DISQUS

Robin Good's Master New Media: Content Publishing Strategy: Free or Paid? What Is Better?

  • Nuno · 1 year ago
    Ciao Robin,
    ti seguo sempre e mi piace il tuo stylo, come dicono i toscani mi é garbato molto il cappelo POP, mi sa che ne faccio uno anche io.

    Mi e piaciuto sopratutto il concetto di costruzione di club che dicevi.

    Nuno (Isole di Capo Verde)
  • digidave · 1 year ago
    Robin
    This is a topic I've been wresting with myself. In fact, I just got finished reading an essay from Clay Shriky about this topic: http://shirky.com/writings/fame_vs_fortune.html

    He deals with a lot of similar issues.

    I still think there has to be an alternative. I come at this question from the angle of a professional journalist. Giving away content on blogs is great. But what about the local investigations??? Those take time. They take months even - someone has to dedicate their themselves to it as a full time job. And that means - they need to make a living. The question is, how?

    Of course - my personal blog, for example, is the kind of content that should be given away for free. But if I were to start investigating the school district in San Francisco - that's an important topic - and if I were to do it all the time, as a full time job, I'd like to be compensated (since i would need to eat).

    It's a growing issue. Excited to see how it plays out.
  • RobinGood · 1 year ago
    Hi Dave,
    thank you for this thoughtful comment.

    Re your reading on Clay Shirky, I think he really writes some great stuff, and at the time he wrote that essay I wrote my own version of what I thought on the same topic. See what you think of it: http://www.masternewmedia.org/2003/09/29/first_...

    Re the work of a professional journalist it all depends on the circumstances and goals of the person and not by established rules existing out there.

    The point is that one can put out a lot of valuable free content with the goal of getting paid (and more) for specific assignments, as your credibility and authority grow by giving out more for free.

    As a matter of fact a perfect balance between free and paid content may be the very best option for those who want to both increase their authority and their revenues.
  • Trisha · 1 year ago
    It is recommended, in traditional media, that advertising revenue only make 40% or less of your total revenue. This encourages transparency, makes you less dependent on more fluctuating markets (advertising vs. subscriptions), and creates a more sustainable business overall.

    I had to get funding for a startup magazine 5 years ago - when the traditional publishing biz was still flourishing. This is something I found out the hard way in front of a board of investors.

    A business is not viable until the readership recognizes enough value in your content that they will open their wallet for you.