Bo Sacks posted an article today about the fastest-growing news publishers on TikTok. He didn’t attach any judgment to the story, but I will. Publishers – There you go again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me a hundred times, call me a publisher. Platforms are the ever-evolving, ever-new shiny object. They’re the pot…
Summary: GARM tried to provide a universally “safe” list of places for advertisers, but their selections seem to have had an ideological bent. Musk sued, and now GARM is gone. What comes next? The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) is an advertising group dedicated to promoting something called “brand safety.” Brand safety means making…
Summary: It’s important for publishers to strive for a more direct relationship with their readers. This article reflects on “direct” and “relationship,” then discusses how technology can help. Note: This article is an expanded version of a story from the August issue of The Krehbiel Letter. An ad in an industry newsletter said, “In the…
Summary: Reduce the cognitive load on your customers by personalizing content and interfaces to their needs. There’s an old book on website design titled Don’t Make Me Think, A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. It’s a good book, and if you’re involved in design, you should read it. But that basic concept applies to…
Summary: Three steps to make better estimates: (1) break down complicated tasks into components; (2) compare tasks with prior experience; (3) make three estimates — pessimistic, realistic, and optimistic. We’re all bad at estimating the time, cost, and risks associated with a task, and we usually overestimate the benefits. The problem increases with the complexity…
Summary: Transitioning readers from print to digital is challenging due to the distinct moods each medium invokes. Still, some publishers are seeing new uses for print. The Economist found that a print package for their welcome series improved engagement. Publishers take note: print remains a valuable tool, particularly when digital methods are oversaturated. It has…
Summary: It’s not enough to know all the clever business sayings. You have to do them. I’ve been in the publishing business a long time, and it’s rare that I hear something new. When I go to a conference, I’m usually not getting new information. The talks serve to remind me to emphasize things I…
From time to time a publisher will ask me how they can improve their business. I’m first and foremost an operations / tech guy, but I also have ideas about growth and business development. To help a publisher figure out where they can grow, it’s first necessary to find out what they’re doing — good…
Summary: When selling a subscription service, are you trying to sell an honest product, or are you trying to trick people into paying you? If you want to be an honest merchant, follow the consumer-friendly subscription best practices in this article. There’s a reason why people don’t like subscriptions, and I ran into it this…
Summary: To establish trust with your audience, your content strategy should focus on these five pillars: transparency, credibility, habitual product, relevant language, and specificity. At Omeda’s OX7 meeting in Chicago, Adam Ryan from Workweek gave a talk on 5 pillars of trust. They are … Transparency Credibility Habitual product Relevant language Specificity My notes from…
Summary: When evaluating a new technology, you’ll have lots of preconceptions about how it should work, and what key terms mean. You need to shed those preconceptions and ask lots and lots of detailed questions. Last week I was working on an article for Martech.org on customer data platforms and their close kin – that…
Summary: Goals and objectives should be planned ahead of time. Methods and operations should be documented afterwards. Many years ago I did a workshop on how to get marketing to work with IT. I’ve noticed that when IT says, “I need a requirements document,” marketing often hears that as “go away, kid, you bother me.”…
Summary: Publishers have been telling the world that online content is free. Now they’re reaping the consequences. This morning I was walking the granddog in the neighborhood park and was serenaded to the sound of “Come here, Sky! Come back, Sky! Heel, Sky!” You’ll find it as no surprise that Sky – a lovely German…
Summary: It’s important to know your customer. Know their needs, their wants, their values, their habits, and their preferences. But don’t call into the branding trap of believing they need to be your buddy. Bo Sacks distributed an article by James Evelegh with a rather long title that starts “An even closer union. How close…
Summary: This popular headline format works because it pushes some of the right psychological buttons, but the damage to the brand might not be worth it. I’m sure you’ve seen headlines like this. “I’m a bartender. Please stop mixing bourbon with Italian bitters.” Or “I’m a swim coach, please stop kicking from your knees.” That…