Small businesses are collapsing, even closing, across the country. It's maybe the scariest sight through this coronavirus, since that economic impact likely will linger long after there's a cure.
This small business won't be one of the victims.
One point I can't make often enough is that we aren't artificially propped up. What you see is exactly what we are. We don't make a ton of money, to put it mildly, but we also don't lose money. We have readers who support us passionately and generously, but we'd never sell out to venture capitalists to cede control of what we've all built. We'd never take on unmanageable debt that'd jeopardize us, our staff and your own investments here.
Even with the new app, the most expansive and expensive project we've ever undertaken, all costs were covered before this shutdown, and all work has proceeded as scheduled. In fact, it might've been accelerated since we've had more time to focus without sports.
As a result, we'll make it.
It's not fun. Our subscribers and business partners have stuck by us, and we're grateful for both, but attracting anyone new -- readers or sponsors -- is a complete no-go, and the various programmatic ad revenue streams have virtually vanished.
For a numerical feel, here's our past 30 days compared to the previous 30 days:
• Page views: -35.7%
• New visitors: -32.4%
• App usage: -2.3%
• Average site session: -11.5%
• New paid subscribers: -42.5%
We've made some adjustments and cuts, as you've seen notably through the absence of our recurring weekly features and, most obviously, the total lack of travel. That's not fun, either. We take a lot of pride in our consistency, and those elements are a big part of what readers have come to expect here.
But they'll be back. And sports will be back. And when they are, we'll be fully equipped for it.
NEW APP UPDATE
Yet again this week, we put in a lot -- and I mean a lot -- of hours on the new app, meaning my wife Dali and I, as well as the new developers. A couple nights took us all the way to sunrise, the birds chirping outside and everything.
Which is fine. No complaints. Only means we're in the home stretch.
To the more than two dozen readers generous enough to donate their services for beta testing -- and that's now closed, thanks -- you'll be getting your test apps in the next few days. While the testers do their thing, we'll keep doing ours and wrapping it for a subscriber-only launch very soon.
If you haven't seen our home page for the app, here's the latest mockup, albeit with no promises this is how it'll actually turn out:
The closer it gets, the more excited I get. Partly in a told-you-so kind of way. Because I've heard so many times about how we're 'fixing' or 'updating' our app. We aren't. This and the previous app will have exactly nothing in common. This thing is ... you'll see.
Soon enough.
MILITARY DRIVE TO 1,500: 627
Our biggest week yet on this front, with 107 military subscriptions purchased on a combination of one massive bulk purchase of 100 -- thanks, Ed! -- and seven individual purchases.
Josh DeNinno, our friend at Moon Golf Club, is challenging our subscribers to step up with 1,500 veteran subscription purchases in 2020, commemorating his course's 15th anniversary. And in the nine weeks since he's done so, our count is at 520, including 30 bulk purchases.
We've obviously got a very long way to go, but there's been a great early reaction to our having reduced the cost of these to half-price, now $19.99 for the annual, as we've done with other gift subscriptions. On top of that, Moon Golf Club will match 30 each month.
Let's do this. Here's where.
Or, if you’re interested in making a bulk purchase, please email me directly: DK@DKPittsburghSports.com -- DK
MEETUP AT CYBER-MIKE'S!
We clearly can't do subscriber meetups in this environment, but Mike Sukitch at Mike's Beer Bar came up with the idea to have a bunch of us -- and readers -- hook up for cyber-based Happy Hours. We had another yesterday, and we'll do it again next Friday at 5 p.m. Hope you can join us!
BACK TO BUSINESS
• New paid subscribers for 2020 -- not including gifts, military, returning/renewing subscribers -- are at 130. We had six new paid subscribers over the past week.
• Our daily page views, averaged out over the past week, were 48,856. The goal with this figure is to average 100,000, but that's obviously not going to be remotely realistic for a while.
• Our most-hit original article of the past week was my Grind about Pittsburgh beating coronavirus, at 15,440. The Steelers accounted for 126,852 page views, the Penguins 47,236, the Pirates 32,885 and Pitt 5,767.
• We're at 36,129 (+21) followers on Twitter, we're at 32,224 (+31) page likes on Facebook, we're at 14,018 (+54) followers on Instagram. These figures are just for our official company account on each platform, not for us as individuals.
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