*By Christian Smith* Axios is taking a different approach to success than many of its traditional media rivals. In a click-bait media universe, the digital media start-up is prioritizing engagement over page views. "We need engaged users, not just users," co-founder Roy Schwartz told Cheddar. Since its launch just two years ago, Axios now boasts 10 million unique monthly users. But according to Schwartz, the metric that matters is not unique visits ー it's daily retention. "What we really focus on is the number of people that are coming on a daily basis ー and is that growing," he said. "Our business model was based on engagement." That business model also relies on dynamic, subject-based newsletters that Axios produces ー some daily, some weekly, on topics including science, politics and autonomous vehicles. "We have a robust newsletter business, and with newsletters we really hire deep subject-matter experts ー and they come with a following. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers. They come, they bring their fans with them," Schwartz said. And then come the scoops. Axios' exclusive interview with President Trump in which he threatened to end America's birthright citizenship policy has already drawn thousands of new subscribers to the site, Schwartz said. That interview will appear on "Axios," a four-part series the media company is co-producing with HBO Documentary films that debuts Sunday on the premium channel. In the [clip from the series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0d21nQBY8o) released Tuesday, President Trump said he plans to issue an executive order putting an end to the American policy of granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Schwartz said the scoop prompted several thousand new subscribers to sign up for their newsletters. "There were tens of thousands of people on the site just this morning at one moment in time." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/axios-is-innovating-digital-media-with-newsletters).

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Load More