My three step plan for the newspaper industry
Okay here is my three-step plan for the newspaper industry. The short answer is give it away, charge more and don't worry about being first.
Let’s face it, no one looks to the paper anymore for breaking news. Newspapers should get out of the headlines business, because it literally is yesterday’s headlines. Here is what I’d like to see from newspapers:
1. Change you paper to a daily tabloid and give it away. Sell as many ads as you have to to monetize the thing. I’d take a general news-in-brief from the New York Times over the Metro any day. What you are really looking here is for the numbers. Also why you are at it. Make it as local as possible. Even a story or two of what is happening in my neighborhood would be nice. You can get a blogger or two, they don’t know their power yet, so you can get them for cheap or free.
2. Give me a single-serving paper when necessary. Much like single serving sites, Print a paper that is about one thing and one thing only and make people pay. I’d pay $5, $7 10 $10 bucks for a dossier of articles that tell me why Iran is going through what it is going through, and context of why it is important.
This week would have been ideal for a non-sensational look at Michael Jackson, why he is important and while you’re at it, throw in the others who died last week, and why they were important. But whatever the case tell me something I don’t know.
3. If you must break the news don’t reinvent the wheel, or use the same one you been using. Just use the tools available like twitter and text alerts. Be discriminating and substantive about what you break, and don’t worry about being the first. Just pass along the information. In an environment where information is free, the best asset you have is trust. If I can trust you to just give me the information and give it to me now, I won’t look anywhere else.
There you are newspaper industry go to it. Check out my friends over at metaprinter, they think about this type of stuff all day.
Posted on Monday, July 06, 2009 in Business • Creativity • Strategy