One of the most common questions we get in our consulting work is, “Well, what are other publishers doing?” That question often arises because most of us are busy with the daily tasks of trying to get published content out the door and don’t have time to keep up with what’s going on in the bigger publishing community.

The reality is that every publisher is busy figuring out how to best create its future. That involves taking some risks, paying a lot of attention to analytics and metrics to track building trends, and making tough decisions about shutting down things that are not working. The key is learning to be decisive in a fast-paced and constantly changing publishing landscape.

The trends we’re seeing?

  • Greater definition and attention to what social media is, and determining that it is content as well as marketing.
  • Constant, daily content analytics are critical to hitting the mark, and adjusting the path quickly in order to meet objectives.
  • Getting creative about technology use, and blending technologies to be agile and versatile is essential to success.

There’s a wealth of information available to review and learn from, including interviews, metrics, and other data. Here are just a few of my picks from the past month.

Perspectives on the state of the industry:

Joe Ripp, Time, on playing digital catch-up.

Brian Kelly, U.S. News & World Report, on the new role of the journalist.

David Carey, Hearst, on the disruption of the media landscape.

Chris Hughes, The New Republic, on how print is the crown jewel of the business.

Michael Schaffer, Washingtonian, on bringing his New Republic experience to a new opportunity.

Kate Lewis, Hearst, on centralizing and growing a news operation.

Publishers finding success:

Fortune triples online content.

PBS MediaShift  looks at how publishers are finding success with new workflows and analytics.

James Bennet, The Atlantic, announces record growth in newsstand sales and website traffic, and with digital archives.

New applied technologies:

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Scoop: The New York Times’ new CMS (a very interesting read!).

Atlantic Media’s CityLab, a site re-envisioned for mobile first.

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Posted by: Margot Knorr Mancini

Margot Knorr Mancini
A thought leader in the publishing industry, Margot Knorr Mancini has helped numerous publishers redefine their missions to become nimble content generators with the ability to repurpose content easily and efficiently. As Founder & CEO of Technology for Publishing, her analytical mind allows her to remain a step ahead of the industry, recognizing early trends and developing pivotal best practices.
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