*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).
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
