The Niche Media Publishing Newsletter: 16 January 2024

Google’s GIANT LIST of Changes, How to Deal with AI Content, Pinterest Can Save Us, Niche Media Finds.

Welcome to this week's issue of the Niche Media Publishing Newsletter. I hope everyone is having a great start to year, despite the flux with Google.

But first, a quick word from our sponsor this week.

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

Google Hints at “Giant List” of Updates

Buried in some recent comments by Google’s search liaison, portending significant updates to come this year.

My Take: Danny Sullivan is just the public facing side of Google Search, so take things with a grain of salt here. BUT, it does seem likely that Google shifts the current search array.

As discussed in last weeks newsletter, it really doesn’t make sense for Google to cede so much mindshare to Reddit (arguably a competitor).

That said, I think what Danny gets at here is the difficulty of rolling out updates en masse even if they directionally DO want to adjust the algo right now.

I would plan on a busy Q1 with Google updates, so buckle up!

How to Deal with AI Content?

Besides Google updates, AI is the main near-term threat (and possibly opportunity) for the media publishing space.

Regardless of where you sit on the ethics of AI content, it certainly changes things.

There’s well-known SEO’s touting success with AI pure plays:

And some warning signs that Google needs to address this tidal wave of mediocrity:

My Take: Long term, I’ve never been more bullish on original, insightful, though leader content than I am now. In an AI future of boilerplate consensus, the theoretically value of human-generated (quality) content is incredible.

That doesn’t mean the short to midterm isn’t full of pain and disruption for publishers.

In this way, AI sharpens the sword.

But should you use AI to generate content as a publisher?

Our reflexive human reaction to change is to resist. But like the advent of the internet itself, are we just embracing a classic antediluvian trope?

The real answer for me is a less glamourous “it depends”. But here’s how I’m operating currently:

• Test AI with Curiosity & an Open Mind: Take a subject matter you know well and see how it copes with generated outputs. Examine the edges. At the very least you’ll have defined the baseline from which your human-generated content must exceed!

• AI Augmented, Not AI Generated: As you sharpen the sword, there may be use cases in the research, formatting, and background content areas where AI makes sense to support your expert-driven process. It’s not a push-button solution; it’s a tool. You can certainly hammer a nail with a screwdriver, but it’s not terribly effective.

• Don’t Pay for AI Content: Many agencies and even freelancers are trying to pass off AI content as original. This is the REAL battle we are facing. And this get’s me to our sponsor this week, the AI detector Originality.ai.

_{===Advertorial===}

Quality content should speak for itself, but it’s really difficult to assess AI content at scale without the help of AI detectors.

I’ve known Jon Gilham (the founder) for years and personally have seen Originality.ai adapt and flourish as the leading AI detection tool in content. It’s the most accurate tool in it’s class.

Because of the volume of content we publish, a tool like Originality.ai acts as a sort of metal detector for AI generated content. It picks up on where our editorial teams need to lean in and engage.

If you haven’t given it a try, it’s definitely worth checking out here.

Is Pinterest the Savior for Publishers?

One of the secondary effects of Google flux is that marketers and publishers are chasing greener pastures. Pinterest is one of those alternatives presented as the best alternative to Google traffic.

Some folks like Tony Hill are having huge success with “Pinterest-first” strategies and plan to double down in 2024.

My Take: I’ve always been intrigued by Pinterest. It’s fundamentally a search and discovery platform, bearing many similarities to Google search.

That said, it’s also a highly VISUAL platform and tends to work well for specific niches (think: organizing, DIY, decor, recipes, garden).

I won’t say no to traffic and I fully subscribe to Shawna’s thinking here:

Need Help Building a Content Team?

Regardless of what traffic platform you want to try next, scaling content production with content teams is one of the key breakthroughs that enabled Venture 4th Media to scale content.

So much so that we launched a service to help other businesses to do this. It's not an agency model (I dislike agencies) and once we find your team, you don't owe us a thing.

Niche Media Finds This Week

Here’s a few interesting niche businesses that popped on my radar this week:

• NapLab: Founded by Derek Hales (who also founded and later sold Sleepopolis and was famously sued by Casper). A great example of an editorial review site that is thriving through Google updates. Note: the obsessive level of metrics, testing, and data. I wonder if “big media” can even really compete with this at scale.

• ModernCastle: Also founded by Hales, this is an example of a solo creator brand (with a small team) that has survived through Google updates. Interestingly, this brand has seen some lumps from Google, despite following a similar playbook.

I’m Speaking at Aspiring Entrepreneurs (Virtual)

You are invited!

I don’t typically do public engagements, mostly because I’d rather be “operating”. But I will be speaking at Aspiring Entrepreneurs with my friend Sophie Howard.

Topics will revolve around building and acquiring niche media as a lifestyle business to achieve financial freedom. It’s free, so sign up if this sounds interesting.

Other Newsletters Worth Following

Here's some other publications I co-sign.

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.

Ewen