#111 — The ad industry keeps losing traction & dozens of journalists build their own newsletters

This issue is packed full of interesting articles and podcast episodes. The TL:DR is, the ad industry continues to lose traction, more journalists than ever are choosing an independent path and publishers are finding new ways to drive revenue using free registration walls and first-party data. Enjoy this weeks top reads, we'll see you next time 👋

💯 Top picks

Publishers can use registration walls to drive revenue. This is how.

"A registration wall will quickly identify a publisher’s most loyal and engaged visitors. These super users are much more likely to convert to long term subscribers."

💸 Business models

How media collective Are We Europe launched a membership program while in lockdown

"Revenue from memberships at the pan-European non-for-profit is still small but its financials have never been stronger."

How The FT improved reader habit by 39%

"Three key tips for creating habit forming features, from understanding the problem to using movement and change at the right time and in the right way"

How publishers can drive effective results using their own on-site behavioral data

"Using first-party behavioral data can help identify people who are already familiar with the brand, and then hone in on behaviors that indicate affinity, and finally target those behaviors to drive ROI."

‘A big correction’: Pandemic brings change to ‘bloated’ ad industry

"The marketing business is going through a period of innovation as it sheds workers and tries to hold on to clients."

✍️ Modern journalism

A financially secure career path for journalists as newsroom jobs become scarce

"As newsroom jobs grow scarcer, journalists are building their own platforms via email newsletter"

Digital start-ups: Great local news hope or disappointment?

"As many legacy news outlets struggle to survive, industry analysts are looking to digital start-ups as a promising way to revive coverage of local news. After all, digital-only means you don’t need massive presses or barrels of ink or fleets of trucks. The barriers to publication are low, so there’s great growth potential."

The aftermath of the biggest rebellion in online media

All of the journalists working at the sports-centric website Deadspin resigned as a protest after clashing with bosses. Now, 18 of the 20 who quit have started their own media company, that they will own and operate themselves. It's called Defactor Media and has attracted more than 10,000 subscribers on day one.

[Podcast] Building community around expertise

Chris Waiting, chief executive of The Conversation UK, chats on the Media Voices podcast about the lessons learned from their record-breaking corona coverage.

💻 Technology

How we’re using AI to scale up global fact checking

"With much of the world adapting to a new normal, it is more important than ever that the public is aware of the dangers of false or misleading information on the coronavirus pandemic.

How The New York Times thinks about your privacy

Online privacy is complex, but it doesn’t have to be.

🤷 WTF?

Journalists are quitting Twitter!

"Journalists view Twitter as a valuable platform for finding and sharing information, but many say they wish they used it less."