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How servitization is helping build a sustainable business model at Writer’s Digest — voices.media

Servitization - a word I've said slowly a number of times but am still not convinced I'm saying right - is basically a fancy way of saying 'using services to grow'. It's a concept that is becoming more important to publishers, especially those looking to better their retention efforts for subscribers and members.

Writer's Digest has a prolific service provision, from events, webinars and online courses to competitions, merchandise and even a university. This breadth has helped rebalance the deficit from the pandemic where it saw print sales drop from 60,000 to 44,000.

The publisher crucially focuses on its community as a way to loop these services together: “We will ask writers to write for the magazine or website, and then they’ll end up teaching at a live or virtual conference,” explained EiC Amy Jones.

5 ideas to help media managers succeed in the next decade — thefix.media

My head hurts at the thought of what this industry - or the world even - could look like in ten years. But nonetheless, there are some solid and comprehensively explained ideas here from Twipe's Digital Growth Summit. Find out how data labelling, bundling and unbundling, and young employees can futureproof your business.

Brits will spend £200 billion on Black Friday and Christmas, Future plc data finds — www.fipp.com

Future plc has released findings on predicted consumer shopping trends and expenditure for Black Friday and Christmas 2021, following its post-lockdown purchasing analysis in March and June 2021. If you're a publisher with any kind of affiliate or eCommerce arm, this will be very good news indeed.

Facebook launches an ‘Audio’ hub in the US for podcasts, live audio and short-form clips — techcrunch.com

Facebook is coming for Spotify's podcast lunch. The platform is expanding its investment in audio initiatives with the launch of a new “Audio” destination in its mobile app in the U.S. Users will be able to discover in one place all the audio formats Facebook now hosts, including podcasts, Live Audio Rooms and short-form audio.

This week's podcast:

The New Republic’s Literary Editor Laura Marsh on storytelling through print and podcasts — voices.media

On this week’s episode we hear from The New Republic’s Literary Editor Laura Marsh. She tells us about what makes working in an audio format especially rewarding, discovering famous literary contributors, and why non-news content is such a good touchpoint for audiences.

The Publisher Podcast Awards 2022 are open for entries! — voices.media

We’ve opened entries for the third year of the Publisher Podcast Awards. They are designed to celebrate the podcasting success of publishers and media organisations, whether they’ve been in the podcasting space a while or have just launched their first one. Entry is free, so have a look at our categories and see if you’ve got anything that could be award-winning!