Let's talk to Stephen Hayes and Taegan Goddard about monetizing political news
Hello there! If you’re reading this, you’re probably a paying subscriber to my newsletter. Several times a month, I host a live “Office Hours” session for my subscribers.
My hope is that this not only gives you the opportunity to interact with me, but also each other. I’ve been consistently amazed by the caliber of my subscribers’ expertise — in fact, I’ve featured many of my subscribers in the newsletter and podcast — and my ultimate goal is to cross-pollinate that expertise through these Office Hours.
So first, let’s start with the details of the upcoming Office Hours:
Topic: Let's talk to Stephen Hayes and Taegan Goddard about monetizing political news
Description: When it comes to building a politics media brand, there are probably no greater authorities than Stephen Hayes and Taegan Goddard.
Stephen is the former editor of The Weekly Standard. In 2019, he and several other prominent journalists launched The Dispatch, a center-right magazine that caters to never-Trump Republicans. Despite very little outside investment, they managed to grow it to over 40,000 paid subscriptions in just a few years.
Taegan is the founder of Political Wire, one of the OG political blogs that built up a monthly audience in the millions. After over a decade spent monetizing the site almost solely through advertising, he launched a paid membership model that was quickly embraced by his most loyal readers.
In our conversation with Taegan and Stephen, we’re going to talk about how they optimized their subscription models, their approach to attracting advertisers, and how they’ve navigated the hyper polarization of political media.
Date and Time: Thursday, April 20th at 1 p.m. ET
Zoom link: