Imagine, if you will, a news website.

A million monthly visitors.

A loyal readership.

A fraction – maybe 0.5 – 1% –– who ever subscribe.

The question is: how does a news outlet unlock the value of the 99% that hit the paywall?

The twist

You know better than anyone else the challenge in publishing.

And it’s more than the fact that AI summaries are taking away referral traffic or that more display ads provide diminishing returns.

Simply put, it’s demographics.

“Profitable print products will die out with their readers… and digital growth, real as it is, will not deliver the same margins.”

We’re five years past that prediction by Rasmus Klein (Reuters Institute). But even he was simply putting into words what publishing stalwarts have been grappling with for decades. 

Older people, more likely to subscribe to news, aren’t being replaced by younger readers.

But what’s more, those younger cohorts consume news in a much more fragmented way – we might call it omnichannel. Not just through AI summaries, but through video, on mobile, and via audio.

There’s a greater need for publishers to do everything and be everywhere. But when it comes to audio, there’s a key advantage.

Who’s listening?

The fundamental benefit of audio over the written word or video is that there’s no screen needed. 

Meaning that it can accompany us in moments that video and other media can’t.

Take a look at these different profiles:

Far more than just screen readers and podcasts!

Not only do we have a diverse group of listeners across demographics and habits – but the ways to engage them with content are just as diverse.

As is the advertising inventory that we can take advantage of. 

From pre-roll and mid-roll ads to branded sponsorships and contextual, data-driven audio placements. Importantly, all of these monetize non-paying users.

Of course, the problem then becomes: how do we make audio across all of these different user groups?

AI audio – an infrastructure solution

Scalable audio requires automation.

Studios can’t keep up with the speed and diversity of content needed (and if they can, it’s at great expense). And while a synthetic voice alone might do for reading articles, a hollow soundscape won’t deliver the branding or engagement publishers need across newscasts, updates and longer podcast-style discussions.

Let’s look at how Handelsblatt Media Group have resolved this problem with AI.

AI audio at work for Handelsblatt

Handelsblatt Media Group – one of the largest publishers of financial and broadsheet news in Europe – has deployed AI audio infrastructure in place of a studio for this kind of audio production.

Not replacing their studio production for big-ticket podcasts and audio reporting, AudioStack is embedded within their editorial process smartly to make audio production agile, automated and seamless.

With it, they can

• Audiofy written content whenever its approved (letting them create rich audio versions of over 100+ articles per day)

• Launch and regularly publish an AI Briefing podcast – read by the cloned voice of one of its leading AI journalists.

• Make use of AudioStack’s STS capabilities to localize podcast content from German to English – nearly immediately, while the story remains in people’s minds.

All of which have not just generated new, monetizable content before the paywall… but created content that can be deployed on 3rd-party platforms – and in-app, with exclusive audio for subscribers. 

Reaching audio listeners in all of their diversity.

Read about Handelsblatt's AI audio story here.

A new economics of publishing.

AI is already reshaping the economics of audio production for publishers.

It transforms the work of a studio into an automated production engine – and delivers that content in the formats that diverse audiences engage with it – be it via podcast platforms, through smart assistants…

So, as you can tell, the scope to monetize before the paywall becomes far greater with audio – and far easier to achieve with AI.

And for publishers, this isn’t a replacement for traditional journalism – it’s an extension of its reach and relevance.

Want to see inspiring ways publishing businesses are reimagining content production and monetization with AI audio?

• Here are 5 ways publishers are leveraging AI audio to extend the reach, relevance and revenue their content generates.

Want to learn more?

Explore how AI audio can transform your publishing strategy.

Read our report: “Getting AI Transformation Right”.