Digital That Makes Money

Don’t feel bad.

Newspapers can’t figure digital out, either.

The New York Times is eating itself alive to find the digital future with another 30-something Sulzberger waiting in the wings to replace his father as publisher.  The new Sulzberger is stronger on digital than reporting.

They’re firing the expensive and experienced reporters and editors (oh, I should say buying out) and stocking on people who can create visual stories.

Jeff Bezos is pouring lots of money that he surely has into making The Washington Post the digital exception.  So far, mixed results.

I saw this Bloomberg piece on “Facebook, Snapchat Deals Produce Meager Results for News Outlets” and I was not surprised.

Radio is busy giving away its free radio on the Internet and through mobile apps because, after all, it’s free, right?

But the more radio stations drive audiences away from the actual radio station, the more they need a revenue model to replace the eventual lost income from lost listenership.

The same dilemma newspapers face trying to replace print advertisers and paid subscribers.

Radio actually translates well into the digital space.  It just doesn’t monetize well.

If I told you you could make one-third the revenue you are now making with on-air advertising within 3 to 4 years from separate digital content, you wouldn’t turn it down, would you?

So I’m hoping you’re at a point where you’d like to join our discussion at my upcoming learning conference about digital that actually makes money.

  1. Short-form video – low cost (just need an iPhone 7) and lots of ways to monetize.  Teens make more money than most radio stations on digital revenue by doing product placement.  Let me show you how.
  2. How to pick the right video topics to stream and market and then how to multiple them by six or seven projects over 12 month.
  3. No real cost even in talent with this innovative deal that you’ll want to put into contract form.
  4. Credit for listening -- Why streaming your on-air station without metrics that an agency and buyer will accept and pay for is madness.  
  5. What about a stream that is for members only – no commercials, just a fair subscription fee.  As you know I love paid subscriptions and people will pay for that which they value.
  6. Let’s discuss a music discovery station that has no commercials, is curated, which starts with an hour a day of new content and is available by subscription only.  Let’s talk how to price it.
  7. Spoken word opportunities -- And if you’re into news or sports, a local service – with elements that are not available elsewhere is also subscription bait.

There’s more.

Like apps with content that disappears in 24 hours – disappearing content is the rage now on Instagram and Snapchat.

Great for social scenes, Friday and Saturday night, clubs, bars, restaurants, music venues with information and discounts not available elsewhere.

The first radio execs to understand that the reason the industry has not generated meaningful money in digital is because for radio it has been product extension.

Let’s talk about creating new and separate digital products at The 2017 Radio Solutions Conference

Here’s the full curriculum:

  1. Reducing High Advertiser Churn
  2. Strategies for Ending Rampant Rate Cutting
  3. Attracting Millennial Listeners
  4. Rebuilding Eroding Radio Audiences
  5. The Morning Show of the Future
  6. Eliminating the 3 Biggest Listener Objections to Radio
  7. Listen Longer Strategies
  8. Solutions to Commercial Clutter
  9. Digital That Makes Money
  10. Underground AM Stations
  11. Podcasting, Yes or No? 

Details …