We recently wrote the optimist’s take on the state of publishing based on what happened in the past year. In the interest of fairness, the following are signs that publishing is going to hell in a hand basket. Hold on tight.
1. This webpage has 90 ad units.
2.This became a ubiquitous ad tactic.
3. This piece got 1.3 million pageviews.
4. This slideshow got almost 400,000 views.
5. This sponsored content.
6. This presentation was viewed 400,000 times.
7. This was an actual headline in a publication that gets 47 million monthly unique visitors.
8. This story actually ran and was “recommended” 25,000 times.
9. This explained the Egyptian revolution.
10. This chart.
11. And this one.
12. This ad placement.
13. This service exists.
14. This is an SEO tactic.
15. This article was untrue but got 1.5 million pageviews.
16. (Bonus) This 125-word listicle.
More in Media
Earnings from social and search players signal that AI will be a long-play investment
Giants like Google, Meta and Microsoft say investors and advertisers might have to wait longer for AI to generate a better return on investment.
Why some publishers aren’t ready to monetize generative AI chatbots with ads yet
Monetization of generative AI chatbot experiences is slow going. Some publishing execs said they’re not ready to add advertising to these products until they scale or can build a subscription model first.
Media Briefing: Publishers who bet on events and franchises this year are reaping the rewards
Tentpole events and franchises are helping publishers lock in advertising revenue.