Welcome to The Publisher Newsletter, by Media Voices. The podcast is on a break for a few weeks now while we plan our next season, and focus on The Publisher Summits. Missed an episode? Catch up here or search ‘The Publisher Podcast’ on your podcast app of choice.

Don’t miss 2025’s Publisher Podcast Summit on 11th June, featuring speakers from The Economist, BBC, National World and more.

Topics include: marketing tactics for podcasts, practical applications of AI tools, using audio to level up apps, and where publishers are at with paid podcasts.

5 trends from this year’s Publisher Podcast and Newsletter Shortlists

One of my favourite parts of the job of Awards Director each year is reading through the hundreds of entries we get to the Publisher Podcast and Newsletter Awards. It gives a fascinating insight into the trends driving publisher podcasts and newsletters, even if the details are confidential.

Neither market is static, and this is shown in the ebbs and flows of entries to categories. From 2025’s Publisher Podcast and Publisher Newsletter shortlists, here are some wider patterns worth paying attention to.

1 – Subscriber-only and premium products are a growing priority

The number of entries for both podcasts and newsletters which were either subscriber-only, or a way of showcasing premium content, has grown exponentially in the past 12 months. There’s absolutely no shyness from publishers any more about asking for payment for quality content.

However there’s a notable difference between podcasts and newsletters in the extent to which the content is restricted. Technologically, newsletters are far easier to paywall and offer sample content to, or even bundle together. Although subscriber newsletters tend to be seen as part of a package of benefits, there are a few publishers on our shortlist, like Scottish Golf Courses You Must Play from The Scotsman, experimenting with standalone paid newsletters.

For Bloomberg, newsletter bundles are a way of bringing readers into a paying relationship. Bloomberg’s Global Head of Product, Marissa Zanetti-Crume told The Publisher Podcast that users opting into their Tech Newsletter bundle were generally first-time subscribers. “That’s really encouraging as we think about niche audiences and broadening awareness of what Bloomberg covers,” she added.

Podcasts however are still seen as difficult to offer as a paid product. Because the technology differs across platforms, access instructions for paid podcasts still aren’t straightforward. Sampling isn’t easy either. One example from our shortlist we liked was Sweden in Focus from The Local, who offer a well-edited episode for free, but clearly advertise the full episode plus an additional one each week to paying members.

2 – Fewer podcast launches, but more experimentation

Although the seven finalists for Best Podcast Launch are strong, it’s the fewest entries we’ve had since debuting the Publisher Podcast Awards six years ago. Even here, over half the entries are from publishers who already have an established podcast presence. 

This is no bad thing. Most publishers who ever would have launched a podcast likely will have done by now, so there will be fewer completely fresh shows from newbies to the space.

It also doesn’t mean publishers aren’t experimenting. We’re instead seeing this take the form of limited series or dedicated seasons published to established feeds with an existing following, rather than building up a completely new show from scratch.

It’s also clear from the growing popularity of our Best Video Podcast category that the focus is changing to improving and investing in existing shows to grow the audiences across other platforms.

3 – No shying away from letting individuals lead

I’ve heard publishers express reticence over putting staff front-and-centre of newsletters. Concerns over building relationships with the editor rather than the brand, and what happens if editors leave, are valid. But clearly the benefits of having trusted journalists lead a newsletter have outweighed these concerns, as the ‘Best Individual-Led Newsletter’ was our most-entered category at the Publisher Newsletter Awards this year.

From Reach plc’s The Northern Agenda, written five days a week by editor Rob Parsons, to The Independent’s Simon Calder’s Travel Week explicitly named after the travel journalist, these newsletters are often the fastest growing and most commercially successful in publishers’ portfolios.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Sarah Ebner, Executive Editor, Director of editorial growth and engagement at the Financial Times in a recent interview with Press Gazette. “I would say our most successful newsletters are the big personality newsletters that our readers really value,” she explained. “The metrics for those are not traffic to the site or traffic at all. They are read in your inbox, with amazing bespoke exclusive content.”

Will Hayward, the winner of last year’s Best Politics Newsletter under Reach plc, said that it’s something publishers should consider despite the risks (he left Reach last autumn to launch his own Substack). “If you have individual personalities who readers like, actually [personal-led newsletters are] really good for not just building revenue, but building trust and driving traffic because they’re coming to a particular person,” he told The Publisher Podcast. “Obviously you’re then putting a lot of your brand within individuals, which is inherently risky. But that’s what TV’s done since time immemorial…”

4 – Feature episodes are replacing interviews

Rewind to 2020, our first Publisher Podcast Awards, the majority of the podcasts were straightforward interviews or host chats. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the interview format. An interview is relatively low cost to produce, it’s a format many are familiar with, and it gives publications an entry point to experiment with podcasts. High-profile guests can also provide a welcome boost.

But as podcasting has matured, listeners are increasingly wanting more than a simple interview with someone who may have done the rounds on other podcasts. Many of the podcasts on this year’s shortlist are now more sophisticated, from documentary-style deep dives with high production values, to well-edited interviews with multiple sources, telling a story more akin to an article format.

In a world where anyone can pick up a microphone and start a podcast, publishers have realised that they have an opportunity to stand apart, with well-edited and crafted episodes that value listeners’ time. 

5 – Limited series to super serve niches

As noted above with podcast launches, publishers are leaning into podcasts and newsletters as a way to go deeper into specific niches.

The ‘Best Limited Run’ newsletter category shortlist contains some brilliant examples of this, from The Times expanding its Money Mentor brand and newsletter into mini series like Couch to £5k, to MIT Technology Review’s Intro to AI course designed to give readers a starting knowledge of the AI landscape before hopefully signing up to their regular AI newsletter, The Algorithm.

We’re seeing a similar pattern in podcasts. The Best Limited Series podcast category showcases the work of publishers who are using existing audiences built up for podcasts to develop mini series or entire seasons on adjacent topics.

Bed of Lies from The Telegraph initially explored the relationships of a number of women with undercover policemen, but has since added additional seasons covering the infected blood scandal, and cover-ups and collusion during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Northern Agenda from Reach plc, publishes a weekly podcast covering politics and public affairs from the North of England. They produced a limited series of six episodes – Our Kids in the North –  looking at what it’s like to be a young person in the North.

Both newsletters and podcasts offer opportunities to go deeper into topics and add value for readers and listeners. It’s clear for now that publishers are taking a closer look at making their existing products work harder for them rather than branching into new ones.

These trends are shaping the agenda for The Publisher Summits, held on 10th-11th June in London. We have four Summits spanning newsletters, print, podcasts and apps, all tailored specifically to publishing companies and the challenges and opportunities they face.

Come and join us at Vauxhall Arches for inspiration, insights and a celebration of the best work at the Publisher Podcast and Newsletter Awards.

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