Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Can Journalists Actually Get Paid To Create Content?

Advertising has been the primary source of revenue for journalists since the mid-1800's. But that model is quickly eroding as advertisers are losing confidence in legacy-journalism (is the advertising effective as audiences demassify, etc).

Over the last two years, several newspapers and web operations have started asking readers to pay to see content online. eMedia looked at the best practices of a few and came up with interesting findings:

- Traffic will drop after the paywall is implemented.
- That's not necessarily a bad thing. Paid subscriptions may be worth more than high page view numbers.
- Advertising rates behind a paywall could remain steady despite the decreased traffic. The paying audience could have greater value.
- Having strong content is essential. You need the audience feel as though they are getting their money's worth.

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