Some takeaways from our January / February issue

The January / February issue of InPublishing magazine was published last week. Here are some of my takeaways from it:

1. When trying to line up an interview, just ask for seven minutes of their time. It’s very difficult to turn down a request for seven minutes.
2. Education is the key to getting the most out of AI. For publishers that have done immersion days, they have seen initial fear and hesitation subside as teams gain confidence and competence.
3. For regional news media, a presence on the High Street is vital. It’s a place where people can drop in for meetings about news or advertising. Staff are proud their news brand has an accessible home, in the heart of the town.
4. An extensive archive can be a great launchpad for new products. Radio Times’ recent launch of a five-star film guide bookazine based on 250 of its five-star reviews over the decades is a good example.
5. It is becoming easier for publishers to translate digital content to new territories and language groups. Giallozafferano started as a recipe website in Italy; the English site now has 25 million followers and is the world #4 on social media.
6. With AI, publishers should focus energy on outcomes, not inputs. Projects rooted in valid use cases, with baseline metrics to quantify performance, are likely to be more successful than open-ended experimentation.
7. For data teams, the ability to stitch disparate datasets together to create a comprehensive view of either content or a user is vital. The aim is to get towards a single view of the customer and to be in a similar position for any content produced.
8. Get AI to do the donkey work, but don’t take it as an opportunity to do away with reporters. Instead, set them free to do what AI can never do – fostering the relationships that lead to the stories that make a difference.
9. In a market dominated by PPC campaigns where any user on any given page is only likely to click a single ad at best, increasing ad placements makes little difference to net revenue.
10. There is no one-size-fits-all publishing model. Publishers are finding an infinite variety of ways they can be successful. Everyone should be adopting a test and learn culture – rip up the legacy guides!
11. A significant pillar in News UK’s diversity strategy has been developing apprenticeships. It creates opportunity, brings new voices to the conversations, drives innovation… In other words, it’s good for business.
12. ‘Content’ is a word that has always been favoured more by publishers and marketers than editors. Yet, despite many editors’ misgivings about it, with the list of editorial outputs so long, it’s hard to think of a word that better encompasses everything we do.
13. Beware poorly-executed diversification. Sadly, it’s not uncommon to see really sensible strategies undermined by poor project management.

If you want to read the full issue, then please register here. Once you’ve completed your registration, you’ll be provided with a link to the digital edition.