The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our fifth episode explores the year in newsletter trends, from worldwide readership to how creators are driving publisher strategies. One of the oldest digital delivery systems of all has continued to dominate industry headlines in 2022 as publishers rethink the way they work with email newsletters. Email-first news publishers have continued to go from strength to strength, with Axios and Industry Dive both acquired this year for significant sums. As overwhelm and news avoidance has grown, email newsletters have been seen as a solution to the firehose of content available online, as Reuters noted in this year's Digital News Report. The trend of journalists leaving outlets to go solo has definitely peaked, with fewer making the move than anticipated. Stability, and the realities of making a living from just a newsletter have stemmed the tide of people taking it from a side hustle to a career. But publishers have responded by finding ways to support talented staff, with Forbes and The Atlantic both having made notable efforts to bring on board dedicated newsletter writers. That's not to say it's been all plain sailing. Facebook (Meta) has binned Bulletin - its Substack competitor - after just over a year. The industry has also been struggling with Apple's Mail Privacy Protection Update, which has made measuring email open rates particularly challenging. This in turn is forcing innovation, and we're likely to see a substantial evolution of both metrics and email advertising over the coming years as publishers seek to bring the premium ad experiences of their sites and apps to their newsletters. Overall, there seems to be an acknowledgement that newsletters have been a long-underserved medium that can actually be incredibly effective for publishers. As the hype has faded, there's a 'more realistic attitude' in place about the format and the business that can be built around it.  Joining us this episode to discuss the biggest newsletter trends of 2022 is Mark Stenberg, Senior Media Reporter at AdWeek in New York. He's reported on some of the biggest newsletter-related media stories of the year, and also has his own newsletter Medialyte. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our fourth episode looks at how publishers with subscription and membership schemes are handling increasing pressure on consumer budgets, and subscription trends going into 2023 and beyond. There has been a great deal of talk this year about reaching 'peak subscription'. Subscriber numbers at Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ fell in the first quarter of 2022 as increasing economic pressures forced difficult choices on households. Publishers are beginning to see the effects of this too. The International News Media Association's Subscription Benchmarking Service of 125 international news brands has noticed a recent spike in subscription cancellations, with the past few quarters seeing cancellations go up 34% compared to Q1 of 2021.  However, the year has not been all doom and gloom for those with reader revenue streams. The Times signed up an average of 1,000 new digital subscribers every day over the first two weeks of Russia's attack on Ukraine, demonstrating the demand is still strong for authoritative news and analysis. Similarly, members of the AOP have collectively reported 14.9% growth in subscriptions revenue this year. Crucially, the pressure is helping publishers innovate. Some are looking to mixed revenue models, using registration data to both better convert readers as well as serve more valuable ads. Others are looking to more inclusive schemes to build relationships with those who aren't ready or willing to pay for a subscription. If the past two years has seen a rush to subscriptions, 2022 has seen the start of a shake-out, but one which we are confident the best publishers will emerge from with stronger, more resilient strategies. To discuss this year's subscription trends, we're joined by Anthony Ribeiro, Audience Conversion Consultant at Poool. He has a strong background in outbound acquisition, content marketing and SEO for both brands and media companies. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to advertising, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our third episode explores how the local news market has evolved over the past 12 months, from start-ups showing early signs of sustainability, to the struggles of more established publishers. After decades of managed decline, the past few years has seen a sea of local news start-ups rising to fill the gaps left by the once-dominant legacy publishers. In the US, publishers like Axios and 6AM City are using lean, MVP models to launch local news outlets with just a few reporters and a newsletter. Many others are using increasingly-available digital tools to set up websites, podcasts, membership schemes and newsletters to support a local news operation with minimal investment. In Europe, established news organisations are launching new online local services, hiring journalists to fill the gaps in their own 'news deserts'. In the UK, start-ups like The Manchester Mill have established a blueprint that works for them and are expanding into other areas, without needing tens of thousands of subscribers. Meanwhile in Finland, 39% of those who pay for news say they are paying for regional or local news online - higher than in many other markets. However, that doesn't mean the route to becoming a sustainable local news organisation is straightforward. To discuss the state of local news, we're joined this episode by Chris Jansen, Head of Local News, Global Partnerships at Google. Chris started his career in local radio news, and learned some lessons early on about how hard it is to do original reporting on a local level, especially for small businesses. Now, he leads the Google News Initiative's local news efforts, helping publishers with best practices and business tools to succeed in the digital world.  This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy. poool.tech | @PooolTech

For our latest season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’re be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to local news, platforms, emerging technology and more. Our second episode explores how the advertising market has had its post-pandemic recovery dented by economic uncertainty, and how publishers, platforms and brands are adapting. The advertising market has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past 12 months. Initial hopes of a more stable year to continue rebuilding from the pandemic were dashed as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, exacerbating global economic pressures. Digital advertising growth this year has slowed – unsurprising given its unsustainable growth during Covid – but has still been growing at a much faster pace than other platforms across most segments. It is expected to account for 67% of global ad spend by the end of 2022. The outlook is mixed. The cost of living crisis is likely to force households to drastically cut back on spending. However, the World Cup is forecast to keep growth at 8.4% this year, and although the 6.4% global forecast for 2023 is lower, it is still nonetheless positive. To discuss this year’s advertising trends and what they mean for publishers going into 2023, we’re joined by Lara O’Reilly, senior correspondent at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider). Lara has covered the media and advertising industries at publications including the Wall Street Journal, Digiday, and Marketing Week for more than a decade. This topic will be one of the chapters we explore in detail as part of our Media Moments 2022 report, launching on November 30th. Find out more and pre-register here to receive the report. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by over 120 publishers from around the world. The team behind Poool are industry experts who have put everything they know into the product, ready to respond to your ‘how’ of launching & developing a reader revenue strategy.  

For this next season of the Media Voices Podcast, kindly sponsored by Poool, we’ll be publishing ten episodes exploring the biggest trends of 2022 and how they affect publishers; from subscriptions and membership to local news, platforms, emerging technology and more. This first episode explores how key moments in broadcast, streaming and TV have shaped the media landscape this year. 2022 saw streaming overtake cable in the US, key talent leaving established media brands like CNN and the BBC, and subscription services come under pressure as consumer budgets begin to tighten. Some studios are launching ad-supported tiers to offer a cheaper option, while others consider ‘rundles’ – recurring revenue bundles. The year has also seen big potential changes on the horizon for UK broadcasters. Channel 4 and the BBC have been through the wringer this year, with endless back-and-forth on the future of the licence fee and potential privatisation. New News UK station TalkTV has struggled to establish itself alongside rival GB News, despite heavy investment in production and talent. To discuss these trends and what they mean for publishers, we’re joined by Charlotte Henry, a British journalist covering media, technology, culture and politics. She’s behind The Addition newsletter and podcast, which publishes investigations, news and opinion on everything from Web3 explainers to broadcast trends. She was previously the UK Associate Editor of The MacObserver, and has written a book – Not Buying It – on the facts behind fake news. This season of Media Voices is sponsored by Poool, the Membership and Subscription Suite used by leading publishers like Future, Euronews, Elle Magazine France, Harvard Business Review and others from around the world. Their all-in-one platform helps publishers convert, manage and retain their members and subscribers. poool.tech | @PooolTech

While we’ve been on our summer break from the podcast, we’ve been hard at work putting together the Publisher Podcast Summit; the first ever conference dedicated to supporting publishers on their podcasting journey. It’s being held at Proud Cabaret City in London – the same venue as the Publisher Podcast Awards – on October 5th 2022. The Summit will cover four key themes: editorial, marketing, sound & production, and monetisation. There will also be a series of expert-led roundtables in the afternoon covering a variety of topics, from how to get started with subscriber-only podcasts, to advanced microphone and equipment techniques. The Publisher Podcast Summit is designed for publishers of all shapes and sizes, whether you’re contemplating launching your first podcast, or have a whole stable and want to know how to take your strategy to the next level. We’ve also got team tickets to make it affordable to bring more people – this isn’t one of those stuffy conferences reserved for just senior executives. We believe change happens when people at all levels feel empowered to learn, so we want you to bring along the people who will be driving podcasts. In this teaser episode, Chris, Peter and Esther discuss their plans for the day, and which sessions they’re most looking forward to. If you’d like to join us at the Publisher Podcast Summit, you can use the code POD20 for 20% off all ticket types. A big thanks to the Summit’s sponsors: Bababam, Megaphone by Spotify, and Shure for their support. The Media Voices podcast will be back on September 26th with a new season featuring deep dives into some of the year’s biggest media moments.

In our final episode of the season, we hear from Medium's VP of Content Scott Lamb. Scott leads the content and creator relations teams at the platform, so we talked about Medium's famous pivots, the importance of putting creators at the core, competing with Substack, and Ev Williams' departure. In the news round-up, Chris, Peter and Esther debate whether MEL magazine was closed (for the second time in a year) without being given enough of a chance, or whether it was always an awkward fit in Recurrent Ventures' portfolio. In the news in brief, we look at a good Medium post-mortem from Simon Owens, and bring in some good news with the Guardian Media Group recording its strongest financial result in 14 years. Esther scrabbles for a contribution after a week off and settles for the news that there's been a 300% increase in boob size on comic book cover art in the last few decades.

This week we hear from Sajeeda Merali, CEO of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA). We talked about what her publishing background brings to the organisation, what’s top-of-mind for the publishers the association represents as the effects of the pandemic rumble on, and what defines a magazine publisher today. In the news round-up we discuss The Atlantic making 165 years worth of its journalism available online, and which other publishers are making good use of their archives. For the news in brief, we explore a dubious business move from Google, Conde Nast's print magazine success, and The Information's new social network.

This week we hear from Max Towey, Co-Founder and CEO at RocaNews. Roca is a start-up building a community around the news that lowers the blood pressure; they believe alarmist and partisan coverage has been responsible for much of the news avoidance we're seeing today. Towey tells us how Roca is aiming for balanced and informative coverage of just a few stories a day, and are hoping to rebuild the younger generation's trust in news. He also explains how they built up over 1 million followers on Instagram, why an email newsletter is one of their most successful products, and why it's so important to lower the temperature around political discourse. In the news roundup the team asks whether hyperpartisanship is making its way across the Atlantic, based on a (very scary) report about a universal drop in trust in US news media. In the news in brief, we look at whether Europe is working smarter not harder when it comes to the podcasting industry; why has the Guardian hopped into bed with Google for funding; and discuss the latest bid for attention from manchild Elon Musk around Twitter.

On this week's episode we hear from Lance Johnson, CEO of Recurrent Media. You might not have heard of them (yet), but you will have heard of their brands - Donut, Domino, Saveur, Popular Science, and most recently, MEL magazine. He tells us about the group’s acquisition strategy, how they’re different from the usual VC companies we encounter, and what you need to do to get bought by Recurrent. In the news roundup the team does some digging into the disappearing Times story about Boris Johnson offering his then-mistress a job. We take a look at the timeline, the 'legal issues' that might have caused the story to be pulled, and asked what The Times' strategy of silence is doing to its reputation and trust in the media. In the NIBs we discuss Substack cutting its headcount, say goodbye to the print edition of Time Out, and ask why Bonnier News and Amedia are launching a digital newspaper in Russia. Read our letter to find out about how you can help us during this make-or-break year.