There were impressive keynote speakers, exciting advances, and hot topics at the 2022 AAN conference in Chicago, and RevContent was right in the thick of it.
The 2022 AAN conference in Chicago was a great opportunity to explore, discuss, and discover with other industry advocates and innovators. Hosted by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, a diverse group of 100+ alternative news organizations across the U.S. and Canada, RevContent joined thousands of other content creators, publishers, and advertisers for two days of technology, innovation, storytelling, and community.
Throughout our time, we had the opportunity to discuss, learn, and listen to others within the industry. This high-energy, upbeat, and boundary-pushing event challenged us to explore new venues, look at certain obstacles with a fresh perspective, and fill us with excitement for the future of the alternative media and advertising industries.
So, what were our big takeaways? Here are four of the biggest things we learned at AAN 2022.
Native Advertising is an Untapped Superpower
Native advertising hasn’t always been seen in a positive light. What we found was that the goal of publishers is to grow revenue without sacrificing editorial quality, while also maintaining control over the ad widgets on their sites.
Native advertising has come a long way in recent years, and it is now possible to recommend content without sacrificing both the user experience and editorial quality. In fact, native advertising can actually be a valuable tool for publishers looking to increase engagement and revenue.
At RevContent, we are committed to helping publishers grow their businesses while maintaining the highest editorial standards. We engaged in several powerful conversations with other vendors, media specialists, and content creators to help dispel the myths about native advertising. We showed them how our platform is helping organizations worldwide find the balance between revenue generation and quality content.
Publishers Want to Maintain Trust and Loyalty
There is no question that journalistic values and trustworthiness have taken a hit in the past decade. In a time of fake news and clickbait, the battle between making money and remaining trustworthy has been one for the ages.
On one side, you had content integrity. On the other, content monetization. Ultimately, it all came down to a simple question: What is more important to publishers? In an industry that is constantly under fire for being biased and untrustworthy, how can content creators make money without sacrificing their values?
During AAN 2022, we had the opportunity to speak with publishers fighting this battle every day. What we found was that there is a growing movement of content creators who are committed to rebuilding trust and loyalty with their audiences.
These publishers use native advertising platforms like RevContent to generate revenue without sacrificing quality or integrity, while also creating a seamless experience that makes their ads feel integrated rather than intrusive. (Want to learn more about our approach to Contextual Relevance? Click here to learn more.)
Publishers Don’t Have to Choose Between Revenue and Integrity
Okay, so this might feel like a fairly obvious statement – but it was a hot topic at AAN 2022. In the world of native advertising, it can sometimes feel like the way to get ahead in marketing and advertising requires sacrificing integrity in order to boost profits.
In reality, quality content has been proven to drive greater readership and higher revenues time and time again. By simply providing quality content that the audience wants to see, publishers are able to engage in a way that aligns with the values of their target market and increase revenue.
At RevContent, we believe content creators should never have to choose between revenue and integrity. Our native advertising platform is designed to help publishers generate revenue while maintaining the highest editorial quality standards. More specifically, here are the key reasons why publishers partner with us:
- Control. You pick the type of ads you want displayed on your website so you never have to worry about losing the trust of your audience.
- Predictable revenue. We empower you to control how you promote and track data to avoid budget fluctuations.
- Better user experience. Our ads don’t take up as much space, which means they’re less intrusive, and earn more clicks delivering higher revenue.
RevContent is Changing the Way Publishers are Making Money
One thing that became abundantly clear throughout AAN 2022 is that RevContent is in a class all of our own. Over and over again, we found that the big worries coming from publishers was how to use the real estate of their digital presence to make money and increase engagement – all without sacrificing their integrity, ethics, or reliability.
We are uniquely positioned to provide this community with the tools and controls they need to increase revenue, develop incredible content, connect with their ideal audience, and maximize reader loyalty.
Wrapping Up in the Windy City
AAN 2022 was an excellent opportunity for the RevContent team to connect with publishers worldwide. We were excited to share our solutions and experiences with many publishers – discussing the importance of native advertising in today’s landscape. We look forward to continuing the conversation at next year’s AAN conference in 2023.
