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Jun 19, 2016 · 22m · top-founders

The Art of Getting 25,000,000 Unique Website Views Monthly, EP 301: Alex Skatell

Alex Skatell · 11m spoken Nathan Latka · 9m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews Alex Skatell, founder of Independent Journal Review and Media Group of America, exploring how data-driven email segmentation, capital-efficient bootstrapping, and modern distribution strategies scaled a digital media startup to over 25 million monthly unique readers.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 45.5% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.6 Guest teaching 3.0 Guest disagreement 1.3 Nathan pushing back 1.9
05100:0010:0020:000:43–3:48 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Community Giveaway Winner and Upcoming Episode Preview Nathan introduces Alex's background and asks why he entered digital publishing. Alex recounts his early career and the shift in distribution from website homepages to social media feeds.3:48–7:18 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Distribution Strategies and Segmented Email Audience Optimization Nathan digs into publishing cadence, email segmentation tech, and bootstrap financing. Alex details their 700k subscriber list and Media Group of America holding company structure.7:19–9:46 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Technology Hype Versus Audience Distribution as Competitive Moats Nathan compares Alex to venture-backed competitor Dose, prompting Alex to call industry tech claims smoke and mirrors. Alex asserts that audience scale and distribution are the true moats rather than proprietary CMS platforms.9:46–12:08 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Monetization Models and the Economics of Digital Journalism Nathan presses Alex to quantify monthly expenses, but Alex refuses specific figures beyond six figures. Alex then details the structural breakdown in digital journalism monetization where programmatic ads fail to support newsroom costs.12:08–14:35 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Newsroom Workflow, Editorial Integrity, and Hiring Top Talent Nathan notices two articles published minutes apart by the same writer and asks if content is automated. Alex clarifies that it was simply an editor signing off on multiple queued stories at once.14:35–17:25 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Connecting with Alex Skatell and Entrepreneurial Drive Alex provides contact info and speaks on his passion for founding startups, followed by mid-roll sponsor ad reads by Nathan.17:25–21:10 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Alex Skatell Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions. Alex highlights lessons from David and Goliath, strict Asana task policies, and trusting his gut instincts.0:43–3:48 · Guest teaching 2/10 Community Giveaway Winner and Upcoming Episode Preview Nathan introduces Alex's background and asks why he entered digital publishing. Alex recounts his early career and the shift in distribution from website homepages to social media feeds.3:48–7:18 · Guest teaching 3/10 Distribution Strategies and Segmented Email Audience Optimization Nathan digs into publishing cadence, email segmentation tech, and bootstrap financing. Alex details their 700k subscriber list and Media Group of America holding company structure.7:19–9:46 · Guest teaching 6/10 Technology Hype Versus Audience Distribution as Competitive Moats Nathan compares Alex to venture-backed competitor Dose, prompting Alex to call industry tech claims smoke and mirrors. Alex asserts that audience scale and distribution are the true moats rather than proprietary CMS platforms.9:46–12:08 · Guest teaching 5/10 Monetization Models and the Economics of Digital Journalism Nathan presses Alex to quantify monthly expenses, but Alex refuses specific figures beyond six figures. Alex then details the structural breakdown in digital journalism monetization where programmatic ads fail to support newsroom costs.12:08–14:35 · Guest teaching 4/10 Newsroom Workflow, Editorial Integrity, and Hiring Top Talent Nathan notices two articles published minutes apart by the same writer and asks if content is automated. Alex clarifies that it was simply an editor signing off on multiple queued stories at once.14:35–17:25 · Guest teaching 0/10 Connecting with Alex Skatell and Entrepreneurial Drive Alex provides contact info and speaks on his passion for founding startups, followed by mid-roll sponsor ad reads by Nathan.17:25–21:10 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Alex Skatell Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions. Alex highlights lessons from David and Goliath, strict Asana task policies, and trusting his gut instincts.0:43–3:48 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Community Giveaway Winner and Upcoming Episode Preview Nathan introduces Alex's background and asks why he entered digital publishing. Alex recounts his early career and the shift in distribution from website homepages to social media feeds.3:48–7:18 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Distribution Strategies and Segmented Email Audience Optimization Nathan digs into publishing cadence, email segmentation tech, and bootstrap financing. Alex details their 700k subscriber list and Media Group of America holding company structure.7:19–9:46 · Guest disagreement 4/10 Technology Hype Versus Audience Distribution as Competitive Moats Nathan compares Alex to venture-backed competitor Dose, prompting Alex to call industry tech claims smoke and mirrors. Alex asserts that audience scale and distribution are the true moats rather than proprietary CMS platforms.9:46–12:08 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Monetization Models and the Economics of Digital Journalism Nathan presses Alex to quantify monthly expenses, but Alex refuses specific figures beyond six figures. Alex then details the structural breakdown in digital journalism monetization where programmatic ads fail to support newsroom costs.12:08–14:35 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Newsroom Workflow, Editorial Integrity, and Hiring Top Talent Nathan notices two articles published minutes apart by the same writer and asks if content is automated. Alex clarifies that it was simply an editor signing off on multiple queued stories at once.14:35–17:25 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Connecting with Alex Skatell and Entrepreneurial Drive Alex provides contact info and speaks on his passion for founding startups, followed by mid-roll sponsor ad reads by Nathan.17:25–21:10 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Alex Skatell Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions. Alex highlights lessons from David and Goliath, strict Asana task policies, and trusting his gut instincts.0:43–3:48 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Community Giveaway Winner and Upcoming Episode Preview Nathan introduces Alex's background and asks why he entered digital publishing. Alex recounts his early career and the shift in distribution from website homepages to social media feeds.3:48–7:18 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Distribution Strategies and Segmented Email Audience Optimization Nathan digs into publishing cadence, email segmentation tech, and bootstrap financing. Alex details their 700k subscriber list and Media Group of America holding company structure.7:19–9:46 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Technology Hype Versus Audience Distribution as Competitive Moats Nathan compares Alex to venture-backed competitor Dose, prompting Alex to call industry tech claims smoke and mirrors. Alex asserts that audience scale and distribution are the true moats rather than proprietary CMS platforms.9:46–12:08 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Monetization Models and the Economics of Digital Journalism Nathan presses Alex to quantify monthly expenses, but Alex refuses specific figures beyond six figures. Alex then details the structural breakdown in digital journalism monetization where programmatic ads fail to support newsroom costs.12:08–14:35 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Newsroom Workflow, Editorial Integrity, and Hiring Top Talent Nathan notices two articles published minutes apart by the same writer and asks if content is automated. Alex clarifies that it was simply an editor signing off on multiple queued stories at once.14:35–17:25 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Connecting with Alex Skatell and Entrepreneurial Drive Alex provides contact info and speaks on his passion for founding startups, followed by mid-roll sponsor ad reads by Nathan.17:25–21:10 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Alex Skatell Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions. Alex highlights lessons from David and Goliath, strict Asana task policies, and trusting his gut instincts.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 79.1% · guest 20.9%0:00 · Nathan 79.1% · guest 20.9%3:00 · Nathan 17.7% · guest 82.3%3:00 · Nathan 17.7% · guest 82.3%6:00 · Nathan 31.1% · guest 68.9%6:00 · Nathan 31.1% · guest 68.9%9:00 · Nathan 18.6% · guest 81.4%9:00 · Nathan 18.6% · guest 81.4%12:00 · Nathan 46% · guest 54%12:00 · Nathan 46% · guest 54%15:00 · Nathan 77.9% · guest 22.1%15:00 · Nathan 77.9% · guest 22.1%18:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%18:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%21:00 · Nathan 88.2% · guest 11.8%21:00 · Nathan 88.2% · guest 11.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 10:07 Refusing to disclose exact expense figures

When Nathan pushes Alex to state whether monthly burn exceeds half a million dollars, Alex firmly declines and limits his answer to six figures.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 10:02 Drilling into monthly burn and normalization

Nathan repeatedly refuses to accept vague expense ranges and presses to normalize figures outside of audience ramp-up periods.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 8:20 Deconstructing the myth of proprietary CMS moats

Alex educates Nathan on media technology trends, explaining that proprietary CMS platforms are expensive distractions being abandoned for off-the-shelf software.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 7:20 Comparing funding efficiency with competitor Dose

Nathan cites specific competitor metrics and funding history from episode 240 with Emerson at Dose to challenge Alex on capital efficiency and tech expenditure.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Community Giveaway Winner and Upcoming Episode Preview 3200 Nathan introduces Alex's background and asks why he entered digital publishing. Alex recounts his early career and the shift in distribution from website homepages to social media feeds.
Distribution Strategies and Segmented Email Audience Optimization 5312 Nathan digs into publishing cadence, email segmentation tech, and bootstrap financing. Alex details their 700k subscriber list and Media Group of America holding company structure.
Technology Hype Versus Audience Distribution as Competitive Moats 5643 Nathan compares Alex to venture-backed competitor Dose, prompting Alex to call industry tech claims smoke and mirrors. Alex asserts that audience scale and distribution are the true moats rather than proprietary CMS platforms.
Monetization Models and the Economics of Digital Journalism 4535 Nathan presses Alex to quantify monthly expenses, but Alex refuses specific figures beyond six figures. Alex then details the structural breakdown in digital journalism monetization where programmatic ads fail to support newsroom costs.
Newsroom Workflow, Editorial Integrity, and Hiring Top Talent 4412 Nathan notices two articles published minutes apart by the same writer and asks if content is automated. Alex clarifies that it was simply an editor signing off on multiple queued stories at once.
Connecting with Alex Skatell and Entrepreneurial Drive 1000 Alex provides contact info and speaks on his passion for founding startups, followed by mid-roll sponsor ad reads by Nathan.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions with Alex Skatell 3101 Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions. Alex highlights lessons from David and Goliath, strict Asana task policies, and trusting his gut instincts.

Statements from this episode (10)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
IJ Review dynamically customizes every subscriber's email based on engagement
“We actually every single individual gets a separate, their email looks different. Based on what they engaged with in the past.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 4:27
Insight
Skatell: Media companies must build recurring audiences over chasing viral hits
“Thinking of these distribution channels, these are, you know, this is the new printing press. It's how can you reach people online? How can you reach them on your own terms? So not just relying on a story that goes viral, but building these audiences that you …”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 4:59
Disclosure
Skatell: Media Group of America reached monthly profitability on $2.5M raised
“Contributed, but we're still profitable every month. And so that money is just kind of on the balance sheet to think through growth acquisitions. So we have, we've got about two points, 2.5 million we've raised.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 5:54
Assertion Supported
Skatell: Independent Journal Review reaches 20M to 25M monthly unique visitors
“We get anywhere from 20 to twenty five million uniques on independent journal review.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 6:30
Disclosure
Skatell: Independent Journal Review's newsroom staff consists of about 50 people
“And then we have our newsroom folks, which is about 50 people.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 7:01
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Skatell: Media companies are abandoning custom CMS builds for WordPress
“And I think what you're starting to see is those media companies are now abandoning their own CMS, and they're moving to things like WordPress.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 8:55
Insight
Skatell: A media company's true competitive advantage is audience distribution
“I think the competitive advantage is your audiences. How, how big are your audiences? How often can you reach them and how engaged are they? I mean, that's at the end of the day, when you, when someone went to buy a newspaper, they didn't really look at their …”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 9:24
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Skatell predicts major newsrooms will abandon digital ads for paid subscriptions
“It's not going to float their annual budgets from digital revenue. And they're watching print revenue erodes. They're moving to paid models. And I think you're going to see this more and more across the board.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 11:43
Opinion
Skatell: Turning internal media tools into a SaaS platform is difficult
“I think it's focus is really hard in a startup. And I think right now scaling those products that we use into a SaaS platform would be tough unless it was part of a strategy that Included you know, part of a strategy that included a model that, that scales wel…”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 14:02
Disclosure
Skatell: Employees cannot execute any tasks unless officially assigned in Asana
“We actually are, we have a policy where no task should be done that wasn't assigned in Asana.”
Alex Skatell Jun 19, 2016 ▶ 19:44
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