Question

Topic: Strategy

3 Most Important Hires For Niche Online Publisher?

Posted by philrothschild on 1/16/2011 at 1:38 AM ET 500 Points
re: Content Marketing. Can anyone point me to a resource, or share your opinions, that would help to delineate the roles and responsibilities of the three most important positions needed to run a small niche online publishing business? There is a good bit of information on strategy, goals, tactics related to online publishing, but not much on role, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and activities, other than what I've found at www.mequoda.com.
For example:
Online Publisher
Managing Editor
Audience Development
Content Producer

Thank you.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 1/16/2011 at 8:38 AM Accepted
    It depends on what your business plan looks like. If you're counting on ad revenues to generate income and profit, then your marketing and sales person would probably be #1 on the list. If it's subscriptions you're looking at as the driver, then content and audience development would be more important.

    So start with the objective and the business plan. That will tell you what the most important staffing requirements are.

    And don't let yourself be limited by an artificial staffing count. If success depends on having 4 or 5 people, you're fooling yourself by looking for 3 people. Even with the best 3 people in the world, you could fail if the business really needs 4 different skill-sets.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/16/2011 at 9:41 AM Accepted
    Dear Phil,

    The three most important positions needed to run a small niche online publishing business, and in no particular order of importance, are:

    Managing Editor, Designer, and Sales and Marketing.

    Managing Editors control scheduling and production,
    drive tone of voice, handle fact checking, copyright, and rights management staff, and handle copy editing.

    Designers control art direction, creative direction, look feel, and arrange for print production in collaboration with the Managing Editor.

    Sales and Marketing handle promotion, benefits to buyers, offers, sales delivery and everything connected with packaging and delivering customer wants, needs and expectations so that needs are met and so that expectations are exceeded.

    I hope this helps.

    Gary Bloomer
    The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
    January 16, 2011, 9:41 am EST

  • Posted by philrothschild on 1/16/2011 at 11:40 PM Author
    Two great responses so far. For clarification, this niche online publishing site is membership driven. I make a distinction between subscription and membership in this way. 25,000 subscribe to the free email Tip of the Week. 1,000 become premium, "paying" members. So revenues are driven by membership, which means content is king.
    Phil
  • Posted by aussiewebmaster on 1/18/2011 at 11:21 AM Accepted
    You want to develop more followers of the Weekly Tip which can include items for sale along with the tip. For every 25 sign ups it seems you get a subscriber.

    Building out the content that brings subscribers, develop tools that help the niche, possibly develop an affiliate program.

    Look at the site as a newspaper - have a Managing Editor who can get free writers or inexpensive ones. Mechanical Turks at Amazon is a good resource for writers.

    Forget about titles and develop a team to improve the site content.
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