Summary: Lennart Schneider discusses “lock-in effects” in a recent article, highlighting 9 strategies to make a subscription irreplaceable. These include ecosystems (like Apple vs. Android), data migration difficulties, personalization, network effects, price guarantees, credits, shared subscriptions, bundling, and status. While these tactics can retain customers, they can also border on being annoying, such as making…
Summary: The article discusses the use of the word “content” in publishing and suggests that it lacks specificity. While some find it useful as a broad category, the author argues for using more precise terms like “answers” or “solutions” to better serve the audience’s needs. He emphasizes the importance of precision in language for publishers…
Summary: The article discusses “digital transformation” and its relevance to media and publishing. The author disagrees with the idea that growth is solely about a single funnel and suggests using branching funnels with different goals. The article being reviewed introduces the “5 R’s of digital transformation” – Relevance, Reputation, Reach, Revenue, and Resilience — and…
Summary: The article discusses the concept of a “perfect” subscription model in publishing and marketing. It emphasizes the need for continual improvement rather than striving for perfection. Factors like audience segmentation (homogeneous vs. unique individuals), value, distribution channels, and competition are explored. Additionally, it touches on pricing strategy, marketing, subscriber engagement, customer support, technology infrastructure,…
Is “citizen journalism” a real thing? I think we need to redefine and rethink what “citizen journalism” means. Elon Musk recently posted this. “Please encourage more citizen journalism! You can do live video easily from your phone. “More on-the-ground reporting from regular citizens will change the world.” Yes, well …. Will it change the world…
The following is an excerpt from the “Hawaii edition” of “The Krehbiel Letter.” Maps. When Europeans first met Polynesians, they were astonished to find them scattered across an enormous ocean, and befuddled about how they were able to traverse such distances. It’s still not entirely clear how they did it. The attempts by Europeans to…
Summary: To understand the future of publishing, follow a reader-centric approach, envisioning AI agents helping individuals organize their content and recommending content and connections. Publishers may find themselves interacting with AI agents rather than readers. This will change marketing and pricing dynamics. “Audience” and “community” will be mediated by the AI agents, not the brand….
Summary: The article discusses concerns about censorship on social media platforms like Twitter, with recent reports suggesting Elon Musk’s company may be limiting users who share New York Times articles. It highlights the problem of tech giants controlling access to information and urges content creators to reduce dependence on these platforms, recommending strategies like building…
Summary: This article discusses the ongoing battle between publishers and AI, caricatured as “Skynet.” The author suggests four strategies for publishers to combat AI: altering the robots.txt file, enforcing server-side measures, updating terms and conditions for potential lawsuits, and developing their own large language models. However, the article acknowledges the challenges, such as AI’s ability…
Summary: This article explores the challenges surrounding micropayments as a revenue model for news media. The author considers various reasons for skepticism, including a lack of a universal standard, perceived complexity, and the convenience of ad-supported or subscription-based models. The article also discusses the emotional debate around micropayments and questions their impact on traditional journalism….
Summary: The article discusses the shift from ad-funded models to subscription-based revenue in media, playing off 8 keys points from Carolyn Morgan. Audience segmentation is crucial for effective online marketing and content personalization. Focus on content valued by potential subscribers rather than casual visitors. Determine which content goes behind a paywall based on uniqueness and…
I want to have a cocktail after dinner tonight, so I thought about variations on the Negroni. Doing that the old-fashioned way — with a Google search, then reading several different pages — is slow and stupid. I just asked ChatGPT “Please give me the classic recipe for a negroni, then show me five popular…
Summary: Google, OpenAI, and Bing are using website content to train AI, which will have a devastating effect on publisher websites. The New York Times is showing the way by forbidding their content’s use for AI training. While this may delay the decline of publisher websites, chatbots and AI are improving. The path forward requires…
Summary: Software companies are embracing subscription models for recurring revenue, similar to how Microsoft Office shifted from one-time purchases to subscriptions. Now, a debate arises regarding the ownership of eBooks. Libraries typically follow a “one copy, one user” model for eBooks, but the Internet Archive has not followed that model. Corporate publishers want to treat…
Summary: Norwegian company Schibsted embraced text-to-speech technology to enhance audience engagement. Focused on riding the podcast popularity wave, they leverage “Beyond Words” to convert text into audio instantly, catering to changing article versions and potentially cloning the voices of popular podcast stars. Serving the audio from their own site allows them better data insights and…