These days, when people talk about newsletter best practices, they’re usually referring to free email newsletters, used as a marketing tool to drive inbound traffic to websites. But because some of us are old-time journalists here at Mequoda, we also think fondly of paid newsletters, a classic journalistic form that survives today in the digital era.
Coming up with the right subscription website business model(s) is usually the biggest stumbling block for those wanting to get into this business.
Choosing your content focus is a business-critical decision, as the focus you choose pretty much dictates your chances of success with a subscription website. However, more serious than the focus on content for
The newsletter platforms you may be familiar with are often print and PDF formats, as most newsletter publishers haven’t gotten hip to the newsletter app format, and neither have their consumers.
The newsletter subscription website model is simple, clean and editorially-focused
Newsletter publishers, particularly those on the B-to-B side but also those with consumer titles in the finance and health fields, were among the first to embrace subscription websites. Perhaps that’s because the newsletter subscription website archetype is the easiest type of subscription website to build. The file size of newsletters is generally manageable, whether the newsletter is 8, 12, 16, 32, or more pages, since it is mostly text and often limited to black-and-white or two-color.
There are ways to control how Google reads your website with sitemap tools. While we assume most of our publishing friends are creating kosher content and abiding by the rules, if Google has considered you a black sheep in the past, you can reinvent yourself by cleaning up your sitemap. If you’ve been good, you can always improve how well your website is indexed, and often the updates are pretty easy!
Before hiring subscription website publishing experts, take this advice straight to the bank.
If you’re looking to grow the most beautiful rose garden on the block, would you prefer to go to your local gardening center and rifle through the rose section to see what’s brightest, or would you head straight to specialty rose nursery, with employed experts in growing roses?
So then why is it that so often we hear of publishers who hire web development companies that have no experience developing subscription websites for publishers? A magazine or newsletter website requires an expertise in search engine optimization, conversion architecture, subscription management, and content management, in addition to an array of other specialties.
Coming up with the right content business model(s) can be the biggest stumbling block for those looking to grow a publishing business.
Choosing your content focus is a business-critical decision, as the focus you choose pretty much dictates your chances of success with multiplatform publishing. However, more serious than the focus on content, is the business
No publisher can hope to have a successful subscription based website without getting the marketing right. So if you have, or plan to launch, one of our three subscription website business models – a portal, magazine website or newsletter website – it’s worth studying the winning strategies used by savvy publishers, including, of course, our own clients.
Before building out new website business models, inventory your existing content assets
Author and efficiency expert Stephen Covey writes about how difficult it is to reach goals that you don’t have. “Begin with the end in mind” is our personal mantra for every Mequoda System we start.
Publishing websites for magazines and newsletters are like Swiss Army
A responsive newsletter website brings accessibility to the table
Totally unrelated to publishing, you may have heard that Patagonia recently ditched their app. If you open it, it will tell you that the app will no longer be updated, and they should head to their responsive website instead. “Thanks for supporting the Patagonia iPhone app. Now
Our most-read subscription website publishing posts of 2015 reveal a desire for better understanding of building, publishing and pricing subscription websites
This year in our Subscription Website Publishing articles we’ve tackled everything from choosing profitable subscription models, to choosing the best colors and fonts for your redesign, and pricing your subscription websites appropriately. However, there are a
For print magazines and newsletters, subscription websites offer a plethora of ways to gain publishing revenue with little upfront cost
Legacy publications should be ultra focused on how to create dynamic sources of publishing revenue online. Most print publications already have a digital edition available, but it’s time to take an extra hard look at developing
Subscription website business models have evolved exponentially in just a few years
Once upon a time, there were a few different versions of subscription websites that Mequoda defined. We wrote about them, analyzed them, and built them for our clients.
Over time, we watched new versions of subscription websites come into being. So we revised our naming
Each subscription website business model we write about has a distinct combination of characteristics
When Mequoda writes about subscription website business models, we always include a chart that outlines eight different characteristics of the different models. As far as we know, we’re the only ones writing at length about publishers’ website architecture, much less going into
A magazine or newsletter subscription site paired with a portal subscription website leads to publishing success
If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’re quite familiar with the Mequoda Method for multiplatform publishing success. You may even understand the acronym that sums it up: ACEM, which stands for:
Attract new visitors to your site organically.
Convert those
When the Internet burst on the scene and magazine publishers decided to get on the bandwagon, a lot of people simply shoveled their content up to the Web and called it a day. After all, there wasn’t a lot of guidance available in this brave new world.
“Give consumers what they want.” That’s both the motto and the business model at Prime Publishing, where a whopping 17 craft websites and 13 food sites – including one recently-launched site in each category – have led the company’s success since its founding in 2009.
When President Stuart Hochwert, a Mequoda Master, launched these sites, he had exactly nothing to start with. No legacy publications, no content, nada. And while print magazines are in its future, Prime’s primary focus right now is still subscription website publishing, all of it advertiser-supported.
The newsletter subscription website model is simple, clean and editorially-focused
Newsletter publishers, particularly those on the B-to-B side but also those with consumer titles in the finance and health fields, were among the first to embrace subscription websites. Perhaps that’s because the newsletter subscription website archetype is the easiest type of subscription website to build. The file size of newsletters is generally manageable, whether the newsletter is 8, 12, 16, 32, or more pages, since it is mostly text and often limited to black-and-white or two-color.
Gas stations, supermarkets and bookstores are all retail businesses. They all resell products, yet the specifics of their business models and their physical infrastructures are very different. Optimizing those specifics will support higher revenue, lower operating costs and happier customers.
What is an application website and what makes it a subscription website archetype?
While there is no single model for a Subscription Website, an application website is typically software based and allows users to download the software they desire internally. The Minimum Information Unit is a software application that often requires access to information in a proprietary database.
For most application websites, the majority of their revenue comes from user fees, and they usually accept little or no advertising. To keep fees rolling in, the application website publishers have to continue to provide customers with the information they want in an easily accessible manner.
What is a membership website and what makes it a subscription website archetype?
A Membership Website is an online destination—in and of itself. It may be structured as a “pure-play” site or as a “companion” website. Either way, members or subscribers register and pay to access information, organized library-style by topic of interest, or research information or find answers to a question.
The Minimum Information Unit is a person or member and all the information that member shares via their member profile, forum posts, file uploads, links and other data. The Ladders, Match.com and SSUG are benchmark sites for the Membership Website Archetype. All three require registration and payment for full access. One-day memberships generally have the highest fee, while annual memberships usually offer the lowest price and the most benefits.
A Membership Website is a subscription website archetype since it generates the majority of its revenues from user access fees. This website business model is similar to a print newsletter or magazine that accepts little or no advertising, relying primarily on user support. Membership websites often sell other branded information products that may include books, events and print periodicals at special member-only rates.
What is the reference website and why is it a subscription website?
The subscription website model is simple: pay-for-access.
Most subscriptions are sold on a time interval. One-day memberships generally have the highest fee, while annual memberships usually offer the lowest price and the most benefits.
Learn the 6 most profitable paid content business models in this 90-minute seminar hosted by Don Nicholas and several successful Subscription Website publishers.
Six best of the best new product development ideas in online publishing shared by publishers
How does a book make our list of “Top 20 Online Publishing Books”?
Over the past couple of months, we’ve been busily scouring Amazon.com for books on the topic of online publishing. There are 5,000+ books on Amazon that one could read to better their online publishing business.
Questions to ask before you launch a Membership Website. Are you a traditional print only publishing company considering the leap to online publishing? Welcome to the era of the internet! You may be contemplating the launch of a Membership Website. After all, you’ve got years of valuable content under your belt. Why not make even more money? Hold your britches, there are few things to consider to determine if it’s a good fit for your online publishing strategy.
A newsletter website is dedicated to a special interest topic. Newsletter websites are generally set up for subscribers to a print newsletter with access to back issues in either HTML or PDF form. The site also sells subscriptions to the newsletter.
Building or looking to improve a newsletter website? Learn these 8 best practices for building profitable newsletter website templates.
12 Online Business Models that Successful Publishers are Using to Distribute Content and Make Money Online
Many publishers refer to a Newsletter Website as a Membership Website, but the truth is that Newsletter Websites stand on their own.
Multiple Business Models are Required to Maximize Online Revenue
In session three, entitled Generating Website Revenue, Don revealed that there are the 12 different types of business models, or “archetypes” that a publisher uses to make money online.
“We have used the Mequoda System to create five successful membership programs that leverage our 227-year-old brand and the many books, calendars and issues we produce."
- Paul Belliveau, Vice President New Media and Production, The Old Farmer’s Almanac
“We partnered with Mequoda to create two successful all-access membership programs that are completely independent of our legacy advertising driven business.”
- Stuart Hochwert, Founder and CEO, Prime Publishing
“Even though we are a digital-only publisher, we’ve been able to adapt the Mequoda strategies to dramatically increase our revenues in less than 12 months.”
- Hampton Stephens, Publisher, World Politics Review
“Our all-access membership program includes our print edition, our amazing New England Travel Library, and our new PBS television series. We may have been founded in 1935, but our current strategy is fully multiplatform and digital.”
- Brook Holmberg, Publisher, Yankee Magazine
"We leveraged the Mequoda System and software to create two new capstone membership programs that have reignited our revenue growth."
- Ed Coburn President Cabot Wealth Network
