Not all media outlets are worried about declining Google traffic

PLUS: Why Vox is launching subscriptions on Patreon

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A new generation of media startups is built to survive ‘Google Zero’

From Business Insider:

Business Insider interviewed the founders of nine young media startups that have grown — often profitably — without relying on Google and Facebook traffic. They include political outlets like The Bulwark, as well as more niche players such as Ankler Media (Hollywood), Hell Gate (local New York City news), and Aftermath (gaming). They range in size from small operations like Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me and the four-person, bootstrapped A Media Operator, to Semafor, which has 90 employees and has raised a net $34 million in funding.

I’ve long believed that a large portion of Google traffic offers little long-term value to publishers and mostly distracts them from building a loyal base of repeat visitors. Google Discover, in particular, delivers little more than a temporary sugar high. It’s not a coincidence that the outlets that spend the least amount of time worrying about their Google traffic tend to have stronger-than-average relationships with their audiences.

The Economist’s Ferrari approach

From the Rebooting:

Ferrari is the brand [Economist president Luke Bradley-Jones] compares The Economist to, admiring the Italian carmaker’s strategy of establishing scarcity to drive value. While rivals like Porsche churn out station wagons and SUVs, Ferrari limits its production to less than 14,000. It has a waiting list of buyers, deliberately keeping supply lower than demand. That enables Ferrari to enjoy 28% profit margins, triple the typical mass carmaker. It is, as The Economist itself has noted, more like a luxury brand than a carmaker.

“Enzo Ferrari wanted to make one less car than there was demand for in the world,” Luke said, while recognizing the limits of the analogy since The Economist’s mission is to spread its ideas. That tension is one of many that are inherent to media businesses.

I would argue the reason the Economist is a great media business has little to do with it publishing great journalism; instead, it’s a great media business because it has built and maintained a powerful brand. Its subscribers like seeing themselves as the kind of people who read the Economist. The magazine rarely produces blockbuster scoops, but it excels at delivering a consistent level of quality that instills a high level of audience trust. Luke compares it to Ferrari, but I’d compare it more to Apple — a company that doesn’t always produce the best tech in each category but at least strives for high standards across all its products.

ICYMI: How Local News Now built its loyal audience

Forbes launches dynamic AI paywall as it ramps up post-search commercial diversification plans

From Digiday:

Forbes has launched an AI-powered dynamic paywall as it looks to make subscriptions a larger slice of its revenue pie.

The publisher began rolling out the dynamic paywall to 20 percent of its audience on Oct. 17, and launched it today (Nov. 14) to the entire Forbes audience.

The move is part of Forbes’ broader push to diversify its commercial revenue for a post-search media era where open-web traffic, and the ads that ride on it, can no longer be taken for granted, according to Forbes CEO Sherry Phillips.

If Forbes really wants to increase its subscription revenue, it doesn’t need a dynamic paywall, it just needs a website that doesn’t make your eyes bleed from trying to navigate through 500 moving ads just so you can read the tiny slit of text that is the actual editorial content you came to consume. I can think of few media outlets that hate their audiences as much as Forbes hates its audience.

The Man Yelling ‘Iceberg!’ on the Hollywood Titanic

Hollywood reporter Matthew Belloni is a one-man scoop powerhouse who’s often able to beat the Hollywood trades to stories despite only publishing his newsletter twice a week. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the biggest subscription driver at Puck. [NYT]

(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)

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I attended a class for TV and movie pros looking to work in the creator economy. Here were my 5 key takeaways.

As the world’s biggest creators encroach more and more onto Hollywood’s turf, it’s going to become increasingly common for behind-the-scenes production staff to move back and forth between traditional film sets and creator-led companies. Someone who starts out today as a freelance editor for a YouTuber could find themselves one day editing unscripted reality TV for a streamer like Netflix. [Business Insider]

Vox to partner with Patreon for new paywalled shows

From Semafor:

Vox is launching its membership program on Patreon, aiming to capture primarily podcast and video consumers. Executives from the media company told Semafor that Vox’s Patreon supporters will have access to ad-free content and exclusive videos, including two new exclusive series: The Docket, a human impact series focused on Supreme Court decisions, and What’s Working, a “solutions-focused series that highlights policies improving the lives of communities across the country.”

The company said it hopes to supplement its flagship franchises like the podcast Today, Explained, with live newsroom conversations and community features such as chats.

This is an interesting move since Vox can presumably build all of Patreon’s subscription tools in-house. I suspect that this has more to do with Patreon’s recent moves toward becoming a content discovery engine that helps creators grow their audiences. Vox is embracing Patreon for the same reason many mainstream publishers have launched newsletters on Substack — because it’s become another content distribution platform.

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How a Seattle Alt-Weekly Newspaper Became a Progressive Kingmaker

The Stranger may be best known nationally for its Savage Love column, but in Seattle it has become a genuine election powerbroker, often delivering decisive votes to the candidates it endorses. Its track record shows just how much influence a local newspaper can still wield when it earns and keeps its readers’ trust. [NYT]

(BTW, I used a gift link so you can access that article for free.)

What’s coming down the pipeline…

Tomorrow I should have a fresh interview with the CEO of the National Business Review, a New Zealand publisher that shut down its entire advertising business a few years ago so it could focus entirely on growing its high-priced subscriptions.

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