As the internet continues to disrupt the traditional publishing industry model, companies everywhere are struggling. We’ve seen giants in the publishing world falter, and for smaller businesses—who lack the resources and manpower of a national or international company—it’s been even tougher.
Just last week, Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, announced that they were teaming up with Google and a number of noteworthy names in publishing to offer up Newspack, a solution for these smaller businesses.
Newspack is a content management system (CMS) that aims to eliminate some of the biggest hurdles businesses face in managing an online publication. The system will handle security; manage membership models, subscriptions, and advertising; plus provide increased speed and enhanced content publishing capabilities. With all of these features, they aim to create the definitive tool to allow publishers to focus on creating better, richer content, all while reaching a broader audience and growing readership.
While full details of the platform’s capabilities have yet to be announced, it seems that the major benefit to publishers is that it will become a comprehensive solution to all of their technical needs. Plus, with Google’s financial support of the platform, we can likely expect seamless integration with many of Google’s related products like Google Ad Manager, Analytics, and Accelerated Mobile Pages.
Want to Learn More?
Not sure if you want to go down the membership route? Contact us for a membership viability assessment.
If you’d like to become a beta tester of the platform, Newspack is soliciting applications from publishers in niche markets to participate in the launch, happening in July 2019.
For more about the impact that Newspack will likely have on publishers, check out Publishing Executive’s in-depth look at how the platform will change the landscape.
If you’re interested in how the platform will tackle security and integrate blockchain technology into the design, take a look at Decrypt’s article “Make Journalism Sustainable Again.”
About the Author
Rob Ristagno, Founder and CEO of Sterling Woods, previously served as a senior executive at several digital media and e-commerce businesses, including as COO of America’s Test Kitchen. He started his career as a consultant at McKinsey. Ristagno holds degrees from the Harvard Business School and Dartmouth College and has taught at both Harvard and Boston College.
Rob is the author of A Member is Worth a Thousand Visitors: A Proven Method for Making More Money Online. He regularly speaks at key media conferences, including at Niche Media events, Specialized Information Publishers Association meetings, and the Business Information and Media Summit.
