Sullivan blogs new media, peddles old

In his new campaign for donations to support his blog, Andrew Sullivan says “we’re working hard for ad dollars, but the landscape is still bleak.”

Sullivan is in the brilliant editorial vanguard of p2p media, but he’s still emulating big media by “working hard” for advertising and “big sponsors.”

Big media advertising is all about tortured negotiations, murky metrics and bloated prices… it’s hard work for everyone. Likewise on AndrewSullivan.com, potential advertisers need to burrow through the site to find contact information. The site offers no rate card and makes no pitch to advertisers. When Sullivan sold an annual sponsorship 18 months ago, it cost $7500. With his traffic up 4-fold, the same sponsorship might cost $30,000 today.

Sullivan won’t begin to find a steady commercial audience until buying ads on his blog is as easy, transparent, affordable and automated as blogging itself.

If he’s going to succeed as an Internet entrepreneur, Sullivan needs to serve other Internet entrepreneurs. There’s ample evidence that the web empowers entrepreneurs who buy and sell (eBay) or advertise (Google.) Sullivan should sell blogads clearly and prominently, automate ordering and price CPMs at 1/100th of NYTimes.com’s rate.