Publishers, today, are struggling with their business model: Their efforts to convert traditional content into digital products seem to be insufficient as recipients expect more than simply the mere digitalization of content. Dissatisfied with solely being informed by selected journalists, modern recipients are often interested in acquiring information from various sources, in discussing with others, or even in contributing with their own content. Hence, recipients seem to evolve from being simply readers to contributors themselves. With regard to the established term ‘user‐generated content’, we refer to those co‐creating recipients as users. To underline these assumptions, the present study explores (1) users’ expectations of sources of content and (2) their willingness to provide their own content. Our findings show that both user‐generated content and professional journalists’ content is of value to users. Second, we show that users are mainly driven to contribute by their own expertise, welfare of others, and personal acceptance in the community. With this study, we consider mainly the changed user behaviour in order to derive implications of user involvement for future business models of publishers, in particular on the customer value proposition as well as key resources and key processes.

Publishers have to reconsider their revenue model. Facing a massive decline in the circulation of newspapers and magazines over the past years, publishers have lost not only readers but also many advertisers. Thus, publishers are faced with both changed customer expectations as well as difficulty in generating profit. Users are increasingly less willing to pay for digital products and their expectations of digital content have changed: They would like to contribute their own content as well as to comment or share with others. Furthermore, advertisers can choose from a greater variety of options for placing adverts, particularly on social media and other online platforms. Therefore, many publishers struggle with the questions: How to earn money? What is the revenue model of the new business model? In order to determine the implications for publishers' revenue models, we assume that advertising companies are going to play a prominent role in the new business model. Hence, this paper focuses on publishers' services for advertising companies and therefore the expectations of advertisers towards publishers' services. In particular, this preliminary qualitative study explores advertisers' marketing interests in communities of readers who simultaneously contribute to discussions. Therefore, (1) a pre-study was conducted followed by (2) qualitative interviews with managers from advertising companies in Germany. Our initial findings confirm that advertisers could play an important role in the revenue model of publishers if they meet the expectations of advertisers who expressed their interest in both, using communities for customer research as well as interacting with users directly. The results also identify other possible services that publishers could offer advertisers in conjunction with addressing communities of contributing readers.

Publishers struggle to generate profit. With the introduction of digital content this situation even got worse. While there are millions of digital readers, the loss of revenue streams from selling content to customers is enormous. Publishers really have to turn towards a new business model. As shown in previous studies users expect digitalization and the enhancement of magazines from printed products to digital offers including user generated content (UGC) and platforms for discussions. Publishers have reacted to these new demands and provided new products and features. Nevertheless, users are less and less willing to pay for digital content. Therefore, important remaining questions are: How can publishers earn money? And what is the profit formula of this new business model? We assume that advertising companies are going to play a prominent role in the new business model. Hence, this paper focuses on the profit formula of publishers and therefore the expectations of advertisers. To underline those assumptions the present study explores advertisers´ interest in communities of readers who simultaneously contribute to discussions in order to derive implications for the revenue model of publishers. Therefore (1) a pre-study was conducted followed by (2) qualitative interviews with managers from advertising companies. Our findings show that both using communities as a tool for customer research and the direct interaction with users are of value to advertisers. The results also present other possible services that publishers could offer advertisers in conjunction with addressing those communities of contributing readers. Referring to the widespread term “User Generated Content” as well as to Eric v. Hippels concept of users with specific application knowledge in their field of expertise we call those contributing readers “user”.