- Digital Media Products, Strategy and Innovation by Kevin Anderson
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- How a US nonprofit news organisation built a $1m membership program Plus the “uphill climb” of the subscription business
How a US nonprofit news organisation built a $1m membership program Plus the “uphill climb” of the subscription business
The major theme in English-language media over the past five years have been the shift to reader revenue. Most, but not all, major media have built their success on building a direct relationship with their audiences that involves some form of membership or subscription. It was great to read how Bridge Michigan did this - helmed by CEO John Bebow, who I worked for briefly in the late 1990s. What this story showed me was the importance of the vision of senior leadership to support the long-term effort required to build a business like this. Also, you can't get readers to become paying members without asking them.
With respect to a long-term vision, you can see something similar with The Economist, which has spent more than a decade building its subscription business. (Disclosure, the company that I work for Pugpig, built and maintains their app.) They now have 1.2m subscribers and have just recorded record revenue. There are so many times when I had consulting clients point to The Economist’s success and want to replicate that. I think one of the things that makes it successful is its unique positioning and unwavering commitment to that brand promise.
However, with such large, established brands operating very successful membership and subscription campaigns, it does leave less space for others in the subscription business, Jacob Donnelly, the general manager of B2B at Morning Brew.
Plus ICYMI, the Local Media Association looks at lessons from 9 local news collaboratives. The Washington Post offers a subscription deal locking in the price for 50-years. And a slew of stories about Meta, Google and TikTok facing regulatory pressures.
‘Always be fundraising’: How Bridge Michigan built a million-dollar membership program — fundjournalism.org
It's been three years since Bridge Michigan launched its membership program with help from the Hub — they now have more than 9,000 members.
Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.
For the first time, the Digital News Report has a chapter dedicated to understanding email news, from engagement to monetisation opportunities.
Every year, the Reuters Institute releases its Digital News Report, which is chock full of fascinating insights. This year is no different.…
New LMA report: What we've learned from 9 journalism industry collaboratives - Local Media Association + Local Media Foundation — localmedia.org
The new LMA report details how collaboratives with different objectives can find success in growing revenue, working with technology partners, centering on core journalistic mission, and more.
The Washington Post wants to give you a good deal on a digital subscription — from now until 2072 | Nieman Journalism Lab — www.niemanlab.org
Anyone who tells you they know what digital news will look like in 50 years is lying. But the Post — with an owner rich enough to allow a decades-long time horizon — says it'll still only cost you $50 a year.
Google (GOOG) Avoids More Fines After Ending French Dispute Over News - Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com
Google brought an end to a dispute with publishers and avoided further fines after winning regulatory approval for pledges that pave the way for payments for displaying snippets of their news articles on its platforms.
TikTok Cracks Down on 'Get Rich Quick' Schemes and Undisclosed Ads, In Line With EU Rules - CNET — www.cnet.com
After complaints that TikTok was breaching EU consumer rules, the company has worked with the European Commission to update its branded-content policy.
The Justice Department had accused Meta’s housing advertising system of discriminating against Facebook users based on their race, gender, religion and other characteristics.