Put the Consumer first

American Press Institute presented a white paper to a small group of senior US newspaper executives that offers a step by step plan of how newspapers should move forward with paid content.

Here is their recommended five pronged business plan, divided by “doctrines,” to charge users for content:

1. True Value Doctrine: Newspapers should create value by beginning to charge for it.

2. Fair Value Doctrine: In order to maintain the value of content, newspapers should aggressively enforce copyrights and right to profit from published content.

3. Fair Share Doctrine: News orgs should start to negotiate with the technology industry for higher prices for content that is aggregated, redistributed, broken up, and linked to.

4. Digital Deliverance Doctrine: Newspapers should invest in technology and digital platforms that could “provide content-based e-commerce, data sharing and other revenue-generating solutions” at “premium prices.”

5. Consumer Centric Doctrine: Newspaper need to refocus their content from advertisers to readers/consumers.

Its all good 'theoretical' stuff but of the 5 number 5 is absolutely critical.

Much more attention should be paid to the quality of the content and the relevance of the content.

Get that piece right and:

a) you'll maintain an audience

and

b) you might get 'em to pay