Monetization for Publishers: 8 Tactics Guaranteed to Work

To survive in today's market, publishers large and small must constantly innovate themselves.

Whether your company is a large profit-oriented media outlet or a nonprofit weekly in a small town, you simply can't afford to rely solely on your existing revenue streams.

It's no secret that creating great content is hard. But writing great content while running a successful media company is even more difficult.

However, many publishers still have many untapped opportunities to generate revenue — you just need to know how.
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In this article, I'll share 8 monetization tips that will help your publisher generate revenue and secure your future in the long term.

Let's go.

1. Paywalls

In the last ten years, the publishing industry has seen a large increase in paywall-based services — as seen in Handelsblatt, for example.

Substantial income can be earned with a soft paywall (freemium), which provides access to items in exchange for the email address, or a hard paywall that requires a paid subscription.

Other options include metered paywalls, which make it possible to read a certain number of articles per month for a specific fee. Data-driven paywalls, which use A/B testing to ensure that readers are shown the most appropriate content, are becoming increasingly popular.

With the right combination, you too can encourage your readers to pay to read their content.

Another advantage of Paywall models is that the content offered is increasingly regarded by readers as exclusive and of high quality. But paywalls are only eine effective monetization option.

2. subscriptions

Another channel that you can use to earn income is subscription services, which allow readers to access your content for a regular fee. subscriptions as a generic term include various models, each of which has its own benefits. These are in particular:

Fixed subscriptions: This subscription option is probably the most widely used and includes a fixed monthly fee that allows the subscriber to access as much content as they want. By the way, that is also model that includes platforms such as netflix and spotify use.

Micropayments: Another promising subscription model is micropayments, in which readers only pay for what they read. After adding funds to an account, your subscribers read the articles they want.

Historically, news has been viewed by readers as something they're unwilling to pay for. However, times have changed in recent years, and subscription models — and there are many more of them — are becoming increasingly popular with publishers and readers alike.

3. Digital advertising

When the Internet was young in the early 2000s, banner ads were everywhere because they were an effective way to sell products and services... back then.

Nowadays, readers find banner ads irritating, which means you're not only wasting your advertising budget, but you're also annoying your readers.

Modern publishers can of course still use digital advertising, but you should do that a little differently these days. More suitable digital advertising options include:

Content recommendations: One effective way to encourage your readers to read more is through content recommendations based on metrics such as your previous reading topics, authors, and genres. With platforms such as Outbrain, Taboola and Revcontent can you guide potential readers to exactly the articles they like to read.

Native advertising: Another modern format in the online advertising world is native advertising, which can be very profitable when used correctly. In this scenario, an article is usually created that is paid by advertisers and presented as an editorial. But watch out: Show your readers that it's native advertising, otherwise they'll look disingenuous.

Digital advertising is constantly gaining in popularity. In fact, spending on digital advertising rose into Germany by 10% in 2019, just to name a number.

4. Events

The next monetization tip on my list involves events such as industry conferences, mastermind meetings, and award ceremonies, which are exclusively available to your existing subscribers as a kind of bonus.

This makes your subscribers feel part of a community and encourages others to subscribe to you.

An example of what I mean by exclusivity: offer your subscribers early bird discounts or guaranteed places at specific seminars or events. Whatever your readers are interested in is suitable — be it a webinar or a physical event. This type of exclusive access can help increase your subscribers and further increase your earnings.

Of course, events are no alternative at the moment due to the ongoing corona crisis. Nevertheless, in the medium term, they will definitely become an integral part of your monetization strategy again.

5. E-commerce

Another often forgotten potential revenue stream is marketing archived issues and prints of popular covers. Whether for sentimental, personal or business reasons, many readers highly appreciate the iconic character of certain cover images. As a great role model, the New Yorker store by Condè Nast serve.

The British music and fashion magazine The Face is also an excellent example of the sentimental value placed on pictures and stories from previous years. After the magazine almost went bankrupt in 2004 due to poor circulation figures, it was relaunched online Market via Instagram and has been successful ever since.

The Face has certainly shown that it still has its finger on the pulse of time, which I think undoubtedly contributed to its renaissance.

However, this is not the only source of income that the magazine's editors have created. There is also affiliate marketing, for example. With affiliate links on the website, you too can earn a significant additional income.

6. Podcasts

podcasts are a popular modern phenomenon that provides added value for many advertisers. Not only will your audience hear interesting topics of conversation, but you can also receive exclusive discount codes and offers.

You can advertise, news from sponsors and so many Call to Actions Integrate as you see fit.

7. Newsletters

During a newsletters Still seems to many like a communication medium from the past, it has experienced a second spring in recent years. Believe it or not, newsletters can be a highly effective monetization tactic for your publisher.

There is much evidence that regular emails are far from being an outdated medium of communication, but are actively encouraging your readers to visit your website more frequently and thus increase their revenue.

It's also a medium that you can analyze and perfect for best results. Open rates, click rates and unsubscribe rates — these are all elements that can be optimized.

Again, by A/B testing and adjusting your email newsletter strategy, you can ensure that you're publishing exactly the type of content that your readers love.

8. Research and analysis

I believe that while the core business of publishers is content, their true power lies in their relationships with their communities. That's why the last monetization tip on my list relates to a just emerging revenue opportunity.

Established media companies like Skift, Business Insider and The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)produce in-depth reports that can be purchased or viewed as part of a subscription. For many readers, professionally prepared studies of trends and developments within a particular industry are very exciting.

This means that significant recurring revenue is possible. Provided that the reports you create are in demand. This type of report also allows you to demonstrate your expertise to your target groups.

Conclusion

You can't afford to rest on your current revenue streams. Unfortunately, the ongoing changes in the media industry can quickly cause your business to lag behind and your readers to turn away from you.

In this article, we've taken a closer look at 8 of the most important tips for monetizing your publishing business. But there are certainly more possibilities.

Here you can find out more about the most important strategies for monetizing your apps. Would you like to test a new source of income without much effort and risk? Find out more about ourcontent intelligence tool and affiliate link automation.

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