From clicks to curation: How publishers can reclaim control of the media ecosystem

"Curation flips this script. A publisher's greatest asset will always be their content, of course, but the advantage that sets them apart - the ace up their sleeve, so to speak - is their audience data. By putting that data to work in curated marketplaces, publishers can stretch the value of their content well beyond their own properties - bundling data and inventory into highly targeted, privacy-compliant packages that advertisers can buy directly."

"Done right, curation enables publishers to replicate and even expand the reach they once enjoyed from search. Audience segments that may have lived exclusively on a publisher's site can now be extended across devices and formats, from connected TV to mobile apps. In effect, curation unlocks new forms of distribution and even greater reach. Of course, curation is not a one-step fix. To compete in a zero-click world, publishers need three foundational investments."

Zero-click search delivers answers via AI-powered summaries without clicks, reducing referral traffic and decreasing publishers' monetization opportunities. Search once served as a bridge that provided scale, user interest signals and advertising revenue through click-driven visibility. Curation leverages publishers' most valuable asset—their audience data—by packaging data and inventory into targeted, privacy-compliant marketplaces advertisers can purchase directly. Curation can extend audience segments beyond owned sites across devices and formats, unlocking new distribution and broader reach. Successfully competing in a zero-click environment requires foundational investments, starting with a robust, privacy-compliant first-party data strategy.

Read at Digiday