#83 — How publishers can find their super users

Fear not, this issue is full of great reads about membership strategies and technology trends in publishing to help you forget about how fast time goes by 😉Enjoy!

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💯 Top picks

“Membership is an attitude, an emotion”: How publishers can find their super users, master the forever transaction, and build recurring revenue

If you're interested in driving revenues through subscriptions as a publisher, WNIP recommend reading this book: The Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter. This short summary is a great read too - we can't wait to dive into the full book!

💸 Business models

News outlets should build customer lifetime value into subscription strategy, researchers say

Researchers at Northwestern University's Spiegel Research Center believe there is a better answer to growing advertising revenue or subscriptions: growing Customer Lifetime Value.

[Podcast] Gear Patrol founder Eric Yang: 'You've got to pick a lane' between media and e-commerce

“We’ve been profitable every single year at Gear Patrol except for the year we took investment because we were growing,” Yang said. He adds that about 40 to 50% of their traffic comes from SEO, not social media or other sources - (31 minutes).

Your comments section is only as good as your strategy

Adriana Lacy of The Intersection writes about the problems publishers are facing with comments, as some are removing the comments section completely, while others are making it a subscriber-only benefit.

[Podcast] The state of membership in news with Ariel Zirulnick

State of Digital Publishing speak with Ariel Zirulnick, Fund Director at Membership Puzzle Project about the state of membership in News - (40 minutes).

✍️ Modern journalism

7 tips for tracking your impact

Here’s some actionable tips for tracking the impact of your work beyond page views and monthly uniques.

Engagement isn't a project, it's a way of making news

“It isn’t audiences that need to be more engaged, it’s newsrooms.”

5 culture-killing phrases smart newsrooms will stop saying in 2020

"We already did that story" and 4 other phrases that this opinion piece advocates being removed from newsrooms.

👩‍💻 Technology

Has journalism finally found its big tech ally? Inside Microsoft's pitch to publishers

“While Facebook and Google are habitually denounced for their impact on the news industry, and Apple is regarded by publishers with suspicion, Microsoft is setting out its stall to be the good guy in big tech who can make journalism better.”

After publisher backlash, Google initiates redesign to highlight organic results

Google are taking (small) steps towards differentiating ads and organic results after backlash from publishers and businesses like SparkToro’s Rand Fishkin and Basecamp’s Jason Fried.

How bloomberg news is using Telegram

“On Telegram, the preferred messaging app for the privacy conscious, Bloomberg News is attempting to draw new subscribers and build an audience outside the U.S.”

“A trend no publisher—large or small—can afford to overlook”: Social commerce set to be the most important digital channel by 2029“

As eCommerce continues to become more pervasive, and purposeful social media behaviours – such as using social networks to research and find products to buy – further nudge eCommerce forward, platforms, retailers, publishers and content creators alike, must all strive to innovate in their efforts to grab a slice of the eCommerce pie.“

Google: Enroll in the new advanced protection program in an instant

Google have made it easier to enroll in their advanced protection program using an Android phone or iPhone to further protect your Google account.

🤷 WTF?

Jack Dorsey has revealed the secret way to get verified on Twitter (kinda)

“There are few questions I get more often from journalists and other Nieman Lab readers than this one: How do I get verified on Twitter? ”