The top ten companies gracing this year’s CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list received scant Tier 1 coverage during the previous 12 months. Based on SWMS research, the coverage that companies did receive was overwhelmingly from verticals. We did see three flattering profiles, worth deconstructing to see the elements they required.
If it wasn’t before, Fast Company’s Work Life section became perfectly positioned when legions of readers began working where they lived and living where they worked. “I will say what our editor-in-chief, Stephanie Mehta, has said about Work Life, which is, it’s table stakes for us,” says deputy editor Kathleen (Kate) Davis.
Our subscribers long have sought Tier 1 coverage, but these days there’s an urgency like never before. As part of this week’s SWMS Tier 1 deep-dive, we explore some fascinating numbers from SimilarWeb. Read on for eye-openers that will change the way you think about the edit landscape.
YOUR ACCOUNT
FRIDGE NOTES
This will get a lot of coverage, with any luck. Subscription may be required.
Terrific interview in Press Gazette UK with Dow Jones CEO and WSJ publisher Almar Latour. Revenue and earnings are up — 80 percent comes from digital. Advertising revenue was down slightly, but subscriptions are strong and growing. Almar was quite generous in his advice to competitors — “differentiate,” he says.
A survey fielded Nov. 27 asked how much (or how little) subscribers would pay for The Economist’s subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters, as well as its digital edition and a digital-print bundle. The survey strategy is brilliant: what if the publication charges too much, or worse, too little? Clearly, the publication is contemplating pricing changes and wants to maximize revenue.
“You can read us first, or read them later,” says The Information in a new advertising campaign. You will not see a better way to call attention to excellent editorial.
What a good idea — and lucrative too. Fortune launches a list of the biggest companies in Europe by revenue. Can the Fortune 500 Asia be far behind?
The FT has a cool scoop about Hunterbrook, a new kind of investment firm. Guided in part by former WSJ EIC Matt Murray, Hunterbrook’s business model is part investment firm, part publisher. The investment side of the house drives a (theoretically) market-moving business deal, while the publishing side of the house — comprised of veteran business reporters and analysts — works alongside under NDA. At the very moment the deal is announced, the editorial side publishes the article, moving the market and giving Hunterbrook first-mover advantage. It’s all legal. though leaks could pose a moral hazard.
