Five on Friday: Web Design, Retention and Ad Revenue

Featuring GateHouse Media, 24/7 Wall Street, Epix and Web Publisher Pro

Five on Friday: Web Design

Source: Bigstock Photo

TGIF. Are you ready to wrap up the week? We are – and we’ve got five features to help wind things down. Web Publishing Pro offers great tips for creating effective sign-up pages, we share why creating local content helps attract and retain subscribers, 24/7 Wall Street predicts that newspaper ad revenue will drop this year, GateHouse Media lays off 60 U.S. journalists following a $30 million acquisition, and Epix launches an OTT service. 

 

 

5 Pro Tips for Building the Best Subscription Sign-Up Pages

So you’ve gotten a prospective subscriber to a landing page on your website – now what? How do you close the deal? Stephanie Miles offers some great insights in her February 8 article, “How to Design the Best Subscription Sign-Up Pages,” on Web Publisher Pro. Miles shares some key characteristics of the best subscription sign-up pages:

  1. Choose your call to action and plan your layout carefully.
  2. A user-friendly design and a nice, uncluttered layout will be far more appealing than a flashy, disorganized page.
  3. If you offer multiple subscription options, compare the plans side-by-side, so potential subscribers can see the different benefits and price points. Be sure to highlight the most popular option.
  4. Create a sense of urgency like offering a time-limited promotion.
  5. Make the payment process easy with as few clicks as possible.

For more details and suggestions on creating the best subscription sign-up pages, read Miles’ original article at WebPublisherPro.com.

 Retention and Ad Revenue

Source: Bigstock Photo

New Medill Study Shows Regular Reading Habits Attract and Retain Subscribers 

A new study by Northwestern University’s Medill analyzed reader behavior from three news websites- Chicago Tribune, Indianapolis Star and the San Francisco Chronicle – to see what makes readers willing to subscribe. The answer may surprise you – getting readers to form regular reading habits was the top predictor of subscription behavior.

Five on Friday: Web Design

Source: Bigstock Photo

When readers regularly read local news online, they are more likely to return to the same site. The study showed that the frequency with which someone reads local news is the single biggest factor in retaining that reader as a subscriber. Frequency was even more important than the number of stories a person read or the amount of time they spent reading articles. Number of articles read and time on site are two benchmarks used in the industry, but it turns out they aren’t the most important factors.

Another key factor in reader retention was the consumption of unique local content – even exclusive content that readers can’t find elsewhere. By doing so, newspapers create a relationship and build trust within their readers, getting them to return to their site and, at some point, subscribe to get access to that site. By focusing on the quality of the content, and not on advertising revenue, newspapers can shift the business model to one that is more sustainable.

“I actually think this is a healthier business model for local news organizations than the current reliance on what is a declining share of advertising revenue,” said Tim Franklin, a senior associate dean at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

“There will be less focus on viral, one-and-done, click-bait-type stories and headlines, and more attention on building a long-term relationship with a core cohort of paying subscribers. It’s a different way of thinking about building readership. And, local news organizations will need to cultivate a large enough contingent of paying customers to sustain their essential news gathering operations in their communities,” he added.

Read more conclusions and analysis from the study here.

Study Predicts 10 Percent Drop in Newspaper Ad Revenue This Year 

 Retention and Ad Revenue

Five on Friday: Web Design

In a new study by advertising research firm Kagan, the company predicts that newspaper ad revenue will continue to drop. In fact, this year, it is expected to drop by a little over 10 percent, reports 24/7 Wall Street, while digital advertising revenue will increase 10.9 percent and satellite radio ad revenue will increase 9.5 percent.

This is not really news, unfortunately. Print advertising revenue for newspapers has been declining for years, and newspapers and other print media have struggled to find the right business model to compensate for the shift toward digital. As 24/7 Wall Street explains, newspapers have compensated in different ways:

  • Reducing print circulation (reducing the number of issues, cutting out or consolidating sections, etc.)
  • Cutting costs, often laying off staff or eliminating positions altogether.
  • Selling assets like real estate or legacy buildings
  • Going to an online-only model to lower overhead

The article was a bit depressing, but the Medill study above provides some hope for newspapers. Providing unique local content and helping readers establish a regular reading habit could help newspapers compensation for lost ad revenue through subscription revenue. Read more about the Kagan study at 24/7 Wall Street online.

GateHouse Media Lays Off 60 U.S. Journalists after $30 Million Acquisition

Five on Friday: Web Design

Retention and Ad Revenue

GateHouse Media, the owner of 145 daily newspapers, 325 community publications and 555 local websites in 37 states, has laid off 60 journalists in the United States, reports Business Insider. The cuts appear to be focused on sports reporters and photo departments.

Just two weeks ago, GateHouse Media made a $30 million purchase of Indiana-based Schurz Communications, which included the acquisition of 10 daily newspapers including the Bloomington Herald-Times and the South Bend Tribune, reports the Indianapolis Star. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019.

Schurz president and CEO Todd Schurz said the company wanted to get out of the newspaper business.

“We were not the best owners and the best steward of these properties looking into the future,” Schurz said. “When you make that fairly humbling realization, that means it’s time to find somebody to be a better owner and a steward.”

GateHouse Media, which is owned by New Media Investment Group, has a reputation for acquiring publications and then dramatically cutting staff. [Editor’s note: If you have any doubt about this, Google “GateHouse Media layoffs” and see what comes up.] Could the most recent reporter and photographer layoffs be an indication that there is more to come? Only GateHouse Media knows the answer to that, but Schurz hopes that GateHouse Media’s expertise, skills and ability to scale will serve the communities better than they could.

“We are excited to welcome the Schurz publications and their employees into New Media,” said Michael E. Reed, New Media president and CEO, in an announcement. “After nearly 150 years of ownership, we are honored that the Schurz family has chosen us to steward these papers into the future. They have a long history of strong journalism and community impact and we are excited to build upon their digital efforts with the introduction of our UpCurve products.”

Epix Joins the OTT Club with Epix Now Streaming Service

Until now, movie and TV network Epix was only available through a cable subscription. That is changing as MGM-owned Epix becomes the latest network to offer an over-the-top streaming TV service. Epix has named the new streaming subscription Epix Now, and its subscribers can watch hit movies and TV shows for $5.99 a month, following a seven-day free trial. No cable required. As an extra bonus, Epix Now offers 4K video and offline watching, says TechCrunch.

At launch, prospective subscribers can find Epix Now on Apple TV, iOS and Android devices, but it will be coming to Roku and Amazon Fire TV soon. The service will include favorite and classic movies and TV shows as well as original shows including “Pennyworth,” “Godfather of Harlem,” “PUNK” and “Elvis Goes There.”

“2019 is poised to be an incredible year of growth for our network,” said Michael Wright, Epix president, in a statement. “Launching Epix Now and providing consumers nationwide with access to our premium original programming and blockbuster movies is an exciting moment for our company and solidifies our commitment to bring high-level storytelling to as many people as possible. We look forward to welcoming new audiences to our network.”

 Retention and Ad Revenue

Source: GateHouse Media

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