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As subscription revenues grow, editorial want their share

As subscription revenues grow, editorial staffers want their share

Subscription models enable publishers to tie editorial output closely to revenue, prompting some staffers to question if they’re being compensated fairly.

 

It used to be pretty difficult to put any direct value on the work of editorial teams. What we now call content has always mattered, but it was also really hard to measure in any kind of detail. However, with the rise of digital subscriptions, that has changed.

Jack Marshall points out that publishers, working to create more direct relationships between editorial teams and their audiences, are driving audience revenue with a spotlight on quality content. Brilliant, but their new found commercial importance has led to editorial staff asking if subs revenue is growing as a result of the value they create, are they getting their ‘fair share’?

One US reporter told him: “If there’s a straight line between [the editorial department’s] work and subscription growth, that’s great, but that should apply to our remuneration as well.” With 4% on the table at Reach in the midst of its ‘Customer Value Strategy’ I think that might be prove to be a difficult conversation at some organisations.


Why link taxes represent an end to an open web

Why Link Taxes Like Canada’s C-18 Represent An End To An Open Web

Well, here we go again. For years now, the legacy news industry, often led by lobbyists for Rupert Murdoch, have been pushing a bizarre plan to tax links on the internet. The en…

 

On Tuesday we published a post laying out the argument for why the tech giants should be compensating publishers for linking to their content, and which models would work for organisations of all sizes. The same day, Mike Masnik published a piece on Techdirt outlining how legislation to make the platforms pay could spell the end of the open web. You pays your money (or not if you’re Google), you takes your choice.


AI is about to take misinformation to a new level

AI is about to take misinformation to a new level

AI generated misinformation is going to be a nightmare to verify. Plus a big Google update, YouTube gets serious about podcasting and some rules for curation.

 

Adam Tinworth is taking a look at some positively terrifying AI fakery on his blog. One example has Steve Jobs commenting on the COVID pandemic. Another shows Boris Johnson in jail (if only). I’m currently working on a report on a ‘Practical AI’ report to come out next month and my take on all of this is, introducing AI automation to add value to your own content operation, 100%. Handing over creative control to the AI genies Adam is discussing, absolutely not.


How SEO automation can save publishers time and money

How SEO automation can save publishers time and money | What’s New in Publishing | Digital Publis…

SEO automation can save resources that could be better spent improving overall publishing strategies SEO can be a repetitive business, with the same tasks coming up again and ag…

 

I wrote this quick look at SEO automation. As with all things pubtech, the devil is very much in the details, but if you’re looking for inspiration around the kinds of SEO reporting and optimisation tasks you can automate, then I humbly offer up this short summary post as a starter for 10.


More from Media Voices

NEW EPISODE: Substack UK Head of Writer Partnerships Farrah Storr on why every magazine should embrace paid newsletters

Substack UK’s Farrah Storr on why to embrace paid newsletters

Farrah Storr tells us about why more mainstream media brands should be investing in Substack, why you need a huge profile to start out, and more.

 

This week we hear from Substack UK’s Head of Writer Partnerships Farrah Storr. Over the past decade she’s worked in leading editorial roles at some of the biggest lifestyle magazines in the UK before leaving ELLE to join the newsletter platform. She tells us about why more mainstream media brands should be investing in Substack, why she doesn’t believe you need a huge profile to start out on the platform, and what problems with the wider internet ecosystem Substack is trying to solve.

Platforms don’t owe publishers a living, but they do owe them compensation

The Public Interest News Foundation’s Jonathan Heawood explains why the tech giants should be compensating publishers, and which models would work.

 

We need to talk about podcast listener numbers

Most podcasts probably get fewer listens than you think. As the gold rush continues, are we in danger of skewing podcast listener numbers to try and keep up?

 

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