In our evolving industry, startups and legacy news outlets face the persistent challenge of sustainable revenue — and sometimes seem to be scrambling to find the perfect combination of traditional streams and new opportunities to keep the lights on, paychecks signed, and newsletters sending.
While some publishers stand up paywalls as a solution, I firmly believe that this approach is not the answer for local news organizations. We should be focusing our efforts on cultivating strong local advertising solutions that support financial success and also ensure the free flow of information within our communities.
Paywalls can inadvertently create barriers that risk alienating segments of our audience who may need the information the most. Sure, some news sites temporarily eased paywalls during the pandemic, but local news provides *ongoing* critical information on everything from school board meetings to local elections and community events. Fundamentally, providing accessibility to news is how we as journalists foster an informed and engaged citizenry.
The reality is that the willingness of readers to pay for online content varies greatly from market to market. For many local news outlets, the potential revenue from subscriptions doesn’t add up the way it used to — and it’s unlikely to offset losses in readership and the subsequent adverse impact on ad revenues. It’s disappointing to see some news organizations endlessly chase after a small number of potential subscribers when it’s clear in the math that the market just doesn’t support that model.
Instead of perfecting the art of the digital barrier, local news organizations should harness the power of their unique position within the community to offer innovative advertising opportunities. These solutions also have to be simple to use (that’s where TAPinto.net – Local News and Digital Marketing comes in!). Now evolved beyond display advertising to encompass sponsorships, branded content, and much more, the advertising model is profitable, sustainable, and scalable because we leverage deep community ties to their fullest potential. How? By providing advertisers with targeted, effective, and meaningful ways to reach their audience.
Since I started TAPinto as a single news website in 2008, I’ve tried to keep sight of our core mission: to serve our communities with accessible, high-quality news. Paywalls simply don’t make sense for the vast majority of small, niche, or local news outlets to meet this mission. If we’re going to combat news deserts, we have to be serious about innovating and expanding local advertising offerings. We have to find our audiences deserving of all of our content. And we have to understand that paywalls are just that — walls to new revenue.
For Democracy to Flourish, Break Down Barriers to Local News
