Articles
Advertising Reliant Products Are Getting Hit Right Now
The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but we’re starting to see some of the early signs of…
Owning Your Audience May Not Work With Audio
Anyone that has heard me talk about media has heard me say the phrases “own your audience” and “don’t build on rented…
Warming Users Up With an Email Onboarding Plan
There are two parts to a users’ relationship with a media company. The first is everything done before they sign up for…
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Media Companies Looking To Bring Newsletter Writers In-House
In 1999, Blogger was released, making it easier for people to publish on the internet. Four years later, Google bought the platform.…
When The Brand Warrants a Licensing Business
When building a media company, newer operators tend to bias toward advertising or subscriptions. More seasoned operators realize that choosing one over…
Is The Athletic Running Out of Time?
Trying to build a quickly scaled media company is incredibly difficult. We’ve seen numerous other companies try and the outcome has often…
When Doing What Feels Wrong Could Actually Be Right
Often times when we’re building things, we look at potential choices and if it feels wrong to do it, we simply ignore…
A House of Brands Allows for a Concise Acquisition Strategy
There is a semblance of schadenfreude when The New York Times publishes a pretty intense piece confirming what many in media already…
When Competition is Actually Good in Media
We’re taught in our careers that competition is inherently bad. We have to compete with everyone until there is only one business…
Axios Doubles Down on Core Media Offering
In a shocking change of events, Axios went from the target of Axel Springer to watching from the sidelines as Politico came…
Supply Chain Issues Could Hit Publishers in Multiple Ways
When we think about running our media businesses, the things that come to my mind are content creation, ad sales, finding subscribers,…
Gannett Tries for Local Sports Bundle
I wanted to thank everyone for responding to last week’s newsletter about Vice. I always want to hear from readers, so don’t…
What We Can Learn From The Wirecutter Paywall
It oftentimes feels like business models are dogma. You are either pro-subscription or pro-advertising. There is a right way and a wrong…
Vice Continues to Spiral With No End in Sight
In what can only be described as déjà vu, news came out while I was off that the deal Vice had been…
The Hill Acquisition Supports Politico’s Price Ambitions
Before we jump into today’s newsletter, I wanted to let you know that I will be taking some time off. There will…
OnlyFans Change Is Reminder To Own Platform
I launched A Media Operator on August 9, 2019, which means that we’re a little over two years old. Some of you…
Newsletters as a Subscription Hook Are Now a Core Offering
The best driver of paid subscriptions isn’t social media or SEO, it’s not even direct or other platforms like Flipboard. No, the…
Creators Need Niche Partners, Not Generalists
Being a creator and a media executive during this time of heavy investment in the creator economy space has been an incredibly…