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Welcome to this week's issue of the Niche Media Publishing Newsletter.

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Alright, let’s get into the topics for this week.

State of Email & Newsletter Platforms for Pubs

I’m seeing a lot of Twitter discussion around the best newsletter / email list platforms for publishers lately.

To cut right to the chase, I currently use & recommend these services (affiliate link) for various use case:

• Beehiiv: Anyone starting a regularly scheduled newsletter or trying to make the “list” the core of their business.

• MailerLite: WordPress users looking for built-in opt-in forms that display well natively, free up to 1000 subs.

• ActiveCampaign: Still the best & most customizable for true “set it and forget it” evergreen funnels.

• Omnisend: For ecommerce selling, a much more user-friendly and affordable alternative to Klaviyo.

• ConvertKit: If you are selling digital products, their Creator Network, automations, and built-in commerce functions are a good value. It’s still pricey though….

I still am a super fan of what ConvertKit is doing and have a few sizable lists with them… I just don’t recommend unless you really have your visitor value dialed in.

One of Beehiiv’s weaknesses is that that their embed tools and opt-in forms are fairly limited and clunky.

If you liked these “mini” tool dives, let me know. I can do more practical applications for niche media operators.

Is Bing Capitalizing on Google’s “Demise”?

I’ve been quite impressed with Bing lately, especially in light of Google’s current search dysfunction.

Is Bing paying attention to Google’s foibles?

Google Search may be undefeatable, right up until it isn’t….

As a side note, I’ve also been noticing their Co-Pilot AI search starting to send traffic to some of our more technical sites… I’m still not in love with them using our content, BUT they seem to be positioning in a more thoughtful way compared to other AI engines.

And, at the end of the day, it’s the clicks that matter. If a search-enabled chat bot helps direct users to high value content… that’s a win all the way around.

Will say that if a Bing-style layout is the future of search, get ready for a fragmented user journey. I don’t think this is a bad thing, per se. Just something to watch.

Niche Media News Below the Fold

Here are something other noteworthy stories I’m tracking:

• Publishers Unite? A new non-profit organization billed as the Web Publishers Association has launched. I personally signed up & in exchange for the initial donation, you get access to some great courses from industry leaders.

• Google Testing “Product Sites”: Google continues to play with those tabs at the top of Search, recently adding “forums” and now adding “product sites”. Does this mean we’ll see fewer eCom sites in the organic SERPs?

• Arena Group Saga Continues: They now owe Authentic Brands $45 million…

Other Newsletters Worth Following

Here are some other publications I subscribe to, author, or co-sign.

If you are operating a newsletter (or even just interested), this next one is one of my “must opens” every week:

If you leverage affiliate relationships in your media business, Affiliate Insider is where I share my in-the-field experience.

Our COO (Amy), publishes an incredibly detailed and thoughtful newsletter for content marketers here:

We also cover the latest MarTech trends and deep dives with a monthly (soon to be weekly) newsletter for B2B operators:

OK, that's it for this week...

Please do reply to this email with any feedback or suggestions.

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