The document outlines over a dozen new revenue ideas for publishers presented by Jim Sulecki at a niche media conference. Some of the key ideas discussed include spinning off new publications by contiguous markets or vertically within a market, establishing alliances, offering continuing education credits, segmenting audiences by age or size, creating niche or mega events, mining existing data, building a direct-to-market business, and custom digital services. Sulecki also provides tips on how to implement new ideas such as formally scanning for opportunities annually, prioritizing ideas, staying within scope, and coordinating across platforms.

1. A DOZEN (OR MORE)
NEW REVENUE IDEAS
FOR PUBLISHERS
And Tips On How to Pull Them Off
Jim Sulecki | Corporate Content Director | Meister Media Worldwide
Niche Media Conference | Denver, CO | April 1, 2015

2. Jim Sulecki | Corporate Content Director | Meister Media Worldwide
Editorial
198x-2002
Publishing Mgmt / Sales
2002-2008
Digital Media
2008-2012
2012-

3. Willoughby, OH | Orlando, FL | Memphis, TN | Modesto, CA

4. RICHARD T. MEISTER
Chairman Emeritus | Editor-in-Chief
“Happy families
growing things…”

5. 80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2010 2015 (B) 2017 (T)
Print
Events, Awards
Digital
“Direct To Market”
Total Revenue Growth
CHANGES IN REVENUE MIX
Greater revenue
diversity – but far
more demand for
ideas, product
development

6. TOTAL COMMUNITY:
GETTING PRODUCTS INTO ORBIT
Audience Advertisers
Print
Digital
Events
Data
Initiatives

7. EVERYTHING NOW IS MULTI-PLATFORM
For media today,
working across
platforms is not a
choice – it’s a
necessity
(rock bands may have been among the first to get this)

8. AND BTW…WHY NEW REVENUE IDEAS?

9. DOWN TO BUSINESS
• A Dozen (Or More) New Revenue Ideas
• Tips On How How To Pull It All Off
• Takeaways
• Dialogue

10. A DOZEN (OR MORE)
NEW REVENUE IDEAS

11. IDEA 1: SPIN OFFS!
BY CONTIGUOUS MARKET
> >
Offspring now generate more revenue than their ‘mother’
>
?

12. IDEA 2: SPIN OFF VERTICALLY
WITHIN A MARKET
>
• Economies of
scale – same
staff
• Stay in scope
– no mission
creep; product
must be
differentiated

13. IDEA 3: LAUNCH ACROSS MARKETS
• Serve
common
interests

14. IDEA 4: ESTABLISH ALLIANCES
• Bring to
the table
what
another
doesn’t
have

15. IDEA 5: OFFER CEUs
• Gives
another
compelling
reason to
attend

16. IDEA 6: SEGMENT BY SIZE
• The very
largest
• Sponsored
print, digital,
events
• Opportunity
for audience
revenue

17. IDEA 7: SEGMENT BY AGE
• Sponsor
revenue?
• Audience
revenue?
• At the very
least…grooming
next-generation
audience

18. IDEA 8: NICHE EVENTS
• Tightly focus on bringing
buyers, sellers together
• Be leery of taking on large,
“pipe-and-drape”
tradeshows – unless
there’s a clear need

19. IDEA 9: MEGA EVENTS
• If there is a clear
need…go for it!
• Organizer of this
show once was a
magazine publisher

20. SOME NOTES ON EVENTS
One size does not fit all!
• Tradeshow
• Hosted buyer
• Conferences
• Seminars
• Awards

21. SOME NOTES ON EVENTS
The margins on events often aren’t as
good as those for print (or digital)
People Time Cost Of Goods
Print
Digital
Events
Medium Medium
High Low
High High



Media moving
increasingly to
a more labor-
intensive model

22. SOME NOTES ON EVENTS
They’re multi-platform-dependent / content hogs
• You can have print (or digital) without events,
BUT…
• It’s hard to have events without print (and nearly
impossible without digital)

23. SOME NOTES ON EVENTS
Do they really play
to the strengths of
editors?

24. IDEA 10:
CREATE
AWARDS
PROGRAMS
• Like events,
these play out
across multiple
platforms

25. IDEA 11: MINE THE
DATA YOU HAVE ON
ADVERTISERS,
PRODUCTS,
AUDIENCE

26. EXAMPLE:
Distributors search
for suppliers of
specific products…

27. …then send out
product requests.

28. Suppliers review
requests, and
respond.

29. BUILT-IN BENEFITS
• Tied-in to events that are
in-person analog to buy-
sell mode
• Already have most data
from a (discontinued)
print title
• Flat-page directory
promotes data product

30. AND…A FEW PRECAUTIONS
• Anticipate that data publishing
is very different from
journalism publishing
• Mindset
• Skillset
• Build for eventual subscriber
support; ad revenue a plus
• Build products, not platforms!

31. A SUCCESS STORY
• $700k annual
revenue
• Wraps value around
the user
o Certification
o Events
o Online tools

32. IDEA 12: CARVE A WHOLE
NEW DATA NICHE
Be prepared to go both high
and low
o On-the ground data
gathering, verifying
of supplied data
o Hiring a data scientist
(a) (b)

33. IDEA 13: BE THE
LEARNING CENTER
FOR YOUR MARKET
• Audience revenue
• Revenue share with
presenters
• Presenters are speakers
are columnists

34. IDEA 14: TOPICAL
ENEWSLETTERS
Tightly focused on
specific topics
o Content deep dives
for audience
o Hospitable
environment for
category advertisers

35. IDEA 15: LET
CONTRIBUTORS
DO THE TALKING
• Penton’s “Xpert”
bloggers across markets
• Drive engagement (and
pageviews /
sponsorships)
• Site is thought-leader

36. IDEA 16: INITIATIVES
Something a whole market
can rally behind
o A better future
o Education
o Increase in
professionalism
o Government advocacy
o Industry recruitment

37. IDEA 16: INITIATIVES
Example:
o Leadership
roundtables about the
city’s future
o Events for young
people and new
residents
o Awards for best rehabs
o Contests for best new
ideas
o Tours of interesting areas
o Corporate sponsors
o Affiliations with city groups
“Rebuilding / Rebranding Cleveland”

38. IDEA 17: BUILD YOUR
DIRECT-TO-MARKET BUSINESS
• News flash: The larger share of
most marketers’ spend is not
going to media platforms
• Five areas at Meister:
o Mail direct
o Email direct
o Data services
o Custom publishing
o Custom events

39. IDEA 18: CUSTOM DIGITAL SERVICES
• Four key areas:
o Custom content
o Site design
o Site development
o Video / webinar production
• Custom content is BIG

40. TIPS ON HOW TO PULL
IT ALL OFF

41. FORMALLY “SCAN” THE YEAR AHEAD
FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES
• Mid-year-ish
• All-hands | half-day discussion
• Emerging trends | possible
opportunities
• Build into coming year’s plans
• Idea-generation at every strata

42. BE CLEAR ABOUT PEOPLE’S
MOTIVATION TO TAKE ON NEW IDEAS
• Sales people: generally financial
• Editors and assorted creatives:
a new intellectual challenge
• All: a sense that you’re part of
something progressive and
rewarding
$

43. “Idea generation is not a problem
in our organization. We have
plenty of good ideas.”
– Gary T. Fitzgerald, Chairman/CEO, Meister Media Worldwide

44. PRIORITIZE / FLIGHT IDEAS
• Beware pet projects
• Someone has to play traffic
cop
• Prioritizing criteria needed
(often revenue)
• Balance between
empowering and practicality

45. STAY WITHIN SCOPE
• Especially important for
developmental and custom
projects
• “But this client is spending
$X with us…”

46. NOT JUST GROWTH –
PROFITABLE GROWTH!
• Know when to start –
and when to stop
• If it ain’t fixed, break it!
“Media
companies
have a hard
time stopping
something
once it’s
started”

47. INVEST AND RESOURCE
• Redeploy current employees
• Or…new hires – usually with
specialized, proven knowledge
• Although – increasingly finding
some knowledge of / instinct for
the market is important

48. COORDINATE ACROSS PLATFORMS
• Vertical excellence
needed – but
horizontal
consistency makes a
product / project sing!

49. TAKEAWAYS

50. TAKEAWAYS
• Expand horizontally – “next door” markets
• Expand vertically – new demographic strata
within your core market

51. TAKEAWAYS
• Think core market needs – then platforms

52. TAKEAWAYS
• Harness the power of co-workers’ ideas, buy-in
• Reckon with the time and money to get
something new off the ground (usually 30% more
than estimated)
• Judge by results (“brand-building” need not
apply)

53. TAKEAWAYS
• Know there is no way back – publishing is now
multi-platform, multi-faceted
• Enjoy it! This is a deeper, richer experience

54. Thank you
Jim Sulecki | Corporate Content Director | Meister Media Worldwide
Niche Media Conference | Denver, CO | April 1, 2015