By Arvid Tchivzhel, SVP of Technology and Katherine Ruane, Director of Strategic Marketing at Mather
April 15th, 2025
Many publishers have a clear vision, but bridging the gap between strategy and execution is the real challenge. From aligning goals to overcoming tech constraints, turning plans into impact often feels like an uphill climb.
These were some of the pressures facing the Bangor Daily News (BDN). Without the ability to invest in multiple full-time hires to address every gap, they turned to their strategic partner, Mather, to bring in fractional leadership. By embedding experienced leaders on a flexible basis, BDN gained access to strategic guidance, hands-on support and the momentum needed to move forward.
In this blog, we’ll explore how fractional leadership makes an impact across news revenue teams, highlighting BDN’s transformative journey as a real-world example of delivering measurable results through this model.
1. Develop a shared vision
Before undertaking any major transformation, publishers need a clearly defined goal that unites teams and guides strategic decisions. Without this alignment, even the strongest ideas can stall or compete for limited resources.
With guidance from a fractional chief strategy officer, Bangor Daily News established a clear, three-year target for digital subscription and revenue growth. Grounded in comprehensive performance data, this "North Star" translated directly into actionable weekly KPIs across acquisition, churn and ARPU — forming a practical roadmap that bridged long-term vision with immediate actions.
Key point to remember:
Clearly defining your North Star keeps teams focused, aligned and accountable. Strategic external support helps organizations articulate what success looks like and ensures everyone is moving forward together.
2. Replace silos with systems
Cross-departmental friction can be a significant barrier to digital progress, especially when advertising, editorial, product and subscription teams are not working in sync. To bridge communication and workflow gaps, BDN embedded a fractional product owner and two marketing specialists to coordinate execution across teams. This approach led to successfully relaunched campaigns, doubled weekly digital starts, and the creation of a marketing roadmap prioritized by effort versus impact — bringing clarity and momentum to critical initiatives.
Key point to remember:
Without integrated workflows, publishers risk inefficiencies and duplicated efforts. Interim leaders can provide a fresh, objective perspective — breaking down silos, finding common ground and fostering collaborative systems that drive results and help teams work in sync.
3. Prioritize smart, scalable tech investments
Many publishers have tech stacks that evolved over time from quick fixes or incremental additions, resulting in increased complexity, higher operational costs and missed revenue opportunities.
At BDN, fractional support guided the consolidation of their subscription and billing systems, reducing costs by 50%. Additionally, they streamlined their checkout process and integrated Sophi’s AI-powered paywall, which improved conversion volume by 47% and more than doubled their conversion rate, without negatively affecting reader engagement. Overall, Sophi has delivered a 6x monthly ROI.
Key point to remember:
Optimizing your tech stack isn't just about cost savings, it’s also about ensuring your technology is working for your business, not against it. With the right support, such as fractional product specialists, publishers can uncover underused tools, streamline operations and align tech investments with clear business goals.
4. Make data actionable across the organization
Too often, data sits in dashboards, disconnected from day-to-day decision-making. The real value comes from helping teams use data to inform content strategy, product development and offer design.
At BDN, Mather’s first-party data tracker, Listener™ brought actionable insights into the newsroom. Key data shaped newsletter launches, leading to over 1,000 signups in the first week of one edition. It also gave the organization the confidence to "follow the data" and launch its premium, subscriber-only newsletter, Maine Politics Insider, which was modeled after The Blast by The Texas Tribune. Section-level performance metrics tied newsroom output to audience value, helping align editorial decisions with broader business goals.
Key point to remember:
Data becomes more powerful when it's accessible, clearly understood and actively used across departments. Embedded fractional experts can help translate insights into action so teams can move faster and with greater confidence.
5. Build for long-term sustainability
Quick wins are important, but real transformation is about building the ability to adapt and grow over time. In just six months, BDN improved user experience, reduced costs and accelerated subscription growth. Sophi now makes 99% of paywall decisions. To sustain this momentum, a multi-year roadmap is in motion to retire legacy print systems, unify the subscription strategy, revamp customer service and boost profitability, particularly around print distribution and audience monetization.
Key point to remember:
Long-term sustainability requires adaptable systems and forward-thinking strategies that evolve with your business. Fractional leaders bring the expertise to guide long-term planning and lay the groundwork for lasting success.
Final thoughts: A flexible path to greater impact
BDN’s experience with fractional leadership shows what’s possible when a publisher pairs internal capabilities and institutional knowledge with targeted external support. By collaborating with Mather, they gained the strategic clarity, added bandwidth and execution power needed to modernize operations and accelerate revenue growth.
For publishers feeling stretched or stuck, this model offers a smart, scalable path forward. It’s not just about doing more with less — it’s about doing the right things, with the right people, at the right time.
“Sophi has increased subscription starts at Bangor Daily News by 50% while saving on staffing costs. What’s more, Sophi keeps our growth going while allowing us to focus on improving service to our audience rather than worrying about where to set the paywall.”
- Todd Benoit, President and COO, Bangor Daily News
