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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…

Don’t forget to include Niche Media Events into your 2026 budget.

Here’s what’s locked in so far:

Niche Media Conference — April 8–10, Orlando, Florida
Niche Leadership Summit — September 2–4, New Orleans, Louisiana

We’re making 2026 our best year yet. Hope to see you there!

Ryan Dohrn’s Sales Corner: Questions You Should Stop Asking

We’ve all been there. You finally land the meeting, open your laptop, and kick things off with: “So, tell me more about your business.”

According to sales coach Ryan Dohrn, that’s one of the worst ways to start.

“We surveyed 600 buyers over the last three years,” Dohrn said. “The number-one question they hated being asked was, ‘Tell me more about your business.’”

That’s because it signals a lack of preparation.

“When you have a set sales call—on Zoom, Teams, or in person—buyers expect you to come prepared,” he said. “They want you to know who the leadership team is, what the company does, where they’re located, what’s happening in their industry. That’s your homework.”

That doesn’t mean you need to walk in reciting their annual report—“You can absolutely come across as arrogant if you overdo it,” Dohrn said—but you should already know enough to ask better questions.

Stop Asking “Are You the Decision Maker?”

The second question buyers hate? “Are you the decision maker?”

“If someone granted you a meeting, odds are they have some say in the process,” Dohrn said. “People don’t give up 30 minutes of their day just out of curiosity.”

Instead of interrogating their authority, focus on earning their trust.

Try This Instead

Dohrn’s favorite opening line flips the script:

“When you granted me this meeting, I’m sure you were hoping there was something we could do for you. How can I be of the most help to you and your company today?”

That question immediately centers the conversation on value—not process—and positions you as a partner, not a vendor.

“If you’re asking the same questions everyone else asks,” Dohrn said, “you’re not any different from anyone else.”

So the next time you sit down with a prospect, skip the clichés. Come prepared, lead with curiosity, and make it about them.

Now, let’s talk church and state…

The Event Publisher’s Playbook for 2025

By Zach O’Brien

If the past few years have taught niche publishers anything, it’s this: readers will scroll past your ads, skip your newsletter, and ghost your sales team, but they’ll still show up for a great event.

The smartest publishers in 2025 aren’t just throwing conferences or luncheons, they’re turning events into full-fledged media products. Done right, they build community, open new revenue streams, and create brand loyalty that no digital metric can replicate.

So how do the pros pull it off?

1. Make It Small—and Make It Matter

When Nancy O’Brien, Senior Director of Industry Affairs and Events at AIN Media Group, launched the Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS), she didn’t go for scale. She went for intimacy.

“We invite 50 people who meet certain criteria,” O’Brien said. “We pay their travel, hotel, and meals, everything. The goal is to create real engagement between sponsors and attendees, not just another giant expo floor.”

Those smaller, curated gatherings have become AIN’s most successful event product, delivering leads and relationships that outlast any banner ad.

“The smaller and more targeted the event, the more engagement you get,” she said. “It’s a natural progression from buyer to seller when you create an environment that’s personal.”

It’s a reminder that “exclusive” often beats “massive.” Publishers who focus on crafting experiences for a defined audience, whether that’s 30 CFOs or 200 local business owners, see higher ROI for both attendees and sponsors.

2. Think Like a Brand Builder, Not a Space Seller

As events evolve, publishers are rethinking what sponsors really want. It’s no longer about booth size or logo placement. It’s about access and alignment.

Scott Jamieson, CEO of Annex Business Media, says that’s the shift separating the best event operators from the rest.

“The value of our events isn’t in signage or swag,” Jamieson said. “It’s in how we connect advertisers directly to the decision-makers they want to meet—and how that connection fits into a year-round content strategy.”

The new playbook for event sponsorship looks more like partnership design. Instead of pitching a bronze-silver-gold package, publishers are creating collaborative opportunities—moderated roundtables, fireside chats, live podcast recordings, and audience data sharing.

It’s about selling outcomes, not logos.

3. Build Events Into Your Editorial DNA

Events shouldn’t live off to the side of your business. They should sit at the heart of it.

“Our mission as publishers is to bring information to our audience,” she said. “There’s no better way to do that than in person. Events are storytelling in real time.”

For editorial teams, events offer direct access to the industry’s pulse: new story ideas, emerging voices, and deeper understanding of reader pain points. For sales teams, they’re a tangible platform to demonstrate value and thought leadership.

When the two work together, your brand becomes more than a publication—it becomes a hub.

4. Measure What Matters

Clicks and impressions don’t translate at events. Connection does.

Jamieson recommends publishers track success through three lenses: attendee satisfaction, sponsor renewal, and content impact.

“If your sponsors come back, your attendees talk about it, and your editorial team walks away with six new stories—then you’ve done it right,” he said.

That qualitative feedback, combined with hard metrics like lead volume or NPS scores, paints the real picture of event ROI.

5. Don’t Just Host—Harvest

The most successful publishers know the event doesn’t end when the last badge hits the floor. Panels become podcast episodes. Speaker quotes become newsletter content. Audience questions turn into research reports.

Events feed the ecosystem—if you design them to.

The bottom line: In 2025, the best publishers won’t just be writers or sellers. They’ll be conveners—creating physical spaces where niche audiences gather, share, and grow.

Or, as Nancy O’Brien put it:

“Events are the most human version of what we do as publishers. They turn readers into relationships—and relationships into revenue.”

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