The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

This is the latest in a series of sessions from The Publisher Summits, which were held in June. The Summits covered four product areas across 2 days in London, from newsletters and print to apps and podcasts, featuring speakers from The Economist and the FT to Reach, National World, Grazia and more. Thanks to the sponsors of the Publisher Podcast and App Summits - Crowdfindervideo, Pugpig, and Syno. Find out more about them and how they help publishers take their magazines and newsletters to the next level at publishersummits.com. This episode features insight from Aleena Augustine, who is Audience Growth Manager at The Observer. Now this is a bit special as The Observer brand was acquired by Tortoise Media in April of this year, so there was an awful lot to talk about there. Aleena spoke specifically about how the team is combining podcasts and apps for a powerful subscriber proposition – and what comes next for native audio within its app. Get the learnings from this episode written up in article form straight into your inbox by signing up to The Publisher Newsletter at voices.media. 

This special episode of The Publisher Podcast is an audio teaser for our Inside the Print Revival report, published by Media Voices. If you haven't already got the report, you can download it from voices.media/printrevival. We at Media Voices had been wondering for some time about what is really going on in the print magazine market as we watched the number of stories shared about print launches and relaunches grow from a trickle to, if not quite a tidal wave, a fairly fast-flowing stream. Talk of a print comeback has been increasingly common in the magazine market. But at the same time, news about magazine circulations dropping, print operations being scaled back and regular closures have continued. With these two seemingly contradictory narratives competing for our attention, we decided to try and find out what is really going on. Inside the Print Revival is made possible with the support of our sponsors: Freeport Press, Warners Media Group, Atex, FIPP, Piano, and Manson Group.

This is the first of a series of sessions from The Publisher Summits, which were held in June. The Summits covered four product areas across 2 days in London, from newsletters and print to apps and podcasts, featuring speakers from The Economist and the FT to Reach, National World, Grazia and more. Thanks to the sponsors of the Publisher Newsletter and Print Summit - Passendo, Piano, Warners Group Publications, FIPP, and Syno. Find out more about them and how they help publishers take their magazines and newsletters to the next level at publishersummits.com. This episode brings together two sessions from the Publisher Newsletter Summit stage looking at newsletter marketing and discovery. The first talk is from Sophie Laughton, Newsletter Editor at Metro.co.uk, sharing how a site redesign helped their team drive newsletter sign-ups, and what other publishers can learn. Then you’ll hear from Hannah Tomes at the Spectator, interviewed on-stage by Esther Thorpe, discussing which marketing and growth strategies have and haven’t worked for them. Get the learnings from this episode written up in article form straight into your inbox by signing up to The Publisher Newsletter at voices.media.   

It was standing room only at the inaugural Monetising B2B conference, organised by Flashes & Flames, at London's historic Stationers' Hall on 20th May. Peter and Esther went along to fly the flag for Media Voices. The conference was focused not on the difference between pureplay events and information companies, but on the data-fuelled intersection and growth potential between them. The breadth and depth of the day's content echoed the mission of Flashes & Flames and of the change underway in B2B companies in the era of AI and revenue diversification. Although there were a wide range of topics discussed during the day, this episode brings out highlights from three hot-topic areas:  AI's profit potential: How B2B's application of AI is moving to commercial reality; Data with purpose: Why proprietary data can define the future of B2B; Events re-imagined: From trade shows to festivalisation - why the future of events belongs to those who curate memorable (and valuable) experiences. For the full event report, see Flashes & Flames.

For publishers, the conversation around AI has moved on from how to incorporate it into the business. Now, 'Fear of missing out' has been replaced by 'Fear of not being able to measure'. This is the latest in our Media Briefs series of short, sharp sponsored episodes with a senior executive from a vendor working with publishers to make their businesses better. In this episode, we hear again from Bridged Media CEO Maanas Mediratta. Last time we spoke about how Bridged Media was making AI tools more accessible to a broader range of publishers. This time, our conversation was focused on how publisher conversations around AI have moved on, and why measuring ROI is becoming a key part of the discourse. It can be challenging to visualise "Operationalising AI" and what that means for your organisation in terms of people, process and tech. Bridged Media is currently running a survey to help establish an industry benchmark on how to future proof your business using AI enabled tech. Take the survey to help find out if your newsroom is AI ready. 

In this bonus episode of The Publisher Podcast, sponsored by Memberful, we hear from Jen Matichuk, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Memberful. Jen spoke about how membership is a powerful way to diversify revenue, whether you need to introduce membership tiers (spoiler: you don't), and how to deliver value that converts. She also explores the value of community, and why evolution and iteration are key for retention. This episode of The Publisher Podcast & Newsletter is sponsored by Memberful, a best-in-class membership solution for independent publishers and journalists who want to diversify their revenue stream and connect with their audience.  Memberful lets you offer membership perks and exclusive content to your loyal audience, giving you full control over who has access to your articles, newsletters, and podcast episodes. Take control of your publishing business this year with Memberful. Visit memberful.com/publisherpod and get started with a free trial.

In this discussion, Alex White, Group Managing Director at Immediate Media, shares her insights on fostering innovation within the publishing sector. She emphasizes the importance of an entrepreneurial spirit and the benefits of focusing on thematic verticals like gardening and history. The conversation explores how AI tools empower teams and enhance creativity, alongside strategies for evolving media in a digital age. Alex also highlights the community around the Made for Mums platform and the revival of print, showcasing how quality content drives engagement.

In this episode of The Publisher Podcast we hear from Sam Baker, Senior Producer of Deutsche Welle's award-winning podcast Don't Drink The Milk. She takes us through the appeal of documentary and narrative podcasts, how the team is experimenting with video and AI, and how overlapping interests allows DW to find new audiences for its audio. And, of course, we discuss where the title 'Don't Drink The Milk' originates from. It's a fascinating story - and one that succinctly explains the appeal of culture podcasts, and why audio is a wonderful medium for explaining history. This season of The Publisher Podcast & Newsletter is sponsored by Memberful, a best-in-class membership solution for independent publishers and journalists who want to diversify their revenue stream and connect with their audience.  Memberful lets you offer membership perks and exclusive content to your loyal audience, giving you full control over who has access to your articles, newsletters, podcast episodes, private community chats, and more. Take control of your publishing business this new year with Memberful. Visit memberful.com/publisherpod and get started with a free trial.

Marissa Zanetti-Crume, Bloomberg Media’s Global Head of Product, leads the charge in developing audience-first news products. She discusses the importance of integrating content, technology, and commercial strategies to enhance engagement. Marissa highlights Bloomberg’s extensive newsletter portfolio, designed for both revenue and reach. She also dives into the innovative use of live audio Q&A sessions, allowing journalists to connect more directly with their audience, reinforcing the significance of an audience-centric approach in media today.

This week on The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices, we're joined by Tav Klitgaard, Group CEO of Zetland Media. As well as news publication Zetland, the Danish company also has a book publishing business, an AI transcription startup, and has recently launched a Finnish publication called Uusi Juttu, which has attracted 15,000 paying members within the first two months. Tav discusses the importance of designing products to address user needs, and how that pays back in attracting paying younger audiences, as well as taking their subscriber-first business model to Finland. He also explains why audio has been such a pivotal part of making Zetland successful as a member-driven publisher, and what future he sees for video podcasts. This season of The Publisher Podcast & Newsletter is sponsored by Memberful, a best-in-class membership solution for independent publishers and journalists who want to diversify their revenue stream and connect with their audience.  Memberful is human-first, not software first, so whether you’re launching, growing or switching platforms, the team at Memberful are committed to providing exceptional support at every stage of your journey. Take control of your publishing business this new year with Memberful. Visit memberful.com/publisherpod and get started with a free trial.