OK, so I’m technically doing a “mini-keynote” to help kick off the Niche Digital Conference this Fall in Chicago, but it’s still a keynote! I’m thrilled to be working once again with the Niche Media team. If you’ve never been to a Niche Media event, I highly recommend them. Excellent, practical content, good people, and an entrepreneurial environment for niche consumer, business-to-business and regional media companies. This is the 2nd annual Niche Digital Conference and is entirely focused on building out digital revenue streams. The most surprising statistic...

I just found out that someone took video of the panel I spoke at during last year’s Catalyst Investors Digital Media Panel and posted it to YouTube. Here I was asked about what the major differences are between print and online publishing. Key points: Online is still publishing, just a different medium and vernacular. You can’t just slap your print content online once a month and expect to succeed. Build off the value of your existing brand. Realize you’ll have to transform your entire company’s culture. Give it focus. What does not have focus will not succeed. Online is NOT...

Magazine publishers are still looking for that magic formula to really boost online revenue. What new strategy or technology will help us make up for what we’ve been losing in print? A couple of years ago, it was vertical search and online events that were hailed as the “next big thing.” Now it’s mobile devices and online video. Tomorrow it will be something else. Sorry to break it to you, but there is no silver bullet when it comes to online media. Time and again, I see publishers wondering which new online technology will give them something tantalizing to dangle in front of their...

I’m honored to be part of a panel speaking at an upcoming webinar by min called “Monetizing Content Online: Turning Editorial & Eyeballs into Real Revenue.” The topic is a bit generic, but the panel min has assembled is excellent: Kevin Gentzel, Chief Advertising Office, Forbes.com Jim Berra, Senior VP & General Manager, Rodale Interactive John Alderman, Publisher, Slate.com And, of course, yours truly Key issues will include: Using content to create unique advertising opportunities and other revenue streams Creating content that readers want to use and share The role of...

Are you able to answer the following questions off the top of your head? Why do you have a Web site? What is the purpose of your e-mail newsletter? These seem like simple enough questions, but for some reason, they’re incredibly hard for many publishers to answer – or, at least, it’s hard to answer them well. And, those companies that have difficulty answering these questions are usually the same ones with lackluster online media businesses. Online media, just like print, must serve a reader need that cannot be fulfilled in the same way by someone else. It’s the golden...