Digiday+ has shared the results of research regrading publisher revenue strategies that it has conducted over the past 4 years . The research is available to Digiday+ members, and so we encourage everyone without a subscription to subscribe and review the research for themselves.

Newsletter Business has reviewed the research and identified the following key insights:

1. High quality content is a publisher’s key means of differentiation in 2024 to justify ad rates.

2. First party data is rising in prominence to justify ad rates as third party cookies face retirement in the near future.

3. Given the shift in data sources, data and analytics offerings are dropping in prominence during this period of instability but remain impactful.

4. Focused newsletters are being used by some publishers as a vehicle to build reader loyalty; those who engage with newsletters over time have proven to be more valuable paid subscribers.

5. Publishers are also relying on placing exclusive content such as editorially-rich pieces or training material behind paywalls to drive subscription revenue.

6. Publishers exploring event strategies should focus on establishing keystone events as the foundation of their strategy, such as the Met Gala owned by Conde Naste. These events can become the foundation of smaller related events.

7. Events represent a variety of revenue opportunities beyond attendee tickets, including sponsorships and product sales on site.