This week, Immediate Media’s Product Director Laura Jenner talks to us about drawing together the needs of different teams across a publishing business, how the roles and responsibilities of a product manager evolve in such a rapidly changing industry, and why the relationship between product and editorial is so important. She also shares her one piece of advice for other product managers in publishing.
Tag: Publisher
DC Thomson’s Sally Hampton on why magazines have a bright future
This week, Sally Hampton, Consumer Magazines Publisher at DC Thomson talks about how she manages such a wide range of magazines, the biggest shifts she’s seen in print publishing, and a surprising new growth opportunity for niche Scottish titles. She also explains why she’s so optimistic about the future of magazine media.
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How publishers are navigating the perilous path to diversification
Chris Sutcliffe looks at how and why publishers are working so hard to diversify their revenue streams, for Digital Content Next.
Many quality publishers are navigating the “valley of death” on their migration from an advertising-funded model to one more reliant on direct reader revenue. It’s not a journey that they’ll all survive. But publishers are being driven by the realization that solely ad-funded models won’t work in the age of platform intermediaries and tech giants, which control both content distribution and advertising revenue. However, for publications with a loyal, engaged audience, the journey is worth the risk.
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Lessons in reducing churn from some of the world’s biggest publishers
Chris Sutcliffe explores strategies global publishers are employing to reduce churn in his latest piece for What’s New in Publishing.
The era of untrammelled growth in digital news subscriptions might be over before it truly began. Despite the high-profile successes of The Times, the NYT and The Washington Post among others, the needle hasn’t significantly moved when it comes to the number of people who are willing to pay for a digital news subscription. The latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report found that only single-digit proportions of people said they would subscribe to a digital news source.
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Is advertising more hassle than it’s worth?
Digital advertising has never delivered on its potential for publishers. Crowded ecosystems, a break in the value chain between creator and audience, and the prioritisation of direct reader revenue all demand the question ‘is advertising more hassle than it’s worth?’
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Hearst UK’s Kalpana Fitzpatrick on the launch of Financially Fabulous
Hearst UK’s Finance Editor, Kalpana Fitzpatrick talks about the launch of their new consumer-facing Financially Fabulous campaign, aiming to empower women to take control of their finances. She discusses the aims of the campaign, the benefits of running it across multiple brands and the overwhelming demand from their audiences for straightforward financial advice.
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The Telegraph’s Director of Product Cat Wildman on navigating tech trends and platforms
On this week’s episode, Cat Wildman, Director of Product at The Telegraph talks about the skills needed to be a successful product manager, how to decide which tech trends to get on board with, and how the news brand gets their communities involved in product development.
Allure editor in chief Michelle Lee on representation in magazines
On this week’s episode, Esther interviews Allure’s editor in chief Michelle Lee about its ongoing efforts to improve representation in magazine media, how diversity can help heal divisions in society, and opportunities around new media.
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Mic’s Cory Haik on millennial loyalty, meaningful storytelling and the importance of deliberate distribution
This week, Mic’s Publisher Cory Haik talks to us about surviving as a video-first publisher in a platform world, how they retain a loyal and engaged millennial audience, and why she’s not giving up on platform publishing as a sustainable option.
The Disconnect’s founders on experimentation and counter-intuitive bets
This week, Peter speaks to The Disconnect’s co-founders Chris Bolin and Clayton d’Arnault about the philosophy and meaning behind a digital magazine that can only be consumed while offline.
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The Scottish Wedding Directory’s Chris Phin on switching niches and ads vs reader revenues
In this week’s episode of Media Voices, Peter talks to Chris Phin, Head of DC Thomson’s Scottish Wedding Directory, about the best ways to monetise a niche vertical and switching from tech journalism to covering the bridal scene.
Key lessons from The Pool on getting to know your audience
On paper, The Pool goes against everything we think should work in a digital publishing site. It publishes just a few pieces of content, and releases them in timed ‘drops’ throughout the day to a schedule, inspired by radio timetables. To top it off, it targets younger women – a market arguably already well-served by more traditional media companies.
But every detail of the way The Pool works has been carefully thought through and meticulously implemented by founders Sam Baker and Lauren Laverne, drawing together years of research into not just what women want, but their daily habits and their relationship with both their mobile phones and the internet.
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Facebook WTF?
In this special episode of Media Voices, the team rattle through some news before doing a deep-dive into the realities of Facebook killing the news industry (again).
Peter, Esther and Chris offer their thoughts on the whys and hows of the decision, plus speculate as to whether this will be good for journalism in the long run and who is most likely to be affected by the decision.
We’re reading:
- Editorial standards put BBC reporters in tough spot over pay equity issue (Scott Nover): A good explainer of the background to the BBC gender discrimination furore, with comparisons to other organisations and a look at the context at the BBC
- When harassment drives women out of journalism (Katherine Goldstein): What could have been if women weren’t hounded out of journalism, with profiles of various women journalists and their stories
- Peter’s enjoying his copy of new indie print magazine Foul Play. Some really nice design touches but loads of great reads unlike too many style over substance indy mags
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Media’s hopes and dreams for 2018
It’s safe to say that 2017 was a bit of a bumpy year for media organisations. From mass job cuts, ill-advised pivots and a growing outcry against the burgeoning duopoly, there’s no sign of the wave of digital disruption easing up on the industry.
In our bumper end-of-year special, we chewed over many of the issues that the past year has thrown up, interspersed with contributions from some of our past guests.
Rather than concoct yet another list of media predictions for 2018, we decided instead to ask some of the experts that have appeared on the podcast what they hope 2018 holds for the industry. All the responses below are included in the episode – give it a listen if you want to hear more about what each guest thought about the year gone by and what their own personal priorities are for 2018.
Kevin Anderson, media analyst Continue reading “Media’s hopes and dreams for 2018”
The Financial Times’ Alyssa Zeisler on using engagement metrics to launch new products
In this week’s episode, the Financial Times’ audience engagement strategist Alyssa Zeisler takes us through how the team uses engagement metrics to identify a need for new products that benefit new audience segments.
Is digital dying?
According to Betteridge’s law, the answer to all headline questions is, of course, no. But the last few weeks have seen some stories about digital media organisations that have shaken the firm belief that digital can stand alone profitably with a bright future as print lies spluttering.
In a single week it emerged that Buzzfeed and Vice are going to miss their revenue targets, Mashable was sold for $50 million, and the resistance to the Duopoly is growing as Broadcasters, the FT’s Lionel Barber and the Guardian’s Kath Viner have all waded in.
These events all set the tone of this episode of the Media Voices podcast, dedicated entirely to this question of whether we’re witnessing the beginning of the end for digital media.
People have long been saying ‘print is dead’ but it is becoming clear that digital was dead from the start – at least as a sole revenue source – despite all the hope and all the resources that companies have been pouring into it.
The Tip-Off’s Maeve McClenaghan on celebrating investigative journalism
This week, host and founder of The Tip-Off Maeve McClenaghan takes us through why it’s important to celebrate investigative journalism in an age of ‘fake news’ and limited resources for journalists.
In the news round-up, the team takes a deep dive into new ad-blocking stats, laments the closure of Teen Vogue in print, worries about Snapchat’s future and celebrates more paywall success. Audio glitches suspiciously kill a discussion on billionaire media owners.
What we’re reading:
- The United States of American Media, Inc, via Popbitch
- In the hunt for reader revenue, publishers give micropayments another look, via Digiday
- What your site can learn from 100 news organizations with robust membership programs, via Membership Puzzle Project
Subscribe to Media Voices on iTunes here or by searching for ‘Media Voices’ in your favourite podcast app.
Dennis Executive Director Kerin O’Connor on The Week’s enduring appeal
This week, publisher of The Week Kerin O’Connor takes us through the reasons behind the magazine’s continued success on the newsstand, and how it encourages a relationship between it and its audience.
In the news round-up the Media Voices team talk about the Guardian’s membership success, the spectacularly frightening changes to the Facebook news feed, and ask whether we should be nice to the Duopoly. Listener beware, you’re in for a scare!
What we’re reading:
- “News you don’t believe”: Audience perspectives on fake news’, via RISJ
- ‘The Gender Trap with Media on Social Channels’ via Thomas Baekdal
- ‘Why bad ads deserve to die, and what might replace them’, via LA Times
Subscribe to Media Voices on iTunes here or by searching for ‘Media Voices’ in your favourite podcast app.
University of Oregon’s Damian Radcliffe on local journalism in the Pacific Northwest
In this week’s episode, the University of Oregon’s Carolyn S. Chambers professor in journalism Damian Radcliffe takes us through his latest report into local journalism in the Pacific Northwest.
In the news round-up, the gang discuss strict new NYT social media guidelines for journalism, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s statement on moderating news content, and whether publishers should ‘punish’ audiences who come in through social. We can’t stop making analogies; we’re like sharks who just have to keep swimming.
What we’re reading:
- Medium makes its ‘open paywall’ available to all writers – via WSJ
- What Facebook did to American democracy – via The Atlantic
- Real news about Fake News – via Nieman Lab
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Background music courtesy of Nicolai Heidlas Music via SoundCloud -@nicolai-heidlas
Future’s Rock titles Editor in Chief Scott Rowley on covering rockstar deaths
This week Scott Rowley, Editor in Chief of Future’s rock titles, takes us through how his magazines responded to death of Tom Petty in real time, and why he believes reporting on rock star deaths is devolving into a “bun fight”.
In the news round-up, the gang discuss Glamour magazine moving to a bi-annual publishing schedule, whether Google and Facebook failed in the wake of the Las Vegas shootings, and whether Rupert Murdoch is really publishing’s White Knight (no). Esther imitates a sheep.
We’re reading:
– Why objective journalism is a misleading and dangerous illusion
– Is ‘guerrilla war’ being waged on news broadcasters?
– If journalists take sides, who will speak truth to power?
Subscribe to Media Voices on iTunes here or by searching for ‘Media Voices’ in your favourite podcast app.