We get it—because many of us have been there. You have just a few more months to deliver a serious jolt to your revenue and get it where it needs to be.
Like most publishers, your reader revenue funnel probably has many sources. Maybe they include display ads, subscriptions, events, and newsletters. And like many publishers, the amount you get from any one of those content monetization sources is probably in constant flux. By continuing to make adjustments, even small ones, you can see which ones could earn you more money.
Here are a few of the tried-and-true methods small and large publishers have used to keep their revenues on the increase.
1. Unlock more inventory by addressing adblocking now
More than 1 in every 4 U.S. internet users uses an ad blocker, according to eMarketer, and while uptake rates have slowed, there are still about 3 million more people installing such software each year. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, and many of those using ad blockers have become set in their ways. If 25% of your traffic is not being monetized because they're using adblockers, you have an immediate/untapped source of revenue already coming to your site.
Unlocking visitors immediately provides a maximum Q4 boost so your impressions get monetized with big holiday CPMs, which are typically 1.5-2X+ greater from mid-November through December.
However, if you have established trust with your readers, some may be willing to turn off their ad blockers or add you to their whitelists, especially if you make it easy for them. Admiral’s Visitor Relationship Management tools can help readers do just that, and just as important, help you estimate how much you're losing to the blockers in the first place, and how much revenue recovery you need to do to compensate.
Ad reinsertion is another option for publishers seeking adblock recovery. It does have to be used thoughtfully, to preserve a good experience for readers.
Unlocked blockers also deliver high "first look" CPMs, since ad buyers will pay a premium for impressions coming from users who may not have seen an ad for months or more.
2. Sell ad-lite or ad-free subscriptions
Depending on your vertical and the uniqueness of the content you provide, you may be able to sell readers a site experience that comes with fewer ads. You must make it very easy for readers to sign up for an ad-lite or ad-free subscription, with a clean and straightforward path.
10 out of 10 times you'll earn far more from a user paying even just $1 a month for an ad-free subscription than you'd make from that same user in ad monetization. Try this with your adblock visitors: you're not monetizing them at this point, and many are willing to pay for digital content and services.
Admiral’s suite includes an automated paywall and and subscription management to grow sign-ups for ad-free and ad-lite subscriptions quickly. You can copy/paste the single tag in minutes, and it's easy to test the feature, whether for all your readers or just adblockers.
Related: Ad-Free Subscription Guide
Reader revenue subscriptions can be sliced and diced in many different ways, depending on your audience and its needs. A several-month teaser rate might help grow subscriptions, as might an offer bundling additional services or subscriptions. The offer of ad-free or ad-lite is sure to catch the attention of 30-60% of your audience, and you can turn that attention into paid ad-free or ad-lite subscription revenue today.
3. Grow and monetize your newsletter
Your newsletter might be able to pull more weight, with a bit more resources. Many companies have been able to start publishing more than the typical once-a-week offering. If you already have the correct cadence for your audience, or you already send newsletters on different topics, consider creating a special end-of-week roundup for readers who want just the most important and popular stories across your offerings.
Admiral can help you grow your email list effectively and quickly. Admiral can quickly set up engagements to drive email signups, a registration wall, and even build accounts for registered users to grow your 1st party data. An engagement program is super easy to start, and it allows you to segment site visitors and align the messaging and timing for optimal conversions.
When it comes to monetizing your newsletters, platforms like Liveintent and Passendo allow you to place ads programmatically, brokering an auction for inventory among advertisers seeking exposure among the audiences you've grown.
4. Create and monetize custom videos
Video advertising is another potential source of extra revenue, but it’s not one that easy to ramp up at first. Companies like Wibbitz can help you leapfrog the initial steps. Its video creation tools let publishers create short-form videos that complement the rest of their content. Its players can be easily embedded into your site, and Wibbitz can handle inserting ads into your content, making it a turn-key solution. Other companies are willing to pay you directly to embed their player onto your page, but it’s essential that such pairings are natural and work for both you and your audience.
5. Don’t forget affiliate revenue
Once a small part of many websites’ monetization strategies, affiliate marketing has taken off in the past few years, with major media sites and many others collecting referral fees when readers buy products and services through links on their site. In addition, other sites pay for driving traffic to their site, rather than for actual purchases. Amazon’s affiliate program is the most prominent, but there are many others, and it pays to research to see which would be the best fit (and more profitable), given your site and audience.
Related: Ad-blockers Impact on Affiliate Links
Relationships = Revenue, particularly when the publishing business is being disrupted by adblockers, privacy regulations, and a move away from 3rd party tracking. Admiral understands this, and provides ways to deepen the visitor relationships, deliver the right engagement at the right time, to grow email lists, digital subscriptions, adblock recovery, multi-site offers, and more. Request a demo to learn more about Admiral's Visitor Relationship Management benefits, and to get your FREE Revenue Analytics Dashboard.
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