Tech Stack

Survey Findings

Content Management System

The most popular CMS among the respondents was Newspack, which was used by 46.55% of them. Newspack is a platform designed specifically for news publishers, and it was the preferred choice for newspapers, which made up 41.38% of the respondents. Newspack was also highly regarded by its users, with a recommendation score of 9.5.

A digital only newsroom leader shared why Newspack was such an attractive option for her newsroom, stating that the program understands “the goals and the solutions that publishers need. We do not want to have to worry about what we are going to do if the site crashes. I need to be focusing my brain power on digital solutions that are tied directly to revenue, audience and how this company is running, not making sure that we have bandwidth capacity.”

The second most popular CMS was WordPress, which was used by 34.48% of the respondents. WordPress is a versatile and customizable platform that can be used for various news mediums, such as newsletters, digital onlys, magazines, and TV. WordPress was also well regarded by its users, but its recommendation score varied depending on the medium. The highest recommendation score for WordPress was 10 for newsletters, followed by 8.5 for newspapers, 8.1 for digital onlys, and 7.0 for magazines.

Based on our interviews, part of the disparities in scoring came from the amount of technical expertise needed to improve website functionality over time as newsrooms and products evolved. Despite this, WordPress’ dominance as a content management system spoke to how easy publishers found it was to integrate it with most applications. 

The third most popular CMS was Squarespace, however it was used by only 3.45% of the respondents. Squarespace is a platform that offers easy-to-use templates and features for creating websites. Squarespace was mainly used by digital onlys and magazines and while it had a recommendation score of 7/10 with magazines, digital onlys gave it a 1.0, indicating that it was not a very reliable or suitable option for news publishers.

In interviews, people gravitated towards Squarespace initially because of cost and ease of use, but recognized that it wasn’t a permanent solution due to technical limitations.

Other CMS options that were less popular but highly regarded by some respondents were Ghost for newsletters (9.0), TownNews for newspapers (10.0) and Medium for TV (9.0). Patch Labs was a well regarded solution as well for people wanting a simple technology experience (8.0). 

One publisher shared how the simple, free, all-in-one solution of Patch Labs actually enabled her to start her news enterprise. She noted: “If there’s not anything that I can just walk right up to and start posting stories, I’m done.”

Average CMS Recommendation Score

The survey also revealed some patterns in the CMS choices based on the audience size of the newsrooms. Newspack was mostly used by newsrooms serving mid-sized to large audiences, while Squarespace was mostly used by newsrooms serving niche audiences. WordPress was a popular choice across all audience sizes, but its recommendation score decreased as the audience size increased.

The survey results suggest that Newspack is a good choice for news publishers serving a larger audience, or who have access to more capital. WordPress is also a good option for news publishers who want to have more flexibility and control over their websites and content, but will require technical expertise to fully maximize its potential and can be clunky to some users. Ghost can be an option for people who are newsletter first. Squarespace and other platforms are an inexpensive and easy way for some to get started but has limitations that will probably require transferring to a new CMS once editorial and advertising offerings begin to grow. Patch Labs is an option great for those who want a simple, all in one solution that allows publishers to focus on other aspects of their news enterprise besides technology.

Email Service Provider

ActiveCampaign is the leading email service provider with survey respondents. The survey found that ActiveCampaign was used by 36.21% of the respondents, followed by Mailchimp with 25.86%, and Constant Contact with 13.79%. ActiveCampaign was especially popular among newspapers, which accounted for 39.66% of its users, while Mailchimp was favored by digital-only publishers, with 25.86% of its users. Constant Contact was also mainly used by newspapers, with 13.79% of its users.

The survey also measured the recommendation score of each ESP. ActiveCampaign had the highest recommendation score among newspapers, with 9.3 out of 10, indicating a high level of loyalty and satisfaction. Mailchimp had a lower recommendation score of 7.7 among newsrooms, while Constant Contact had the lowest recommendation score of the three, coming in at 6.3.

Average ESP Recommendation Score

ActiveCampaign was also the most popular choice for newsrooms serving large audiences, while Constant Contact was the preferred option for mid-size audience. Mailchimp was the most widely used ESP for niche and small audiences.

ActiveCampaign also had a high, 10 out of 10 recommendation score from both large and small audience newsrooms. Mid-size audience newsrooms also gave ActiveCampaign a high score of 8 out of 10. Mailchimp received a recommendation score of 6.5 from niche publishers and 7.5 from small and large publishers. But, mid-size publishers gave Mailchimp a recommendation score of 9 out of 10.

Other ESPs that were highly regarded by the respondents were Mailerlite for mid-size newsrooms (recommendation score 10), Patch Labs for niche newsrooms (recommendation score 8), BlueLena and Mad Mimi for large newsrooms (recommendation score 9 and 10, respectively).

The survey results suggest that ActiveCampaign is a great ESP for many newsrooms, but in interviews people noted that it may not be the best starting solution for many newsrooms.

As one newsroom leader stated, “If they’re just getting started I would say use Mailchimp and master it, and then when you get to the point where you’re able when you’re ready to make a transition to a more industrial software go to ActiveCampaign. Our journey was the right journey.”

Analytics

The most popular analytics platform was Google Analytics (55.17%), followed by Parse.ly (34.48%). Parse.ly was most popular for newsrooms with large audiences (32.76%), while Google Analytics was popular across audience sizes.

Average Analytics Recommendation Score

Parse.ly was the most highly regarded tool with a recommendation score of 9.1, followed by Google Analytics at 8.1. Other highly regarded tools that were not as widely used were AdPlugg (10.0), TapClicks (8.0) and Patch Labs (8.0).

The report also found that Google Analytics was the most well regarded platform by newsrooms with small audiences (9.4), Parse.ly for mid-size (10.0) and large audiences (9.0), and Patch Labs for niche audiences (8.0).

Despite the popularity and ubiquity of Google Analytics, none of our interviewees were particularly satisfied with it. One person said, “I see a lot of people only pulling impressions, clicks and page views. I’m still trying to figure out how to pull the type of insights that I know it’s capable of. I need to see training that is tied to real insights and analysis and custom reporting for publishers.”

Customer Relationship Manager

Among the surveyed Black-owned media organizations, ActiveCampaign emerged as the most widely used CRM platform. This versatile and highly regarded tool garnered a recommendation score of 10, across audience size and medium. ActiveCampaign’s robust features and user-friendly interface made it a compelling choice for our newsroom respondents seeking to streamline their operations and strengthen audience engagement.

Average CRM Recommendation Score

Less Annoying CRM and Salesforce were the next most popular platforms, at 9% and 3%, respectively. Although these platforms received lower recommendation scores of 6, they still hold value for specific media organizations. Less Annoying CRM offers simplicity and affordability, while Salesforce exhibited popularity among mid-sized audience newsrooms. Monday was also highly regarded, with a recommendation score of 8, but was a less popular option. However, the survey results showed that ActiveCampaign is the most recommended CRM platform for all newsrooms, regardless of their size or scope.

Implementing a CRM system can greatly benefit media organizations when ready, but it is essential to evaluate whether such a tool is necessary using the following guidelines:

• Audience Engagement: Newsrooms striving to deepen their relationship with their audience and increase reader loyalty can greatly benefit from a CRM platform. A CRM can facilitate personalized communication, targeted marketing campaigns, and audience segmentation, all of which could lead to a more engaged readership.
• Organizational Efficiency: If a newsroom faces challenges in managing data, organizing contacts, or coordinating internal processes, a CRM can provide a centralized solution. Streamlining workflows and automating repetitive tasks can enhance productivity, allowing teams to focus on content creation and strategic initiatives.
• Growth and Scalability: Newsrooms with ambitions for expansion and an increasing audience base should consider adopting a CRM as one of their initial steps to growth and sustainability. These platforms can accommodate the growing demands of a media organization, ensuring scalability and seamless management of a larger readership.

Revenue

According to the survey, the most popular reader revenue software was the Newspack suite (32.76%), with a distant second of Givebutter (6.9%). Newspack is a WordPress-based CMS that offers features such as subscription and donation management. Givebutter is a fundraising tool that also allows publishers to collect donations, sell tickets, and run campaigns. Both Newspack and Givebutter were well regarded by the publishers, with a recommendation score of 8 and 7.5, respectively. 

Average Revenue Recommendation Score

The survey also found that Donorbox and Patch Labs were used by smaller publishers for reader revenue. Donorbox is a donation platform that integrates with various websites and payment methods. Patch Labs is a CMS platform that helps publishers create and monetize content. Both Donorbox and Patchlabs had a recommendation score of 8.

Advertising

For advertising, the survey showed that Google’s advertising suite of products (62.07%) was the most popular across all mediums and audience sizes. Google offers tools such as AdSense, Ad Manager, and Ad Exchange that help publishers display and manage ads on their websites. Google was the most recommended option for magazines (8.0) and newsletters (7.5). It was also recommended by newspapers (8.8) but AdPlugg, an ad network that connects publishers with local advertisers, was more highly regarded (10.0).

Several newsrooms we spoke to discussed how Google’s Advertising Suite helped them to provide more sophisticated ad placements and reporting for advertisers and create a one stop solution that allowed them to better track the analytics that matter to advertisers.

Patch Labs’ Ad Builder, tool that helps publishers create and sell native ads on their websites, had the highest recommendation score from niche publishers (8.0). a. TownNews, a content management system that offers ad solutions for publishers, was most highly rated by mid-size publishers (9.0) and AdPlugg and Broadstreet, which both specialize in niche and local advertising, were most highly regarded for large organizations (10.0 respectively). 

Average Advertising Recommendation Score