Subscriptions are the most sustainable pathway forward for local news

Google and Facebook haven’t given publishers many options when it comes to generating revenue. The two tech giants own virtually all of the advertising market. Not to mention, anyone can run an ad with moderate effort targeting their potential customers down to where they live and their occupation type.

Is advertising impossible for local news publications?

Not at all. There’s still revenue to be made, especially with selling advertising in hyperlocal newsletters. But don’t count on advertising funding your entire operation forever.

Will local newspapers be able to generate the same amount of income that they used to?

This really depends on the audience size. When it comes to paywalls, we are essentially shifting the model away from advertising to small monthly/yearly recurring payments from readers. While this process can be slow, the investment pays huge dividends, especially when customer retention rates are high month-to-month. Generating revenue via readers is a lot less risky as it diversifies income across thousands of individuals versus relying on a handful of large advertisers.

Revenue is directly correlated to the number of people willing to pay for your local news content. Determine how many subscribers you’d like to have, the potential market size for your paper or niche content, and go from there.

We recommend a free wall or trial approach when getting started to grow your newsletter. If you happen to be in the market for a fully managed subscription platform, we can help!