The SaaSification of media: What if local media thought like a SaaS company?

In this new column, I’ll explain how local media leaders can apply SaaS thinking to their business: the KPIs that matter, the frameworks to use, the traps to avoid and the habits to build.”

Todd Handy is a growth architect and transformation strategist who’s helped reshape the digital media, AdTech and SaaS landscapes.

Local media doesn't have a “product problem.” It has a “go-to-market problem.”

That might sound bold (or annoying, depending on how your week is going and your particular media company role), but hear me out. Media companies still have a long-standing connection to their communities, ongoing albeit decreasing audience demand and a valuable reputation. They don’t have a modern, disciplined revenue model prioritizing predictable growth, customer lifetime value and long-term sustainability.

Know who does? SaaS (software-as-a-service) companies.

Now, before you roll your eyes and picture another tech bro in a Patagonia vest talking “ARR” and “churn rates,” let me say this: I’m not suggesting media become software. I’m suggesting we steal software’s playbook.

SaaS companies have built an entire business model around recurring revenue. They live and die by how well (and efficiently) they acquire, retain and expand customers over time. And that mindset? That’s exactly what local media needs to adopt to build scalable, evergreen revenue streams, not just survive the next quarter. Let’s break it down.

The transactional trap

Most local media companies are stuck in a loop: chase one-off ad buys, scramble to hit monthly or quarterly numbers, reset, repeat. It’s exhausting. It creates massive churn for both advertisers and internal teams.

Worse, the typical KPIs used to measure success are all short-term: impressions served, click-through rates, reach & frequency, CPMs, budget spent, etc. Very few are asking: Did the advertiser stick around? Did they grow with us? Are we building a book of scalable, recurring revenue or just watching advertisers exit through the revolving door?

The SaaS way

SaaS businesses flipped the script. Instead of selling a thing, they sell a relationship. Yes, they sell a product or service (often both!). Revenue is typically recognized monthly (MRR) or annually (ARR). Retention is an obsession. Metrics like CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), LTV (Lifetime Value) and NRR (Net Revenue Retention) are gospel. And “customer success” isn’t just a feel-good phrase; it’s a critical function that drives real revenue.

SaaS GTM (go-to-market) strategies are unified across marketing, sales, customer success and product. They use data to identify risk and reduce churn. They obsess over onboarding. They regularly review accounts and look for upsell, cross-sell and renewal opportunities.

Sound familiar? It should. Because everything I just said could (and should) be happening in local media.

The opportunity for media

Imagine packaging your advertising offerings like a SaaS product: clear tiers (or packages), monthly recurring pricing, structured onboarding, proactive check-ins, usage insights and quarterly business reviews. Imagine aligning your teams around NRR and LTV instead of just new logos or booked revenue (or pacing and pending).

Now imagine what your bottom line might look like if 25%, 50% or more of your advertiser base renewed automatically every month and grew. I know many media company sales teams and have worked with many that live with 15-30% monthly churn or more. This isn’t a theory. It’s happening. I’ve used these exact principles in media, SaaS and BPO settings to build recurring revenue engines that scale. But most media companies still think of campaigns, not customers (advertisers). It’s time to change that.

What comes next

In this new column, I’ll explain how local media leaders can apply SaaS thinking to their business: the KPIs that matter, the frameworks to use, the traps to avoid and the habits to build.

We’ll talk CAC, LTV, MRR, NRR and all the other alphabet soup you need to understand to run a growth business in 2025 and beyond. More importantly, we’ll translate those metrics into media-native language and use cases.

The goal? To help you build a business that doesn’t just survive but scales. Because journalism matters. But if we can’t fund it sustainably, all the mission in the world won’t save it.

Let’s fix the model. Let’s think differently. Let’s think like SaaS.

Todd Handy is a growth architect and transformation strategist who’s helped reshape the digital media, AdTech and SaaS landscapes. He’s led revenue, marketing, customer success, operations and transformation for companies, including Deseret Digital Media, Beasley Media Group, MarketStar and Tout. As the founder of Disruptive Impact, he partners with companies to reinvent their business models using proven frameworks and dual transformation principles. A frequent keynote speaker and LMA board member, Todd offers fractional leadership and advisory services to drive measurable, recurring revenue growth. Reach him at todd@disruptiveimpact.co.