WAN-IFRA report: AI offers huge benefits for publishers seeking reader revenue growth PLUS How to transform news organisations

February 23, 2022

My friend Dean Roper, the director of insights at WAN-IFRA, has a great report about how publishers are using AI in large part because they are looking to the technology to help them optimise their reader revenue returns. They are applying the technology at all points in their funnel - growth, engagement, conversion and churn reduction.

We also have a couple of pieces about digital transformation. What's New in Publishing looks at how Vox transformed under new leadership and transformed its own brand and editorial positioning. What does it mean to be "Voxxy"? More broadly, WNIP looks at the impact of data, culture and strategy on digital transformation.

Anita Zielina, the director of leadership and innovation at CUNY, told me a few years back that data is the first step in developing a product management practice at an editorial organisation, and for me, the goal of having a product-focused editorial organisation is really aligning the business to achieve its missional and commercial objectives. I have seen how data unlocks some important cultural changes in an organisation, and one thing that I learned during my master's is that data must be linked with a culture of goals that are linked to the company's business success.

Speaking to someone who has carried out digital transformation, publishing platform company PugPig has a podcast interviewing Alan Hunter, the former head of digital at the Times and Sunday Times. They talk about how he transitioned to digital, how to build a great digital team and various models for digital publishing. Give it a listen.

We also have a bumper crop of other stories (namely because Tuesday morning was so busy that I didn't get yesterday's edition sent out). Conde Nast has inked a deal to create exclusive content for TikTok. Magazine group IDG rebrands. PugPig powers The Economist, which announced a huge surge in digital subs. And the Press Gazette looks at another year of print circulation declines for the UK's regional press.

Speaking of digital transformation, I think it's worth looking at these types of projects across industries because you never know when you might find an insight that helps your business, and there is a great piece about how Kraft worked with Google to use data to transform.

PLUS The local US group Tegna (Gannett's former TV business) has been sold to private equity firms. What the heck is modular journalism? How the Great Resignation is hitting US public media newsrooms. And a great practical primer for YouTube.

A success story and a three-step change model to guide the transformation of your newsroom You can be excused for missing a recent media acquisition: Canva, an Australian graphic design platform, acquired Flourish, a London-based data visualisation platform. The goal was to expand its suite of design tools. Canva is one of the world’s most valuable private …

Condé Nast will produce exclusive content for its GQ and Vogue TikTok channels (and in print), with a joint sales effort by the two companies to develop more opportunities for advertisers on the platform.

“What is refreshing is this is not relegated to just publishers with deep pockets” 77% of publishers say AI will play a crucial role in the success of their business within the next three years, according to a new WAN-IFRA report, AI’s rising role with editing and reader revenue. 46% do not use AI at …

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Out of Office podcast, which I recorded with Matt Kelly, the founder of The New European, and which I've split into two episodes

When An Iconic Media Brand Outlives Its Value: IDG Renames Itself Foundry - 02/21/2022

Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

Kraft Heinz Partners With Google To Achieve Ambitious Digital Transformation - 02/21/2022

TEGNA, the local TV station owner, has been sold to private equity firms Standard General and Apollo Global Management in a $9 billion deal.

The uncomfortable truth is that people rarely read past the first few paragraphs of a news article. New AI-powered technology can help us understand how to tell stories so readers pay attention

The turnover at WHYY has occurred during a time of volatility and disruption in local news media, as outlets here and across the country work to diversify their newsrooms and broaden their coverage.

Bookmark this playlist to catch up with all the rudiments of the video platform