Embrace Technology and Diversify Revenue for Niche Publisher Survival

The media landscape is in constant flux, but the core principles of delivering unique value to a dedicated audience remain. This conversation with Alisa Cromer reveals that while technology shifts, the fundamental challenge for publishers--especially in local media--is embracing that technology not as a threat, but as a tool for survival and growth. The non-obvious implication is that the publishers most likely to thrive are those willing to invest significant, sustained effort into understanding and integrating new technological capabilities, even when it’s difficult and time-consuming. This requires a mindset shift away from traditional media operations and towards a more entrepreneurial, tech-forward approach. Those who embrace this will gain a significant advantage over competitors clinging to outdated models.

The Uncomfortable Truth: Technology Demands More Than a Quick Fix

The media industry, particularly local news, has historically struggled with its relationship with technology. Alisa Cromer, a veteran journalist and publisher, observes a recurring pattern: publishers often resist adopting new technologies, clinging to familiar, albeit increasingly ineffective, models. This resistance, she argues, stems from a lack of technological background and a failure to grasp the "Innovator's Dilemma"--the tendency for established players to be outmaneuvered by agile startups leveraging new technologies. The consequence of this inertia is a widening gap between those who adapt and those who falter.

Cromer highlights that merely having a website or a content management system (CMS) is no longer sufficient. The real challenge lies in building custom solutions to meet evolving advertiser and audience demands, such as direct e-commerce integrations into newsletters. This necessitates a deep, ongoing commitment to technology, which she personally dedicates two hours a day to, managing remote development teams and project management systems. This commitment, while painful and time-consuming, is not optional; it’s the foundation upon which all other revenue models are built.

"Historically, we didn't come out of the technology business, but I can see that publishers who did have a huge edge and they're just fast-forwarding ahead of the others. If I can do it, you can do it."

-- Alisa Cromer

The immediate benefit of this tech adoption is the ability to create bespoke products. The hidden cost of not adopting is being locked into inflexible systems that prevent innovation, leading to a gradual erosion of revenue streams as advertisers seek more direct and integrated solutions. Over time, this creates a significant competitive disadvantage for those who remain technologically stagnant.

Newsletter Revenues: The Underdeveloped Goldmine

Cromer identifies newsletter revenues as the most underdeveloped revenue source for local media. This insight is critical because it challenges the conventional wisdom that diminishing website traffic, exacerbated by AI overviews, spells doom. Instead, she frames newsletters as a direct channel to engaged readers, highly attractive to advertisers seeking targeted access. The key here is not just selling ad space, but developing creative products that leverage this direct connection.

She points to Podnews.net as an exemplar. Its founder, with a technology background, has built a recurring revenue model around newsletters, offering different "products" like classifieds and simple logo placements, all on a subscription basis. This model’s success lies in its recurring revenue streams and its ability to cater to specific audience segments within the newsletter. The immediate payoff is a predictable revenue stream. The downstream effect for publishers who emulate this is a more resilient business less dependent on volatile website traffic. Conventional wisdom might suggest focusing solely on website content, but Cromer’s analysis points to the newsletter as a more direct and controllable asset, offering delayed but significant competitive advantage through reader loyalty and advertiser integration.

"If you have a newsletter, first of all, you have the audience. Your audience just wants, but, you know, you can be creative in trying to determine the products."

-- Alisa Cromer

Content Marketing and Video: The Evolving Advertiser Demand

Advertisers are increasingly demanding content marketing solutions that mimic the publisher's own content, including webinars and articles. Cromer emphasizes that publishers possess a unique advantage here: data. They understand their audience's engagement through email clicks and Google Analytics, allowing them to provide advertisers with invaluable insights into what content resonates. This insight is more valuable than distribution alone; it guides content creation itself.

The critical, non-obvious element she highlights is the growing importance of video. While she personally finds video challenging, she acknowledges its power in content marketing and learning. Publishers who can integrate video production into their offerings, perhaps by repurposing event footage or creating short demos, can unlock new revenue streams. The immediate benefit is meeting advertiser demand for integrated content. The delayed payoff is becoming an indispensable partner to advertisers, moving beyond simple ad sales to strategic content consultancy. This requires an investment in new skills and technologies, a discomfort that pays dividends in long-term client relationships and market differentiation.

Events: Rebuilding Community and Creating Tangible Value

Events, once a secondary revenue stream, are regaining prominence, particularly for B2B and niche local media. Cromer notes that the success of events lies in their ability to foster community and facilitate direct connections. For B2B, this means creating opportunities for one-on-one meetings between vendors and their target audience, a model exemplified by companies like AE Ventures. For local media, it’s about filling the void left by declining physical community spaces, offering a "no-brainer" destination for people to connect with their local tribe.

She cites Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine's success with designer show houses, which generate significant revenue through sponsorships, participation fees, and ticket sales, netting over half a million dollars per show. This model demonstrates how a publisher can leverage its brand and advertiser relationships to create a tangible, high-value experience. The immediate gain is revenue and advertiser engagement. The long-term advantage is reinforcing the publisher's role as a central community hub, a position that is incredibly difficult for competitors to replicate. This requires moving beyond transactional advertising to creating experiential value, a difficult but enduring moat.

AI as Partner, Not Just Predator

The conversation turns to Artificial Intelligence (AI), which Cromer aptly describes as both a "partner and predator." While acknowledging the fear surrounding AI, she advocates for its adoption as a tool. She highlights Lutra AI for its ability to help build targeted email lists--a crucial need as search traffic declines and content gating becomes more important. This is a direct application of AI to solve a fundamental business problem: audience acquisition.

Furthermore, she mentions Replit, an AI-powered coding platform, as a tool for building custom applications. This addresses the need for publishers to move beyond off-the-shelf CMS solutions and create unique digital products. The immediate benefit of these tools is efficiency and new capabilities. The delayed payoff is the ability to innovate rapidly, create proprietary digital assets, and gain a significant edge in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The discomfort of learning and implementing these new tools now creates a durable competitive advantage later.

"It's not that easy to use. There's a little bit of a learning curve because you have to do it kind of piecemeal, you know, one bit at a time."

-- Alisa Cromer

Key Action Items:

• Dedicate Daily Time to Technology Exploration: Allocate at least 1-2 hours daily to learning about, experimenting with, and integrating new technologies. This is not a task for IT; it’s a core business function. (Immediate Action)
• Develop a Newsletter Strategy Beyond Ads: Treat newsletters as a primary product, not just a distribution channel. Explore diverse revenue models like sponsored content, classifieds, and premium subscriptions. (Immediate Action, Pays off in 3-6 months)
• Invest in Video Content Creation: Integrate video into content marketing packages and event coverage. This requires upfront investment in equipment and skills but meets a growing advertiser demand. (Immediate Investment, Pays off in 6-12 months)
• Re-evaluate and Innovate Event Offerings: Move beyond traditional events to create unique, high-value experiences like awards, specialized workshops, or curated home tours that directly engage audiences and advertisers. (Immediate Planning, Pays off in 9-18 months)
• Experiment with AI for Audience Building and Product Development: Utilize AI tools like Lutra AI for list building and platforms like Replit for custom app development to enhance efficiency and create proprietary digital assets. (Immediate Experimentation, Pays off in 6-12 months)
• Build a Directory of Recommended Tech Tools: Curate and share practical applications of technology, particularly AI, based on real-world publisher use cases, fostering a community of learning and shared innovation. (Immediate Effort, Pays off in 3-6 months)
• Embrace the "Uncomfortable" Path: Prioritize solutions that require sustained effort and learning, understanding that these are the very initiatives that build lasting competitive advantage and are less likely to be adopted by competitors. (Ongoing Mindset Shift)