How Newspapers and Magazines Can Increase Profitability in a Digital Age

Since 2007 a number of newspapers have failed, including such publications as the Baltimore Examiner, San Juan Star, Rocky Mountain News, Kentucky Post, the Cincinnati Post and many others. These failures are, among other things, being attributed to the onslaught of digital media and proliferation of free information that abounds on the Internet.

Like many others, I no longer purchase print media unless absolutely necessary. Instead I purchase digital editions of books, music and newspapers when available. The old model of selling physical copies is fast becoming obsolete, and the companies that embrace the new age will be successful, while the ones who resist will end up shuttered and dead like the Carson Times.

The Pay Wall has become the response that print media has made to the digital revolution: for a fee, readers can access a complete copy of articles that are available from that company. While some offer this service at a per-article fee, the majority are leaning toward the subscription method, making all of the content available for an annual or a monthly fee.

There are two downsides to the subscription option: readers may not wish to pay the cost of a subscription just to access the single article they desire, and they may not wish to obligate themselves to a recurring payment.

I offer an alternative to both of these services, a method that will not only enable print media companies to increase the profitability of older articles, but that will enable readers to affordably access the content they desire.

Selling Back Issues
Offering past editions of newspapers or magazines online would enable readers to purchase the entire content of back editions for less than they would pay for a subscription but allow them to receive more value than they would receive from purchasing an individual article.

PDF would be the perfect format for these editions; they could even have DRM inserted within if the companies decided to further protect their content. These articles would then be seen exactly as they appeared in print, increasing the visibility of any advertising within the pages and enhance the value of the content. PayPal or another click-to-purchase model combined with instant downloads would make purchasing back editions quick, painless and desirable for those preferring the digital format.

At the end of every article snippet would be the phrase "to purchase a PDF edition of this issue, click here" with a link to the page offering that back edition for sale, and each of those sales pages could include a brief summary of the issue in question.

By offering these editions at slightly less than the price of print editions (perhaps even after the physical copy has ran its printed course), readers would then be allowed to purchase only those issues they want, yet the companies would be able to market entire back issues at a higher price than they could sell individual articles.

Offering Anthologies
Anthologies are another method of making back editions profitable. For a single price, readers could purchase every issue released in the past month or year just like networks offer past seasons of television shows. This would benefit the reader by allowing them to purchase the entire line of content for a particular time period at a discounted rate when compared to purchasing individual digital editions, appealing to those who desire complete collections. These could be the same PDF editions being sold individually but zipped in a single file, perhaps with an additional file listing individual articles sorted by issue hyperlinked directly to the articles in question, speeding the purchaser's ability to locate individual articles.

These options could not only be marketed on the media's website, but sold on other platforms as well. If a company modified their layout, they could market these issues for sale on devices like the Kindle, the Nook or even the iPhone to increase the visibility, accessibility and profitability of their content.

Digital media can either be a bane or a blessing. Companies that are willing to adapt and embrace the possibilities will thrive in this new age while meeting the needs of the evolving marketplace. It is my hope that publications will consider the suggestions here to not only better accommodate their readers, but to increase their financial profitability as well.