The myth of the creator who’s an “overnight success”
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The myth of the creator who’s an “overnight success”
Why it’s interesting: A lot of times when you think a creator is an “overnight success,” it actually turns out they put in countless hours of work before they blew up.
Amazon is a secret media behemoth
Why it’s interesting: We don’t always think of Amazon as a media powerhouse, but think of all the media properties it owns: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Twitch, Audible, Kindle publishing, and the Echo.
I’d buy that all these assets add up to $500 billion in value.
How virtual live events drive subscriptions
Why it’s interesting: The New York Times doubles down on the theory that live virtual events lead to increased intimacy with subscribers and potential subscribers.
Why some creators choose TikTok over other platforms
Why it’s interesting: A lot of TikTok stars talk about how their stardom seemed almost “accidental.” You don’t hear that phrase used with a lot of other platforms, which often require a lot of grueling hard work to build a following.
The role newsletters and podcasts play in reducing subscriber churn
Why it’s interesting: Want to keep a new subscriber from canceling their subscription? Get them addicted to as many of your newsletters and podcasts as possible.
The decline of newspapers started long before the founding of both Facebook and Google
Why it’s interesting: Some really good food for thought here as to whether Facebook and Google “stole” advertising from newspapers. The basic thesis is that, even if Google and Facebook disappeared tomorrow, most of that revenue wouldn’t flow back to newspapers.
The rise and fall of Quartz
Why it’s interesting: Interesting history of how Quartz went from trying to appeal to high income readers and luxury advertisers to struggling to survive when advertising revenue plummeted.
That Covid-19 subscription boost might not last
Why it’s interesting: Know how so many publishers are reporting massive increases in paid subscribers during Covid? A lot of those are being lured by huge discounts, which will result in sizable churn once they expire.
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