Articles
Should Podcasts Only Be Free Or Is Luminary Just a Bad Product?
Is the only model for podcasts free? Or, is there a model out there that makes sense for people to actually pay…
This Is The Time To Start Experimenting
It’s been six weeks since I started social distancing. Those first few weeks, the doom and gloom was hardcore. Everything I read—and…
Google Shouldn’t Pay Us For the Right to Send Us Traffic
It should be clear by now that I am pro-publisher. I believe publishers should find multiple sources of revenue to diversify their…
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For Publishers With Paid Products, Now Could Be a Good Time to Spend
After last week’s analysis of companies making a bigger push to revenue sources that are closer to the consumer’s transaction, I started…
When Bundling Leads to a Greater Audience and the Birth of New Media Companies
It’s never been easier for an entrepreneurial writer to decide to go out on her own and own the means of her…
Shift to More Direct Revenue Models Will Only Accelerate
If you spend any time reading articles about advertising—including here on A Media Operator—much time is spent discussing ad spend contracting. In…
We’re Starting to Get Real Numbers on COVID-19’s Impact on Advertising and Subscriptions
We are beginning to see real numbers related to COVID-19’s impact on media businesses—in particular, how the advertising business has been hit…
Survival Above All Else
Earlier this week, I wrote about how media companies that are feeling pressure to open their COVID-19 content might still be able…
Ungating Critical Content: Taking a Lesson From The Guardian & Skift
There’s a debate taking place online about whether or not media companies that rely on paywalls should open up content that is…
Using Video to Engage With a Work From Home Audience
Earlier this week, I wrote a thread on Twitter that investigated how The Athletic might be at risk with its first year…
Debt & Ad Cuts Will Hurt Some Media
Debt is interesting. On one hand, it’s appealing because it’s non-dilutive and, so long as cash flow is strong, the interest and…
Only a Tiny Number of Publishers Can Sell Technology
Media companies, in an effort to chase profitability, are looking at a wide variety of tactics. One of them is selling software…
The Two Use Cases For Popup Newsletters
When President Trump was being impeached, there were a slew of podcasts that popped up all offering information about the latest happenings…
Ben Smith is Half Right, But There’s a Hole in His Analysis
There must be something special about joining The New York Times and then writing a piece titled Why the Success of The…
Creating IP With Your Top Talent
Why do people choose to subscribe to specific publications? Is it because of the hard hitting news that they produce or is…
Trying to Grow Subscriptions With a Hard Paywall
When The Information launched, many in mainstream media looked at what the team were doing and scoffed. There was no way a…
Growing Audience Through Cross-Promotion and Partnerships
When I was a young teenager, I saw Field of Dreams for the first time. The main character played by Kevin Costner…
Oh Look, A Platform is Preparing to Dupe Pubs
It appears that European publishers are finally going to get their wish. According to The Wall Street Journal: Google is in talks…