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.

The Publisher Summits preview day 1: session highlights across newsletters and print

We’re just three weeks away from The Publisher Summits, bringing together four product verticals over two days.

From the challenges of referral traffic to the unreliable social media landscape, it’s never been more difficult to grow and maintain audiences off-platform.

But publishers are seeing more sustainable success in building and monetising their own products. From membership apps to subscriber-only newsletters, the industry is bursting with examples of innovative, revenue-generating strategies to futureproof the publishers of tomorrow.

The Publisher Summits, from the Media Voices team, cover four of these core products in a one-of-its-kind event in London. Each Summit focuses on the same themes: audience growth and acquisition in the morning, and revenue and monetisation strategies in the afternoon.

On Tuesday 10th June, the Publisher Newsletter Summit and the Publisher Print Summit explore what leading publishers are doing, from paid newsletters and sign-up optimisations to alternative magazine revenue strategies, and crucially, why we’re still talking about print in 2025.

Wednesday 11th June sees the return of the Publisher Podcast Summit, now in its 3rd year, and the newly-launched Publisher App Summit. Sessions will explore demystifying podcast marketing strategies and the use of AI tools in audio, through to effective use of push notifications and habit-building in apps.

Here are some session highlights from our Publisher Newsletter and Print Summits on Tuesday 10th June.

See the full agenda and get tickets here.

The Publisher Newsletter Summit

Newsletter discovery and marketing

You may have an excellent stable of newsletters, but audiences need to know about them in order to drive growth. Metro.co.uk’s Newsletter Editor Sophie Laughton is speaking in the morning on “Beyond the sign-up box: newsletter discovery solutions”. Sophie recently spoke to us on The Publisher Podcast about a redesign at Metro.co.uk which prioritised newsletter discovery. She’ll outline options for driving sign-ups to a newsletter and catching audiences at a point where they’re amenable to signing up.

The Spectator’s Hannah Tomes will also be sharing tips for growing newsletter subscribers in a session on marketing strategies. The Spectator’s food newsletter The Takeaway won Best Food & Drink Newsletter at last year’s Publisher Newsletter Awards, with judges praising their mixed marketing strategy. Hannah will set out what worked and what didn’t, from cross-promotion and targeted sign-up boxes to print campaigns.

Personality-first

One of the biggest surprises for us in this year’s Publisher Newsletter Awards entries was the sheer volume of publishers putting their editors and journalists at the helm of newsletters. So at the Newsletter Summit, we’ve pulled together a panel to explore the power of personality in publisher newsletters, looking at not just the opportunities, but some of the pitfalls too. Andrew Palmer and Dominic Rech from The Economist will be joining to discuss their new launch around Andrew’s Bartleby column and podcast, while The FT’s Executive Editor, Director of editorial growth and engagement Sarah Ebner will share the perspective of a publisher who sees the value of staff-led newsletters in the retention rates.

Levelling-up limited series

Plenty of publishers are experimenting with limited series and pop-up newsletters. But what happens to subscribers after a pop-up newsletter or course has ended? Katie Binns, Deputy editor of The Times’ Money Mentor newsletter will share her experience with nurturing temporary newsletter subscribers into other parts of a publishers’ funnel, from affiliate and subscriptions to other newsletters.

National World has also been busy with limited series newsletters. In January, The Scotsman launched Scottish Golf Courses You Must Play, their first ever paid limited edition series newsletter. For £9.99, readers get 12 newsletters across two weeks, including ten that each look at a different golf course in real depth across Scotland. Head of Newsletters Neil Macdonald will be joining us to share what they’ve learned.

The Publisher Print Summit

The power of print in 2025

Media Voices’ Peter Houston may be very biased about the future of print, but he’s just spent the last month writing a deep-dive report looking at the print revival (launching at the Print Summit) so we know he’ll enjoy giving the opening keynote on the opportunities print affords publishers in today’s climate. He’s armed with plenty of excellent case studies.

Peter will also be sitting down with Steve Watson, the curator behind indie subscription service Stack magazines. They’ll talk about what subscription data and years of audience-watching reveals about reader behaviour, loyalty, and the unexpected joys of print discovery.

Meeting changes in demand for print

Newspapers may be stuck in a spiral of decline. But the market forces which are propelling print magazines to popularity again are also offering opportunities for publishers to reimagine news in a new printed format, one more akin to magazines. One panel at the Print Summit will explore whether the ‘magazine’ format and frequency offers a viable future for news print, bringing together Azeez Anasudhin, MD and Executive Editor of London Daily, Mark Beard, CEO of Prospect magazine, and another panellist to be confirmed.

Another print success story is that of Grazia, who launched their first-ever standalone beauty magazine at the end of 2024, with over 100 pages of expert advice, topical tips, and the latest buys as a direct response to readers’ obsession with beauty. Hattie Brett, Grazia’s Editor-in-chief will take us behind the scenes of the magazine’s launch, what demand they identified with their existing audience, and how the ‘coffee table’ style edition – timed for Christmas – has resonated with readers.

Print’s place in a digital-first business

Having a successful digital publishing business, or even a digital-first business, doesn’t have to come at the expense of print products. Print still has an incredibly valuable part to play as part of the consumer proposition.

Alex White, Group Managing Director at Immediate Media spoke to The Publisher Podcast last month and touched on the value print still has in the business. She’ll explain where print sits strategically at Immediate, why it’s vital to start with brilliant content and customer relationships, and the unique value magazines can bring as part of a broader subscription and membership strategy.

Part 2 exploring Wednesday’s highlights across Podcasts and Apps coming shortly…

The Publisher Summits are designed to help those working at the forefront of newsletters, print, podcasts and apps, from editorial and operations leaders to practitioners and senior decision-makers.

Come away with real, actionable ideas and inspiration for your own products, all at an excellent value ticket price.

Join us on 10th-11th June at Vauxhall Arches in London.

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