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Why most podcasters will benefit from the platform wars

Lots of podcasters worry that Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem, but I think it's triggered a platform war that will benefit all podcasts, big and small. [link]

Inside the podcast push of TikTok group Sway LA, who've launched 4 shows in Apple's top 100 as they aim to shock fans and detractors

It makes sense that TikTok teens are investing in podcasts. It's a way to go much deeper with their fandoms than a 60-second video will allow. [link]

Like my newsletter and podcast now? Just think of how good they’ll be…

…when I can devote myself full time to them. I’m almost at 33% of the paid subscribers I need in order to quit my day job and work on this newsletter for 50+ hours per week. Content creators constantly tell me that they incorporate the information I publish in this newsletter into their own workflows. Don’t subscribe just out of the goodness of your heart; subscribe to get access to the regular case study interviews that you can mine for insights. Here are a few recent ones:

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Creator-Owned Streaming Service Nebula Hits 100,000 Monthly Paying Subscribers

This is pretty cool. 100 YouTubers teamed up and launched a streaming service that already has 100,000 paying subscribers. That's more than Quibi had when it announced its closure. [link]

THE COMPLICATED LEGACY OF 'MAN REPELLER'

A good profile of a site that started out as a one-person blog and grew into an incredibly influential force within the fashion industry. [link]

Verizon Media Group keeps pouring resources into commerce

Digital publishers have long been frustrated that the advertising industry has focused so much on ad clicks. The rise of ecommerce on news sites is an indication that they finally gave in and started leveraging this focus to their advantage. [link]

Work with me one-on-one

Organizations regularly hire me to help them with their content, audience development, and monetization strategies. Check out my full list of services over here. [link]

How This YouTuber Amassed 328k Followers In Less Than A Year

A good case study for why persistence matters when you're trying to build an online following. [link]

Publishers are placing more of their content behind hard paywalls

Publishers are abandoning metered paywalls and instead are selectively deciding which content is most likely to convert subscribers and then placing it behind a hard paywall. [link]

Why Matthew Yglesias Left Vox

I don't think it's a coincidence that a lot of OG bloggers (Yglesias, Greenwald, Sullivan) are flocking to Substack. A big reason they moved to larger institutions is because they needed them to monetize their content. Substack frees them from that need. [link]

The World Is Watching More Anime—and Streaming Services Are Buying

It's interesting to see how the pandemic is continuing to shape content production and consumption habits. At the beginning of it I predicted a huge boost in animated projects. [link]

A huge honor

The other day, Taegan Goddard tagged me in this tweet.

Taegan runs Political Wire, one of the most popular political blogs on the internet. It was really cool to see him endorse my newsletter.

Endorsements like this really matter for the growth of this newsletter. If you have a few moments, please consider recommending it to your followers and colleagues. Here, I’ll even provide you some language you can copy and paste:

I've really been enjoying @simonowens' media newsletter. If you work in the industry and aren’t subscribed, then you’re missing out.

https://simonowens.substack.com

Thank you in advance!

Publishers are placing more of their content…

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