By MARÍA BAREA NAVARRO.
Axios Media has rounded up a total of 57 million dollars of funding over the course of four rounds since its foundation in 2016. They are open about how they get and spend their money, including a section in their webpage dedicated to advertising transparency, appropriately titled “How we make money”:
As seen on axios.com:
In our news products, we carefully differentiate between our news and any advertisers. If we cover news related to one of our investors or business partners, this will be noted either in the story or on the bottom of the story.
We are very grateful to our investors and advertisers for their support, but they have no effect on our news judgment.
For as long as the company has existed, the goal has been the same: gaining 50% of their revenue from advertisements and sponsorships and 50% from paid content. Axios Pro finally launched as a subscription service in February 2021 starting at 599 $ per year, targeted at CEOs and professionals in the several industries their Pro newsletters cover: media, health, tech… Expansion and acquisitions are not on their sights, as they would rather opt for internal investments that allow Axios to grow their business in the digital world with their current strategy.
Smart brevity strategy: winning the war for attention
The phrase “In a cluttered world, Axios gets busy people's attention to make them smarter, faster about your brand.” is plastered all around the Axios webpage for future advertisers. Audience experience and brand engagement go hand in hand to create a positive experience for all parties.
Smart Brevity is a formula designed by Axios and Politico journalists that prioritizes visual impact in all types of communication, including news and advertising. This strategy of “less is more” has been proven successful, as now over 200 organizations have adopted it.
Through their in-person and virtual events they target people in the industry, lured by the networking and roundtables. Sponsoring these invite-only events elevates a brand’s identity within the media sector.
Sponsored newsletters
Axios main money-maker is their newsletters. They rely on a high engagement rate and offer copy writing services to appeal to advertisings.
Their morning newsletters offer a 100% share of voice for their potential advertisers guaranteeing that way that only one company is advertised in the same space each day. Share of voice (SOV) acts as indicator of brand visibility. Every sponsored newsletter names the three times: at the top with a “Presented by:” banner, “A message from Brand” in the middle, and end with text and images.
This kind of placement undoubtedly presents a unique opportunity for sponsors as they find themselves without competition. Typically, in a webpage, several advertisements would be competing with each other for just a look from would-be customers.
Native advertising
Advertising in axios.com is decided based on local markets and through native digital placements, meaning that the products or companies featured are directly related to the content of the article. Sponsored content must respect the general formatting of the webpage and editorial style, to offer readers and clients a better experience. This marketing technique is considered less aggressive than others such as pop-ups, which Axios.com have barred from their page.