Does Forbes have the size to be successful as a public company?

Aaron Elstein of Crain’s New York Business writes about Forbes’ plan to go public. Elstein writes, “The big idea behind Forbes’ proposed turn as a public company is transforming it into a licensing company. “It’s not a new idea. Forbes succeeded back in the day because ownership picked sharp editors, like Michaels, while marketing itself as […]

How Forbes’ different businesses produce revenue

Sara Guaglione of Digiday has a breakdown of the financial performance of the different business units at Forbes as it prepares to go public. Guaglione writes, “This year, Forbes is projected to generate $138 million in media revenue (up 5% year over year), $47 million in brand extensions revenue (up 19% year over year) and $16 […]

How Quartz is using membership to fund journalism

Aisha Majid of The Press Gazette writes about how Quartz is using a membership model to fund its journalism. Majid writes, “While on the face of it Quartz’s membership programme might more closely resemble a subscription (the content is behind a paywall), Frick says that the publication’s relationship with readers is more than just transactional. “‘The […]

New Arkansas Business EIC: Our mission won’t change

Lance Turner, the new editor of Arkansas Business, writes about taking over the top spot of the publication after helping start its website in 2000. Turner writes, “I tagged along with Hankins and Brent Birch, our newly hired chief information officer, to regular meetings with Aristotle, the Little Rock web design firm that built the first […]

FT to open bureau in Hollywood

The Financial Times plans to open a bureau in Hollywood as part of its U.S. expansion plans, reports Sara Guaglione of Digiday. Guaglione reports, “The FT is targeting “global Americans” or those involved in an industry or sector that is ‘global in scale,’ such as finance, energy and tech, Spiegel said. Or Americans that have […]

How the WSJ’s events business has thrived

Jacob Granger of Journalism.co.uk explores how The Wall Street Journal’s events business thrived during the pandemic. Granger writes, “The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has been setting up virtual events throughout the pandemic to bolster its editorial coverage as well as to expand its pool of 2.5m digital subscribers. “The Future of Everything Festival is one of its […]

What’s behind Business Insider’s subscription strategy

Jacob Granger of Journalism.co.uk examined the subscription strategy of Business Insider. Granger writes, “The news publisher does have a distinctly decluttered look to its articles. More than that though, Oran says reporters are encouraged to be ‘edgy’ and tell stories as if ‘they are explaining something to a friend at a bar.’ “Jargon is a turn […]

Bloomberg experiments with subscriber-only content to boost retention

Mark Stenberg of Adweek reports that Bloomberg Media is experimenting with subscriber-only content as as way to boost retention. Stenberg writes, “Bloomberg Media has begun experimenting with offering subscriber-only content related to its free, talent-driven products, such as its newsletter and podcast Odd Lots. “While claims about retention rates require time to validate, early engagement […]

Inside The Information’s paywall strategy

Simon Owens examines how tech news site The Information gets readers to subscribe in a conversation with CEO Jessica Lessin. Owens writes, “I asked Jessica what’s the leading conversion channel that entices someone into becoming a paid subscriber. Many publishers, for instance, have found that getting someone signed up for a newsletter will make them […]

Ex-Quartz cofounders launch new venture covering work

Former Quartz co-founders Kevin Delaney and Jay Lauf have launched a new venture called Charter covering the future of work, reports Sara Fischer of Axios. Fischer reports, “‘There are other media companies that write about this topic — some occasionally and some more frequently, but it’s one topic among many things that they do,’ Delaney said. ‘This is […]