As originally in The Verticals Collective newsletter, May 15, 2017.
Media Business, No Bullshit; that’s the motto. It’s time to highlight some Verticals Collective accomplishments to prove our point, just like we did about a year ago (and in a lot of these newsletters).
– Dorian Benkoil, Teeming Media
Editor
Verts in the News
A Boring Business That Warren Buffet Would Love (Washington Post)
The subjects Industry Dive covers — 13 industries including waste, construction, health and utilities — are distinctly “unsexy,” says the Post. But co-founder Ryan Willumson notes the ad-supported B2B media business model “has been around for 100 years.” Now it just happens to be mobile-first. Some keys: keen focus and useful analysis for executives.
From Unemployed on the Sofa to Fashion Industry Guru (GQ Magazine)
GQ positively gushes about how Imran Amed built Business of Fashion to a “daily must read” for those at the industry’s forefront. The secret of Imran’s success? Frill-free, just-so coverage “closer in editorial tenor” to the Financial Times than Zoolander. Oh, and “fortuitous or prophetic” blogging plus ten years of persistence. (P.S: Known who’s in the photos? Then you don’t know your fashion business glitterati).
Learn More About Media Valuation (Verticals Collective)
Sign up to get a special offer for our upcoming white paper, “How to Get the Most For A Media Company: What Drives Valuation and the Market?” Rich with detail from publishers, investors and buyers on what makes a media company worth more, and expanding on our shorter report in Medium, republished on Poynter. Click here to be notified.
Rafat, Introspection and Skift
Skift’s Rafat Ali gives a rundown on how to run a media business”, from getting it discovered and sustaining financially. This interview with Venture Studio is worth a listen if you want more depth. Skift, meanwhile was quoted by NPR on people who want to get bumped from airplanes. And they launched their seventh newsletter, this one on luxury travel.
Next Money Podcasts
Asia’s First Fintech Podcast Next Money has added episode eight and nine this week. Listen here to learn about the power of AI across AI and emerging markets, and here for info on why the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ fintech future is bright.
StockTwits on Snap’s Bearishness (WSJ)
“StockTwits, a social media platform used for sharing trading ideas, has seen the relative share of messages about Snap that are bullish turn lower in the last few days, though it’s generally trended higher since the IPO.” And the Wall Street Journal includes their chart. (Sharing data, charts and graphs = discovery.)
Fatherly Wants to Build “The Leading Digital Site for Parents” — and is Counting on Mothers to Get it There (NiemanLab)
Great, high-quality content for men will inevitably capture women’s attention, while men aren’t likely to read women’s sites. CEO Mike Rothman believes that “the best way to bring men into a parenting conversation is often by targeting women.” Every mom that signs up is more and more likely to sign up her spouse or partner, and that is Fatherly’s key to gaining more attention.
Fatherly’s ’50 Best Places to Work for New Dads 2017′ (WSJ)
This is the third year Fatherly has compiled its annual list, and while the U.S. still lacks a national policy, corporate paternity leave policies are evolving. Leading the pack are Netflix, Etsy, American Express, Spotify, and Facebook.
Fatherly CEO Mike Rothman Speaks to Digiday About Publisher Alliances in the Face of the Duopoly (Digiday)
Different media companies across all types and company sizes that normally compete for ad dollars are teaming up on ad sales pitches for at least some share. “The cost of entry into the publishing space has never been lower, and marketers increasingly want to do more with fewer partners,” said Rothman.
Awards
Well+Good Wins People’s Voice Webby!
Their no-nonsene yet visually arresting coverage of health and wellness took the health category. You can watch the awards May 16th on YouTube.
Greatist Wins Fourth Webby in a Row
… in the Social / Health & Fitness category.
Fatherly Wins the Webby for Best Parenting Site
Just like the their motto to “Win Parenting,” they have won the Webby for helping fathers with resourceful and more than slightly helpful tips.
Digiday’s a Finalist
… for B2B Digital Publisher of the Year award from the UK Association of Online Publishers.
Deals and Doings
Industry Dive Acquires Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily (Industry Dive)
The publications, acquired from Napean, add to the Dive’s mobile-infused portfolio that already included Marketing Dive, Retail Dive and Social Media Today.
Fatherly Hooks Up With Now This for Custom Content (Digiday)
The Verts publisher covering all things dad “has linked up with seven different publishers on branded content campaigns,” including a partnership with NowThis to produce custom videos and articles for General Motors.
SheFinds Teams With The Zoe Report (The Zoe Report)
It’s a sales and cross-distribution partnership between two “boutique brands that don’t compete on scale but focus on quality and custom experience,” says SheFinds CEO and founder MIchele Madhok.
Breaking Media’s MedCity Invest is in Chicago next week. More than 400 healthcare investors and startups will talk healthcare startup investing and participate in the annual “Pitch Perfect” competition.
Next Money presents The Collision of Digital & Fintech with events in Charlotte and Chicago. Next month, they’ll be launching their events in Melbourne in November and Hong Kong in January. Stay tuned for more info.
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How to run a media business: it starts with creation and leads (one hopes) to financial sustainability. Want to learn more? Reply and tell us. And stay tuned.