Interview: Mochila’s Bekkedahl: Balancing Syndication And Paywalls

imageOver the last few years, the idea of putting up paywalls between readers and content has been relegated to the dustbin. Syndication was the way to bring in the ever-growing online ad revenue, the thinking went. But with growth rates for internet ad revenue slowing to a trickle, the paywall idea has come back with a vengeance — and the notion of relying on free, ad-supported content is now considered folly. More publishers seem to settling on a hybrid model, of letting some content roam freely across a variety of sites while protecting premium content behind a paywall.

I spoke with Carolyn Bekkedahl, president and chief revenue officer of online syndicator Mochila, who tries to help publisher clients navigate this equation. Earlier this year, the company struck a deal to syndicate tech publisher IDG’s content to create personal technology news sections for 44 newspaper sites. Mochila is currently in talks with several companies about similar newspaper-related projects.

Do companies need to adjust their syndication strategies in light of the economic downturn and the pullback in ad spending? Does that pullback compromise the syndication model?

Syndication is still becoming an increasingly important revenue source. But the traditional model needs to be rethought. One of our models capitalizes on the fact that so many content brands can expand their footprint online by widely distributing their content. The benefits there are marketing branding, audience development, traffic and, of course, additional ad-sales revenue. But we also believe that the successful companies will learn to optimize the mix of the three main revenue sources for online content. One is advertising, both on the website and in distribution; paid for syndication, meaning another publication or peer pays for a subscription to your content; and lastly, the notion of the consumer paying.

What about the increasingly attractive option of paywalls and micropayments? Doesn’t that detract from a syndication strategy?

Companies that are just reacting to the ad downturn and putting content up behind a pay wall

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