More revenue, more content, publisher control: Inside XPR Media’s syndication model

Publishers looking for new revenue often face a familiar trade-off: Another opportunity requires another salesperson, another technology investment or another responsibility for an already stretched team.

This E&P Solutions Series webinar examined a different proposition: connecting publishers with agencies already buying distribution for press releases and paid content, while an intermediary manages the relationships, screening and delivery.

The session, sponsored by XPR Media and moderated by E&P Publisher Mike Blinder, featured XPR CEO Pablo Goldstein, partnerships executive Fred Gautreau and Ryan Purtle, senior director of business enablement & PLAY at USA TODAY Co.

The discussion explored both the revenue opportunity and the practical questions behind it: Who controls the content? How much work does implementation require? And what can a publisher realistically expect to earn?

Connecting publishers with existing demand

Goldstein described XPR as a business-to-business platform connecting public relations, digital marketing and SEO agencies with publishing partners. Its value, he said, comes from aggregating relationships that would be difficult for individual publishers to recruit and manage themselves.

Goldstein reported that XPR ingests more than 100,000 articles monthly, distributes content across more than 1,500 publisher sites and drives approximately 50 million monthly visits across its network. Those figures describe the company’s overall operation, rather than results an individual publisher should expect.

Press releases remain its largest content category. Additional formats include guest posts, branded content, listicles, case studies and research papers. Publishers select the formats they accept and establish corresponding requirements.

Goldstein emphasized that distinguishing among formats matters. A listicle submitted as a press release, for example, should not automatically receive the same treatment. Clear categories help publishers understand what they are receiving and where it belongs.

USA TODAY’s experience

For USA TODAY, the appeal was an opportunity to expand monetization without building a separate operation.

Purtle oversees content monetization activities including licensing, distribution and partnerships, alongside the company’s games business. He said the arrangement distributes XPR press releases through dedicated pages on the agreed participating sites across USA TODAY’s publishing network.

Rather than construct a new sales pipeline, onboard agency customers and manage distribution internally, the company worked with XPR’s existing relationships and infrastructure. “The operation specifically is pretty turnkey,” Purtle said.

The network’s reach also allows different distribution packages. Some agencies seek broad exposure through larger properties, while others want smaller, more geographically focused markets. Local publications retain their branding and dedicated landing pages.

Purtle stressed that a smooth operation required work at the beginning. USA TODAY involved its technical, ethics and content teams in defining publishing practices, disclaimers, vetting procedures and responses to takedown requests.

Those responsibilities continued to evolve after launch. Purtle described regular communication and a responsive XPR team, saying issues were usually addressed quickly. “Our biggest takeaway in a collaboration like this, it works best when everybody understands their responsibilities right from the get-go,” he said.

Establishing the rules before publication

Goldstein said publisher onboarding begins with deciding which formats to accept and developing guidelines with XPR’s operations team. Those discussions also cover pricing, placement, testing and participating properties.

According to Goldstein, submissions undergo two AI-assisted checks addressing content, context and potentially problematic material, including links, images and video. Flagged submissions move to human review.

Publishers can then choose their own level of involvement. Some allow qualifying content to publish automatically. Others require an additional approval or editing step.

The dashboard demonstrated during the webinar showed participating properties, content volumes, items requiring attention and configurable rules. Publishers can establish different requirements for different formats rather than applying one standard across everything.

Goldstein said some partners initially review each submission, then move toward greater automation once they are comfortable with the process.

Paid-content labeling remains part of that framework. He emphasized clear disclosures so readers understand the nature of the material.

Download the XPR "Publisher Partnerships" presentation

Two approaches to revenue

Gautreau outlined separate commercial approaches for press releases and branded content.

Press release arrangements can include revenue sharing, minimum guarantees or a hybrid combining the two. Terms depend on the publisher, its properties and the agreed distribution model.

For branded content, agencies purchase individual placements on specific sites. Gautreau said pricing considers factors including traffic, geography, brand recognition and domain metrics, alongside the publisher’s own assessment of its inventory.

He illustrated the arithmetic with publisher compensation of $50 per placement. At 100 monthly placements, that would represent $5,000 in hypothetical monthly publisher revenue before associated costs. That was an example, not a forecast or commitment for every partner. He also described much higher-priced placements while explicitly cautioning that those were not typical.

Goldstein reinforced that volume and pricing vary. A single established site may offer meaningful value, while a small property with little traffic could be harder to monetize.

Asked why XPR might decline a partnership, he pointed to mismatched expectations. An ambitious asking price means little if agencies are unlikely to buy at that level.

Integration, sales relationships and next steps

There is no fee payable to XPR by the publisher. Implementation still requires internal resources, including technical coordination and decisions about content standards, workflows and oversight.

Gautreau said XPR performs much of the technical work while collaborating with the publisher’s development team. He cautioned that integration is not simply plug-and-play.

Delivery options include managed pages, RSS feeds and APIs. Goldstein described the USA TODAY implementation as a managed area retaining the publisher’s header and footer, with XPR handling the content between them.

Reporting includes dashboard access, content-level information and monthly financial reports.

The executives also addressed existing sales relationships. Goldstein said XPR works with publishers on pricing so its agency channel does not undercut their established rates. Gautreau said repeated rejection of unsuitable submissions should prompt better agency guidance, rather than pressure on publishers to relax their standards.

For interested publishers, the next step is an individual assessment of their audience, properties, acceptable formats and commercial expectations. XPR directed inquiries to partnerships@xpr.media and partners.xpr.media/publishers.

The opportunity rests on a practical balance: bringing additional agency business to publishers while defining, upfront, the standards, responsibilities and economics that make the arrangement worthwhile