July 27, 2011 — TPM Media LLC (TPM), publisher of the digital news outlet Talking Points Memo (TPM), closed out a strong second quarter with the biggest ad sales month in the site’s history in June. In the first half of 2011, ad sales revenue grew 88% over the same period in 2010.
“We’ve had strong sales growth since we started our direct ad sales program in the spring of 2009. And it’s based on a really compelling story. We have this very loyal, highly engaged, influential, affluent and educated audience. TPM conducted its 5th annual reader survey in April consisting of 34 questions and got an amazing 26,000 respondents in just 24 hours. The numbers are eye-popping. It’s a prime audience for corporate brand advertisers, issue advocacy campaigns and political organizations as well as for premium media and entertainment advertisers, too. Those numbers have driven first-time sales and the results keep bringing the advertisers back,” said Editor & Publisher Josh Marshall.
Some of TPM’s notable 2011 advertisers include Toyota, BP, HBO, United Healthcare, Goldman Sachs, CVS, Current TV, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business School, America’s Natural Gas Alliance, Association of American Railroads, American Council of Life Insurers and the Obama 2012 Re-Election Campaign.
Strong ad sales numbers in 2011 have been matched by robust 42% year over year audience growth, the launch of IdeaLab, a new technology vertical, and the steady expansion of the site’s Washington, D.C. bureau.
This fall TPM will debut its first major site redesign since 2007, a major upgrade of its industry-standard Polltracker application, new mobile apps, staff additions, and a host of sponsorable news apps to power the site’s growth into 2012 and beyond.
“Digital news innovation has always been TPM’s calling card,” said Marshall. “We’re excited about what we have in store for our readers in the 2012 election cycle and what it will mean for TPM. At the end of the day, all our business side success is driven by the quality of our news coverage and the audience loyalty that brings.”
About TPM
TPM is one of the most innovative political news organizations in the United States, what Time magazine calls “the prototype of what a successful Web-based news organization is likely to be in the future.” With its relentless focus on breaking news, original reporting and investigative journalism, TPM has made itself a must-read for D.C. insiders, the media who cover them and politically engaged people everywhere. And media watchers have taken notice too: In addition to many other awards and citations, TPM was the first online news organization to win the prestigious George Polk Award in 2008. In November 2010, TPM celebrated its 10th anniversary. TPM is published by TPM Media LLC. The company has its headquarters in New York City and maintains a bureau in Washington, D.C.
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Callie Schweitzer
Talking Points Memo
callie@talkingpointsmemo.com
212-645-5275