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Welcome to The Niche Fix. Each week, we will share insights from experts and professionals in the niche publishing industry. Have questions or thoughts about the industry? Reply to this email, and let’s chat!

But first…

Shhhhhhhh. We decided to let our Cyber Monday deal go for another week. This is your last chance to get the discount…

Use promo code CYBER200 at checkout to get $200 off your ticket to the Niche Media Conference, happening April 8–10, 2026 in Orlando.

You’ll join hundreds of niche media pros for three days of killer sessions, real-talk sales training, and networking that actually feels human. But act fast—this limited-time discount won’t stick around for long.

Ryan Dohrn’s Sales Corner: The Power of the V Word

Billion-dollar sales coach Ryan Dohrn says the secret to booking more meetings isn’t about persistence or perfect timing—it’s about the V word: value.

When customers see his name pop up in their inbox or on caller ID, Ryan doesn’t want them to think, “Here comes another salesperson.” He wants them to think, “Ryan’s reaching out—this must be valuable.” That kind of reaction only happens when every message, call, and meeting delivers something genuinely useful.

According to Ryan, value isn’t about offering discounts or quick deals. It’s about helping clients win. That might mean sharing a relevant article that helps their business, passing along competitive insights, or simply respecting their time with short, to-the-point communication.

“The best salespeople are curators of relevance,” Ryan often says. “Your clients should see your name and think, ‘This person helps me do my job better.’”

If your outreach feels like a pitch, you’re part of the noise. But if it provides insight, you become someone customers want to hear from.

Ryan’s advice: before every call or email, ask yourself one question—What’s the value here? If you can answer that, you’ll stop chasing meetings and start earning them.

Value isn’t just part of the sales process—it’s the whole thing.

Now, let’s talk experiments…

Small Bets, Big Payoffs: The 2026 Experiment Playbook for Publishers

By Zach O’Brien

you’re starting the new year staring at your media plan like it’s a pile of cold leftovers from 2025, you’re not alone. Most publishers walk into January with the same mix of optimism and mild panic. You’ve got goals to grow revenue, launch new products, and keep advertisers happy—but no one’s handing out bonus budgets or extra staff. So how do you make 2026 your best year yet without blowing it all up?

Simple: make smaller bets, more often.

In a world where media changes faster than your social intern’s job title, the smartest publishers aren’t betting the farm—they’re running tiny, fast, cheap experiments that reveal what actually works.

Start Small or Stay Stuck

Every publisher dreams of the next big hit: a new newsletter that prints money, a viral podcast, a membership that renews itself. But those moonshots rarely start that way. Instead, they begin as scrappy little tests—an A/B subject line, a single sponsored post, or a two-week “pop-up” newsletter that quietly grows a cult following.

Think of experiments as your creative insurance policy. If something flops, it’s a tiny blip. If it works, it becomes a new product line, a sales opportunity, or your next headline panel at the Niche Media Conference.

The trick is to make the bets small enough that failure doesn’t sting, but frequent enough that you’re constantly learning.

The 10% Rule

Here’s a rule of thumb that’s become gospel in smart media circles: devote 10% of your time, budget, or output to experiments every quarter.

That could mean:

• Testing a paid tier for your most loyal newsletter readers.

• Selling one “experiment” ad slot each issue for a new creative format.

• Running a single Zoom workshop and seeing if anyone shows up.

• Trying out short-form video without turning your entire editorial team into influencers.

It’s not about perfection—it’s about momentum. When you dedicate a small slice of your operation to experiments, you build a culture that celebrates curiosity instead of fearing change.

Give the Team Permission to Play

If your staff feels like every idea needs six meetings and a spreadsheet before it’s real, your innovation engine is idling. In 2026, the best publishers will empower their teams to run experiments without begging for permission.

Give your editors the freedom to try a weird newsletter format. Let your salespeople pitch a hybrid ad idea. Tell your designer to mock up something wild and unapologetically colorful. The point isn’t to get everything right—it’s to learn faster than your competitors.

Measure, Iterate, Repeat

Of course, experimentation only works if you actually measure results. The goal isn’t just “try stuff,” it’s “try stuff and then get smarter.”

Use simple metrics that answer basic questions:

• Did anyone open it?

• Did anyone click it?

• Did anyone pay for it?

• Did your advertiser ask for more?

If yes, you might have a winner. If no, kill it quickly and move on. Every failed experiment is one step closer to your next great product.

The Bottom Line

2026 doesn’t have to be about massive overhauls or 50-slide strategy decks. The future belongs to publishers who experiment relentlessly, learn constantly, and act fast.

So before you commit to another year of “same old, same old,” carve out time for creative chaos. Make a few small bets. See what happens.

Because in media, it’s never the safest bet that pays off—it’s the one you were just brave (and curious) enough to try.

This issue of the Niche Fix is brought to you by Ad Orbit

Formerly known as MagHub, Ad Orbit helps hundreds of publishers worldwide sell, deliver, and bill for advertising revenue. The contract-to-cash platform combines a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Order Management System (OMS) to enable revenue teams to reach maximum effectiveness.

Developed over the last ten years to optimize publisher operations, the solution has evolved from a simple CRM tool to one that spans areas as diverse as:

• Ad Inventory Management

• Electronic Signatures

• Client Portals

• Ad Reminders/Proofs/Uploads

• Billing

• Accounts Receivable

• Built-in Business Intelligence (BI) reporting/dashboarding

• Service Sales & Project Management

While originally designed for Magazine Publishers, the platform has continued to adapt with the industry to support omnichannel advertising campaigns. Whether your ad runs on owned and operated channels like print, web, newsletters, webinars, OOH, events, and broadcast or via a programmatic distribution network – Ad Orbit helps your team keep everything organized.

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