Hearst Helping to Set the Expectation of Paid Digital Content

While most of us are not publishing fashion and pop culture, it’s refreshing to hear that print magazines and paid online subscribers still compose a growing market worth pursuing. Hearst’s David Carey comments on how people are still reading magazines in this article and interview on All Things D.

In Carey’s interview, I took away a kernel of  truth that I think we all forget…your paid readership will follow you if you provide quality curated content, a strong brand that is known for that quality content, and strategic cross functionality of online devices such as tablets that allow readers to interact with your publication and content in a personalized way.

Most interesting were his comments on the rise of paid subscribers across platforms. “While there is a free Web, and always will be, Carey said tablets are helping create a sustainable paid business.” Carey even says that “Digital subscribers are also renewing at high rates.” He adds, “We are training subscribers to pay for digital content.”

Paid digital subscribers are oftentimes a hurdle for smaller publications, but I am hopeful that the big guys like Hearst will reset the expectation that paid digital content, like a paid print subscription, is valuable.

— Andrea Exter, Cofounder, Monarch Media & Consulting, Inc.