When it comes to creating content for your organization, it’s critical to not only know your audience, users, and members, but also to know whether your current content is engaging this audience. The fact is, you have to know your audience in order to know what types of content will...

Do you follow an editorial calendar to drive your content strategy? If not, it’s possible that the addition of a calendar that’s mindful of bigger dates could help dramatically improve both your readers’ experience and the revenue that you capture from advertisers. Editorial calendars can help tie the flow of...

RealMatch was fortunate to host a webinar with Hilary Marsh, Chief Content and Digital Strategist of Content Company, exploring the important topic of “Attracting & Retaining Members with a Great Content Strategy.” Professional and trade associations frequently hear that content marketing needs to be a core component of their digital...

As we approach the end of the year, now is a great time to think about ways to get more traction out of your existing content marketing materials. Trade publishers that are seeking more revenue and more audience for their companion websites can take advantage of this approach throughout the...

Could bundling products or services be another big trend to impact the publishing world this year? Bundling is a relatively simple tactic that you’ve likely seen at work in the world of infomercials: “buy the fitness package today, and you’ll not only get the DVDs but you’ll also get the...

As 2014 is winding to a close, it’s time to reflect on the year’s accomplishments and challenges, but it’s also time to start planning ahead for 2015. By getting a jump start on your content strategies now for the year ahead, you’ll be more likely to have a solid plan...

In the media business, headlines have always been important. When a reader buys a magazine, there is probably a good chance that the reader will check out the articles that interest them and a good headline may or may not impact the success of that particular issue. But on the...

Blogs seem to have become the default format businesses use to get information to consumers. According to WPVirtuoso.com, there are over 152 million blogs on the Internet and that number keeps rising. Companies that spend the time to generate at least 20 blog posts per month generate approximately five times...

Reddit (stylized as reddit) is easily one of the most influential social media sites on the web, and if you aren’t leveraging it to grow traffic and revenue, you’re likely missing out. The site essentially functions as a message board through which there is a main “front page”, but there...

Both evergreen and topical content are driving forces behind a successful publication. In most cases, you don’t want to choose between the two. Otherwise, your relevance depends on one angle, and that angle probably doesn’t appeal to everyone every day. The key is finding the balance that works for you...

If you want to know whether your marketing efforts are truly working, quit focusing on things like Facebook likes and Twitter followers, says Scott Baradell, president of inbound marketing agency Idea Grove – these analytics are outdated and not especially useful. Ultimately, Scott says the only metrics-related questions that really...

Anyone can create an online publication. For just a few dollars and with minimal technical knowledge, entrepreneurs and online publishers are launching entire publications. But most quickly find out that a vision is not enough. There are many aspects to running a successful publication, from creating a compelling content strategy...

If you run a trade association, you probably receive funding from member dues, but what you may not realize is that there are other ways to generate revenue, including monetizing your online assets. By generating this extra revenue through monetization, you may even be able to lower dues and attract...

One comment is almost as disappointing as none, and sometimes it’s worse. That’s like Mom calling to say you were terrific in the play that no one else noticed, when what you really wanted was a write-up in the Sunday paper. Content is important, but it can fall flat without...

Publishing content is a surefire way to attract and retain site visitors while building credibility and brand power, but only if your content is being posted where readers will see it. In the past, this simply meant posting content to your website or sending out a newsletter, but today, with...

Pinterest has had an astonishing rise to prominence since it started as a closed beta operation in March 2010. In March 2011, Pinterest launched an iPhone app that proved very popular, and by December 2011 Pinterest was one of the top ten social networking sites. By August 2012, Pinterest was...

Love it or hate it, user-generated content continues to make the debate circuit. There’s a line of demarcation between professionally written content and the words of laypeople. You want your publication to be relatable, and that’s not always easy. By giving users the freedom to add their own opinions to...

Where journalism and marketing converge, that’s the niche where you’ll find the audience development specialist. Staying on top of the latest trends is not a new idea, but it is one that’s challenging to get right. And that’s where this job shines.It seems that technology and trends change almost daily....

Virtually any type of group can benefit from harnessing the power of the Internet to communicate, and trade associations are no different. These days, digital communities can provide trade associations with the ability to provide useful information to members, offer updates on the latest in industry news, and also organize...

Established in 1997, Cream Magazine has always offered pop culture lovers an alternative to the gossip rags found in the checkout line at the grocery store. Publisher and editor Antonino Tati maintains that the magazine’s fresh voice has allowed the publication to grow its audience, even as it stopped printing...

Back in 2005, YouTube premiered online. It was the latest in a concept known as User-Generated Content (UGC). Of course, the content on YouTube was unique for the web at that time. It was all video.The rest is history. YouTube took off like a rocket. It was acquired by another...

One of the biggest challenges of writing online is enticing readers to click the link and read the content. Questions are a powerful incentive to get people reading, but you need to ask a question they want to know the answer to, and ask it in the right way. Like,...

It seems as though technological upgrades are happening every week. You can’t browse news websites for too long without coming across an article mentioning the latest smartphone hardware technology, mobile operating system, analytics tool, or website plug-ins.As a result, you might find it tempting to fall into the “toy box...

Good content writing is more than just words. In fact, writing well is just the beginning of the process. In order to meet the goals of content creation, you will want to make sure the material you’re providing is important to others, digestible, useful or at least enjoyable, and that...

Online content plays just as significant of a role for associations as it does for any other organization or publication. The content on your website is a direct reflection of the value of your association. With relevant and useful resources available on your association’s website, members could be more engaged...

You produce high-quality copy, but that might not be enough. With publishers facing a fragile market and audience engagement remarkably low, the signs might seem to reveal an overall lack of interest in news. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that the audience is still there,...

Picture this. You’re clicking through the pages of your favorite digital magazine, and you come upon a video. What do you do? Embedded video is like a beacon. You either watch it or make a choice not to. It’s so simple to click the button and see what’s waiting inside...

There is plenty of information about the things to do in content marketing, but there are still so many things that you shouldn’t do. It’s time to learn the four deadly sins, so you don’t make the same mistakes as many other businesses and marketers out there. Knowing the deadly...

”Upfront” is a meeting that occurs before the start of major television ad sales periods. It gets plenty of press, and major advertisers pay attention because the main purpose of Upfront is to sell TV commercial time before new television series begin. Upfront usually takes place at the end of...

The content you create needs to be designed for the human readers. If that doesn’t happen, your audience development will become static. The annoying factor is that there is much more than just writing for your readers if you are going to make it online. The content also need to...