newspapers | Internet Marketing Blog

Newspaper panacea: a paid content cartel?

Everybody has accepted that the newspaper industry is in real trouble. The debate is now what newspapers can do to survive and rebuild for the internet era we live in.

Paid content seems like one of the most immediate possible solutions for stemming declining print and advertising revenues but paid content isn't easy for a number of reasons.

by Patricio Robles 06 April 2009 12:30pm 2 comments

Screw it. Let's read the paper

harley A friend of mine was recently hired as the ad director for a mid-market newspaper, owned by the Tribune Company. After he was there about a month I asked him, "so how do you plan on selling ads for a dying media?"

"For starters," he said, "I do something absolutely no one in that office does. Every morning I read the newspaper. Cover-to-cover."

by John Gaffney 30 March 2009 13:05pm 2 comments

Can the model behind the HuffPo's new venture keep journalism afloat?

As newspapers continue the struggle to adapt and survive in a digital world, just about everyone in the business is trying to figure out how to make journalism a profitable exercise in the 21st century, especially online.

Charging for content is back in vogue, but charging for valuable content that publishers have foolishly devalued through ad-supported business models that don't look so great today is a tough proposition.

by Patricio Robles 30 March 2009 09:22am 1 comment

Why do major publishers prevent Google from caching?

A website I run is undergoing a makeover and is down for the day, and I wanted to show somebody the old version. As such I aimed for the Google cache, which is useful in this sort of situation.

I noticed that the cache had updated in the early hours of the morning, and as such I couldn’t see our old site. Bugger.

It seems that Google is caching news sites with increasing frequency. Yet some newspaper websites don't like Google caching at all...

by Chris Lake 24 March 2009 12:12pm 9 comments

Search ads a potent tool for recruiters?

With massive layoffs hitting major companies around the world there's no shortage of people looking for jobs.

But at the same time companies are watching how much they spend and want the most bang for their buck anyway they can get it. That's true when it comes to recruiting too.

by Patricio Robles 09 March 2009 09:29am 1 comment

Plenty of Fish decides to go paid but is its effort half-baked?

Plenty of Fish is one of the most popular dating websites in the world. Despite the fact that it's visually unappealing, there's good reason for its popularity. Unlike most of its competitors, Plenty of Fish is totally free.

Its operator, Markus Frind, reportedly makes $10m a year from advertising displayed on Plenty of Fish. On average, it's said that he puts in about 10 hours a week running the site.

by Patricio Robles 06 March 2009 10:43am 9 comments

New York Times goes to the 'hood

If The New York Times fails, it won’t be for lack of effort. The cash-strapped Gray Lady launched an aggressive new content-driven effort today, aimed at more engaged readers and hopefully, new advertisers.

It’s called “The Local.” Before you say, "Right, newspapers are local," understand this is actually hyperlocal. It's an attempt by The Times to re-position itself from the center of the globe to the center of town.

by John Gaffney 02 March 2009 22:13pm 1 comment

Newspapers trying to figure out online business models

That the newspaper business is ailing isn't exactly news. With some newspapers closing altogether and others doing what they can to deal with still-declining revenue, it's clear that the newspaper industry needs to adapt.

The internet is increasingly the medium that newspapers are turning to as they try to adapt but it's not a quick fix.

by Patricio Robles 02 March 2009 09:30am 1 comment

How newspapers can make good use of Digg

Digg It seems that The Telegraph has been using Digg successfully to drive more traffic to its website, and provides a useful example for other newspaper and blogs to follow.

By encouraging readers to Digg the stories they are reading on the newspaper site, The Telegraph has managed to increase the amount of traffic it receives from the social news site, and is now largest recipient of Digg traffic in the UK.

by Graham Charlton 13 February 2009 12:59pm 0 comments

Mobile app review: Telegraph on iPhone

The Telegraph released an iPhone app last week, the first to be developed by any of the UK's newspapers, though others will surely follow.

In an area where few of the UK's newspapers excel, The Telegraph had one of the better mobile versions of its site, so has it managed to create a decent iPhone app?

by Graham Charlton 13 February 2009 10:24am 3 comments