#76 — The state of subscription marketing
Welcome to all of our new subscribers, and thanks for supporting this newsletter. This weeks top stories include tips for publishers when it comes to using metrics to build a sustainable business model, engaging readers and keep them coming back and how to diversify revenue steams. Enjoy!
Want to chat? Remember you can slide into the comments section at publisherweekly.org to chat about this weeks topics.
💯 Top picks
[Podcast] The state of subscription marketing with Dr. Dave Chaffey
State of Digital Publishing podcast catches up with Smart Insights co-founder to discuss subscription marketing, how to build engagement, community and customer retention. Answering questions about balancing free and paid content and how publishers should approach subscription marketing, this week’s top listen is 57 minutes!
💸 Business models
How local news organisations can fight for their slice of the subscription pie
Subscription businesses have been growing for years - but largely in the tech industry. This article summarises a study from News Media Alliance about news media subscriptions and how publishers can get their share of the pie.
Tortoise claims nearly 20,000 members as it eyes move into podcasting
Last year James Harding left his role at the BBC to launch his own slow news publishing outlet. More than half a million pounds in funding later, Tortoise Media has 20,000 members within the first six months - here’s what they plan to do next.
Focusing on this metric let a newspaper increase reader loyalty (and subscribers too)
German publisher DuMont used to rely on basic web analytics, until they decided these metrics were no longer good enough. Instead they started measuring priority and loyal visitors - correlating this to the likelihood to buy or renew subscriptions. Once these visitors are identified, the publisher sends targeted newsletters, which has resulted in subscription growth.
Facebook’s intentions may not be pure, but its money is real: How publishers made the most of its membership accelerator
“Facebook wants you to know that this story isn’t about them (but it was always about them).”
✍️ Modern journalism
“Moments of Next”: Nielsen identifies exactly when readers are most engaged, and how publishers can benefit from it
“What if you could scientifically pinpoint the exact moment people’s attention is at its peak? What if you could identify the very instant they’re ready and willing to see something new?”
This study found that people prefer to see a feed at the end of your content, and were 20% more attentive than when no further articles were presented at the bottom of the page. Food for thought!
Survival tips for nonprofit newsrooms: Fundraising, membership, and sustainable models
“Revenue options for nonprofit newsrooms now include everything from story sales and membership to crowdfunding and even cryptocurrency tokens.”
Journalists-turned-entrepreneurs on how they built their businesses
More and more journalists are venturing into media entrepreneurship - learn more about how they did it.
Why journalists shouldn’t be afraid of metrics
Read this for the latest insights from a News Impact Academy event in Bucharest about quality journalism, audience development & news metrics.
[Free Course] Diversify and grow the ways you earn revenue
Betternews.org shared this series of resources about innovating and testing the ways in which you gain revenue from your audience and how to close the gaps.
👩💻 Technology
The Atlantic’s new app takes a cue from email newsletters
Along with an entirely redesigned look, The Atlantic launched a new iOS app that is very newsletterish – complete with a dynamic “Today” screen that changes depending on what time of day it is for the reader.
New tools power collaborative data journalism with a local emphasis
ProPublica have built an open source tool to help journalists collaborate on data coordination. It’s called… Collaborate.
“It’s designed to help multiple people sift through a large dataset and to add information to each data point. It is not meant to be used for statistical data analysis.”
Your monthly guide to sending better emails
The latest issue of Not A Newsletter is here, including learnings about welcome emails, re-engagement strategies and building subscriber-only newsletter products.
🤷 WTF?
Spotify overtakes Apple as the #1 place to podcast
Spotify is rapidly overtaking Apple as the top app for podcasting, overtaking the Apple Podcasts app in a growing number of regions.
