A last-minute push raised my Gannett Blog income in April to $1,386. But advertising, from Google's AdSense program, accounted for just $114 -- or about 8% of the total. And that was down from 16% in March. Together, those numbers underline a core truth about online publishing: the ad-supported business model doesn't work, as a fixed amount of advertising gets spread ever more thinly across a rapidly growing number of web pages.I'm trying to earn $4,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green rail, upper right. Or mail cash/checks to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.
"[T]hose numbers underline a core truth about online publishing: the ad-supported business model doesn't work..."
ReplyDeleteI'd say the core truth is that reporters aren't that great at selling ads, just as ad reps probably aren't that great at journalism.