FEATURED ARTICLE — December 19th, 2018

Don’t Give Up the Reins Just Yet: Three Ways Independent Media Brands can Survive Without Being Acquired

By Craig Corbett

From Time Magazine being bought over by SalesForce founder Marc Benioff to Mental Floss being snapped up by publishing platform Minute Media, over the last couple of months we have seen a number of media companies being acquired by larger players.  

Since the internet blew the traditional media’s advertising model out of the water, media companies of all shapes and sizes have struggled to stay profitable. This has led to newsroom cuts, closures, and in many cases, media brands being forced to accept acquisitions to remain in the game. However, many argue that if acquired by the wrong organization, media publications risk giving up the reins on their editorial, and losing control of the direction their brand moves in. 

So while media companies need to develop monetization tactics which allow them to stay profitable, current with technological trends, and able to employ top talent, what are some other ways to do so without handing over the reins to another company? : 

Create brand studios

With consumers reluctant to buy subscriptions, and averse to more ‘in your face’ advertising styles like pop-ups and autostart videos, many media companies have turned to native advertising to monetize. Native, or sponsored content is long form editorial which is not overtly promotional, and designed to mimic the style, and quality of the rest of a publishers content. 

This style of advertising has grown in popularity over the last few years, as it is proven to resonate better with readers, with 70% saying they would rather learn about products and services from high-quality content than traditional ads.

The most effective sponsored posts don’t go in for the hard sell, but instead draw the reader in with relevant, informative content that... Read More