're in a giant Skinner box of Zuck's making?

Taboola Claims Free 'Wallpaper' Service Will Drive 500M Visits To Sites, Bypassing Search Engines - 09/01/2022

Ugh. Just ugh. If there ever was an argument for a Pi-hole, Taboola is it.

Google’s latest Search update looks at reducing clickbait in results and surfacing helpful content instead Google’s latest algorithm change is designed to ease the frustration web users feel when, instead of finding useful answers to their search queries, they are faced with clickbait. With the helpful content update, the search giant is using machine learning to …

Another look at Google's latest search update. The search giant believes that haters of clickbait will rejoice.

Here are 10 key takeaways from a new ethnographic research study on Gen Y from PRPD, Jacobs Media, and 15 public radio stations.

Even if you're not in public radio in the US, there are some fascinating insights here.

As our workplace and industry evolve, our hiring and training practices must evolve with it

It's a battle for talent out there, and whether you're looking for a job or looking for the hire that will support your next round of growth, journalism.co.uk has a good overview of the changing needs of newsrooms.