Inserted with the July / August issue of InPublishing magazine (not yet on the mailing list? Register here) was the launch issue of our new title, ‘Best Practice in Publishing’.
It contained 26 articles, full of good insights and advice. Below are takeaways from eight of the articles; takeaways from the rest will run over the next two editions of InPubWeekly:
- Academic media: “When publishers decide to publish an article, they are making a statement. They are saying that they have assessed the work, applied appropriate scrutiny and believe there are good reasons for it to enter the scholarly record. This is why I believe that qualities such as editorial judgement, research integrity and evidence validation are becoming increasingly important in an AI-enabled world.” (H/t Niels Peter Thomas, chief executive officer, BMJ Publishing)
- Ad operations: “Today’s ad supply chains are campaign-led. Agencies brief holistically – across print, digital, social, events – and expect a joined-up response. A publisher that routes that brief through three separate teams, three separate systems, and three separate email threads isn’t just inefficient; it’s a friction point that damages the commercial relationship.” (H/t Mike Hoy, CEO, Papermule)
- B2B media: Underpinning everything is data. “A single source of truth is no longer negotiable. You need a tech stack that allows you to collect, analyse and forecast all your interactions with your audience. This is the secret sauce. It is the data no one else has that is a value of and in itself.” (H/t Amanda Barnes, chief executive, Faversham House)
- Consumer media: “The winning move is not to be everywhere, but to be the number one authority in a few spaces that matter to your audience. Strip back to the bigger areas where you can lead, then go deep on expertise, authority and trust rather than shallow breadth.” (H/t Tamar Riley, portfolio managing director, Immediate)
- Customer media: “For years, publishers have operated as broadcasters, pushing out knowledge in the hope something will stick. Our job now is more nuanced. We must pull people in, invite participation, listen and convene.” (H/t Jackie Scully, managing director, Think)
- Customer service: “As automation becomes more prevalent, the interactions that reach a human advisor carry greater importance, so we should focus on delivering high quality, empathetic and effective support in the moments that matter most.” (H/t Claire Ruzicka, head of customer experience, Air Business Subscriptions)
- Data transformation: “It is tempting to begin with a shiny platform, but the publishers who succeed begin with a clear thesis about the value they are chasing and work backwards from it. Technology is the easy thing to change later. Setting off in the wrong direction is far harder to recover from.” (Will Bailey, head of partnerships, 67 Bricks)
- Digital editions: “A content-forward, brand-consistent experience beats hyperinteractivity. Start from your print-ready PDF or a page-focused layout, layer in responsive mobile content and meaningful interactive elements, and resist gimmicks that distract from the content itself.” (H/t Paul DeHart, co-owner and executive leader, BlueToad)
You can read the digital edition of Best Practice in Publishing or access the articles on the InPublishing website.
You can catch James Evelegh’s regular column in the InPubWeekly newsletter, which you can register to receive here.
