Some takeaways from our Nov / Dec issue

The November / December issue of InPublishing magazine was mailed out on 2nd December, but, due to the postal strike, only started landing this week. Here are some of my belated takeaways from it:

1. Brexit didn’t just expose the weakness of our political system, but also the lack of effective journalism to hold it to account.
2. In Germany, where it’s illegal to deny the holocaust, pro-Nazi posts don’t last more than seconds. Therefore, the lack of action from Big Tech when it comes to online safety looks less like a problem of ability and more like one of willingness.
3. Literary magazine roam far and wide. LRB’s 22 September cover story was about Scotland’s “ferry fiasco”.
4. Whoever controls and uses the data controls the supply pipelines and networks, and ultimately owns the end consumer.
5. Providing a digital solution to SME print advertisers in regional newspapers represents a huge revenue opportunity, which Smartico can help publishers realise. (Sponsored)
6. For consumer magazines to work today, they have to be part of a much broader digital and video strategy.
7. Publishers see podcasts as being a good way of accessing new audiences, but the uncomfortable truth is, we don’t necessarily know if we are accessing new audiences because demographic data is so poor.
8. Creating a successful subscription strategy usually involves developing something new or adding value to content you already have.
9. Companies with a diverse workforce are 35% more likely to experience greater financial returns than their respective non-diverse counterparts.
10. The vast bulk of press coverage of Cop27 was not about climate change, but about ‘us’: a three-minute speech from a PM who didn’t want to be there and a scene-stealing contribution from a former PM. This is the biggest issue by far facing the world today and we revert to parochialism.
11. A crisis focuses the mind. When one hits, small publishers need to look at their talent and how best to utilise it. Don’t be restricted by job titles.
12. In a world where alternative choices are just a click away, good design is the fastest way to make choosing you a no-brainer.
13. One of our media quotes of the year, from Katy Perry: “One of my favourite sounds ever is the sound of a crisp new newspaper being read over breakfast for an hour or so… The popping out of it, the folding, the scribbling on the crossword… I hope it never goes out of fashion in our digital world. It is too romantic.”
14. The good old “matrix organisation” is sometimes just an excuse for an ill-thought through fudge, which is often built around individuals (with their own personality quirks and egos) rather than hard business logic.

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.

There won’t be a newsletter next week, because we’ll all have our feet up finishing off the mince pies, but we’ll be back on the 5th January. In the meantime, I hope you have a restful Christmas break.