#107 — Newsletters are the new homepage
This week's issue includes stories about the continued rise of email newsletters and subscriptions in publishing, as well as a guide about choosing the right analytics tools and much more!
💯 Top picks
Publishers are seeing revenue bumps of up to 103% from email newsletters: “It is the new homepage”
A new study by a marketing platform shows that publishers are seeing growth in revenue from newsletters of more than +100%, with the categories that have grown the most being shopping, home and garden and business.
💸 Business models
A new class of newsletter entrepreneurs
"As the media ecosystem contracts amid coronavirus, Substack has been thrust into an uncomfortable role — that of a savior. And as more writers go solo, the question has emerged as to whether Substack can become the kind of monetization system that never materialized during the last major internet writer-driven movement, the halcyon days of the early blogging era of the 2000s."
[Podcast] Significant growth in subscriptions at Bloomberg
CEO Justin Smith shares insights at the Digiday Publishing Summit about their "significant, significant growth and gains" with no noticable increase in churn!
France gives tax credits to news subscribers
"French MPs have voted to grant a tax credit to anyone taking out a new subscription to a current affairs newspaper or magazine after the government argued that the sector was “suffering enormously” from the coronavirus crisis."
✍️ Modern journalism
There is too much news!
"What constitutes “too much news” might seem obvious: loads of important stuff happening all at once. But that’s an over-simplification."
The psychology of misinformation: Why we’re vulnerable
"The psychology of misinformation — the mental shortcuts, confusions, and illusions that encourage us to believe things that aren’t true — can tell us a lot about how to prevent its harmful effects."
[Podcast] Using archival content to contextualise current events
LA Times Audience Engagement Editor Adriana Lacy discusses launching a dedicated Instagram account for the LA Times’ archival photos and how they’ve used historical images of protests to add context to the events of the past few weeks.
💻 Technology
Facebook to boost articles with original reporting in algorithm
"Facebook will be updating the way news stories are ranked in its News Feed to prioritize original reporting, executives tell Axios. It will also demote stories that aren't transparent about who has written them."
Updates on the publisher relationship with Facebook, Apple, and Google
"Over the years, we have seen more and more publishers prioritise owning the relationship with their audience directly, rather than being at the mercy of the platform."
9 types of web analytics tools for publishers
Find out how your website contributes to your publishing business by choosing the right analytics tools to suit your needs!
Flipboard launches a new tool to prevent news fatigue
Flipboard has launched a tool that can help publishers deal with news fatigue, and keep readers coming back. This tool, Curator Pro, allows publishers to curate and present news in finite packages, helping readers avoid information overload.
🤷 WTF?
Here are all the major brands not advertising on Facebook
Many companies have joined the Stop Hate for Profit boycott campaign.
