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. Normal service will resume soon 😉

The Publisher Summits preview day 2: session highlights across podcasts and apps

We’re just two 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 Wednesday 11th June.

See the full agenda and get tickets here.

The Publisher Podcast Summit

Riding the video podcast wave

The popularity of video podcast is indisputable, even if the definitions around whether they’re even podcasts and if the audience themselves distinguish between them are far from clear. However, cost and a lack of video expertise can be barriers for some publishers looking to produce video podcasts and reach a wider audience.

Fortunately, Crowdfindervideo’s Simon Elliott will be running a workshop on the morning of the Podcast Summit looking at simple video podcast set-ups, pitfalls to avoid, how to save money, and what you need to deliver video to your digital platforms regularly.

Simon will also have a pop-up studio throughout the Summit. Attendees can drop in to get tips from Simon and his team, have a go at actually being on camera, and even record a pod-style promo for their own publication.

Podcast marketing strategies

Marketing and discovery of podcasts is still a top challenge which comes up every year when we ask our publisher audience what their main podcast pain points are. Despite the best efforts of many podcast platforms, these remain an issue, but not an insurmountable one.

Lower Street’s Hannah Southern and Headliner’s Sarah Toporoff will be exploring what kinds of marketing campaigns work for which shows, how publishers can cut through the noise, what media buying strategies to use and what results to expect. They’ll also use real examples to show what works and what doesn’t.

Hannah Ajala, international journalist, BBC producer and presenter of the award-winning Love, Janessa podcast series will share marketing and discoverability tips and strategies for publishers, as well as emphasising the need for these strategies right from the beginning of production.

The importance of community

Podcasts are a powerful tool for relationship-building with loyal fans, but how do you bring those listeners into a community? One where they can not only communicate with you, but also build connections with each other?

Esther Newman, host of Women’s Running podcast (who we spoke to for The Publisher Podcast last month) and Fergus Collins, host of the Countryfile Magazine Plodcast will come together with Peter Houston to discuss their various experiences building communities through and beyond podcasts, what tools and tactics they’ve found effective, and why audio is such a vital part of the journey.

The Publisher App Summit

The biggest app trends for publishers

There’s been a sea-change in the way people download and interact with apps over the past 5 years, and publishers are succeeding with their own apps in ways they didn’t when the initial app hype rose 15 years ago. What’s driving these changes and how can publishers design apps that meet their goals?

Pugpig’s Jonny Kaldor will be opening the Publisher App Summit by launching their annual State of the Mobile Publishing Report for 2025, drawing on the latest industry insights and exclusive analytics data from over 400 Pugpig apps. He’ll explore the features and content types that engage users the most, what opportunities AI offers, the role of personalisation, and where apps fit in publisher revenue streams.

Getting people to download your app…and come back

Apps are strong habit-builders once readers are using them, but how do you get them to download and engage successfully within the first few weeks? Jess Burney, Managing Director of Customer Marketing and Subscriptions at Immediate Media will give a behind-the-scenes look at the strategies which have led to massive gains in Immediate’s apps in the last 3 years, growing the Good Food app from a standing start and scaling nutrient checking app Nutracheck.

Rupert Hargreaves, Managing Editor at City A.M. will be looking at the next stage of the journey: getting users to come back. City A.M. have been experimenting with push notifications over the past year, successfully building habit and engagement through trials, and Rupert will be sharing what they’ve learned.

How extra features can enhance apps

Building on the theme of encouraging regular usage, ‘added extras’ like games, puzzles and exclusive content have been credited by some publishers as the key to long-term success. We have a panel dedicated to this topic, featuring Felicity Thistlethwaite, Digital Content Director at The Stylist Group, and Emma Peagam, Product Lead at Hearst UK. They’ll talk about how their respective apps for Stylist and Men’s Health/Women’s Health use extra features to enhance the app experience for subscribers, and what other publishers can learn from their experiences.

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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