Latest
Brand publishers are cautiously optimistic about Q1
Budgets contractions haven’t been as painful as some expected, and brand publishing executives see reason for optimism.
Can brand publishing become a direct revenue stream?
Some companies are evaluating whether their brand publishing efforts could generate revenue directly. Experiments range from paid products and to exclusive community features, while others are trying advertising, affiliate sales and event sponsorships.
Editors’ Picks
Brand publishers distance themselves from ‘content marketing’
Companies are publicly drawing lines between brand publishing and content marketing in an effort to gain audience trust, attract higher quality talent and retain dwindling budgets.
‘Doing more with less’: Brand publishers expect a challenging year
We asked some of the smartest people in brand publishing what they expect from the year ahead.
Brand publishing got a reality check in 2022
Expectations came back to earth as challenges emerged and economic conditions tightened.
How wellness startup Hone Health is building ‘Men’s Health 2.0’
Editorial director Tracy Middleton on selling test kits, low testosterone and the future of brand publishing.
The top stories in brand publishing in 2022
We looked at the Toolkits content that resonated most with brand publishing professionals. Here are the 10 highlights.
Future’s demise is indicative of a broader brand publishing shakeout
Lack of consistency and a clear editorial proposition can be dangerous for brand publishing initiatives.
Incoming recession will be a test for brand publishing efficiency
As marketers brace for a recession, they must make brand publishing departments as efficient as possible.
For journalists working in brand publishing, new challenges emerge
Editorial staffers from ‘traditional’ media backgrounds are navigating new goals, expectations and dynamics.
Facing a recession, companies see an opportunity in brand marketing
There are some signs that the oncoming recession may actually make brand publishing and other “brand building” activities more popular as brands rethink their historical focus on performance advertising.
Why brand publishers should consider registration walls
Registration walls can help brand publishers build deep and ongoing relationships with audiences via content.
Guides
Introduction to brand publishing
Companies are increasingly creating and publishing content in an effort to forge direct relationships with audiences.
Brand publishing strategy
Formulating and documenting an effective brand publishing strategy.
Hiring writers and editors
Interviewing, evaluating and hiring great writers, content creators and editorial talent.
Structuring content teams
Evaluating and implementing organizational structures for editorial teams.
Editorial processes and pitching
Instituting editorial processes and pitching systems
Creating compelling content
Creating, presenting and packaging engaging, useful and valuable content.
Writing and reporting
Writing in an interesting, accessible and responsible way.
Editing and reviewing
Structuring an effective editing process and providing feedback to writers.
Events content
Programming events with engaging formats and valuable speakers and sessions.
Archives
Brands reassess media ambitions as economic outlook worsens
With an economic winter approaching, companies will need to assess their brand publishing ambitions carefully.
The battle for the ‘Future of Work’
Brands and publishers are scrambling to cover the hottest topic du jour. But the bubble may be readying to burst.
Why banks are becoming publishers
Brands that operate in the increasingly complex global economy are well positioned to help explain it.
How events can be part of a brand publishing strategy
As pandemic restrictions disappear, brands are experimenting with new events that offer much-needed physical connections but also act as foundational pieces for overall editorial strategies.
Behind Resy’s push into food media
Food is a hot topic for brands looking to build owned publications. One of the more notable entrants is Resy, the reservations software that was purchased by American Express in…
The top priorities for brand publishers in Q4
Optimizing for trust and incorporating content into the wider marketing organization are top priorities for brand publishers and content marketers.
The creator-editor: How creators could help brand publishers build audiences
Hiring creators to staff brand publishing operations an be a shortcut of sorts to building audiences and gaining distribution quickly.
A guide to explainers for brand publishers
Explainers provide a powerful tool for directly addressing audience needs, and their evergreen nature can mean they pay dividends for months, or even years.
Changing media landscape gives brand publishing an opportunity to thrive
Brand publishing is having a moment because people are at once open to new sources of information, and much more discerning of what they consume.
How to extract content from internal subject matter experts
One of the most effective ways for brand publishing teams to create genuinely engaging and valuable content is to develop internal “sources” that inform their content and output.
Brand publishing isn’t content marketing
Drawing lines between these disciplines can help put in the place the right KPIs and mindsets.
Three approaches to gambling media
As gambling companies push into media, some are opting to buy properties while others are partnering or building their own.
What Google’s Helpful Content Update means for brand publishers
Google makes a big change that will reward content that is designed with audience needs in mind.
Brand publishers should be hyperfocused on serving specific audience needs
Content focused on a highly specific need or topic often finds an audience much quicker, and provides much clearer opportunities for differentiation.
9 principles for successful brand publishing
Two years into advising a plethora of brands, here are our top takeaways from the work we’ve done with brand publishers.
The pivot to efficiency
Tighter economic conditions will mean leaner, more productive brand publishing teams.
Brand publishers should hire reporters, not just columnists
Before they get into creating processes and distribution frameworks, brands should ensure reporters are part of a content team, not just columnists.
Decreasing trust in media is good news for brand publishers
Lowering trust of the media and the accompanied decline in engagement presents a new reality for brands, who for years employed sleight-of-hand tricks to make their content look and feel as close to traditional media offerings as possible.
What a recession will mean for brand publishing
A downturn will lead to inevitable pullbacks but could present glimmers of opportunity for those with strong editorial propositions.
How publishing can help brands collect first-party data
Brand publishing can help companies collect valuable first-party data to fuel various parts of their marketing operations and practices.
Brand publishers are eyeing registration walls
The tactic can enable brands to forge closer relationships with audiences and help drive valuable data collection.
ASA rules that brand publishing isn’t advertising
The ASA attempts to delineate brand publishing from marketing, plus Coinbase’s new institute
Inside First Round Review’s brand publishing strategy
Editor Jessi Craig Shikman of First Round Review says she focuses on a blend of service-oriented and aspirational content.
Highly effective formats for brand publishers
Mastering a handful of common and established content types and formats — and learning to use them effectively — can quickly help any content creator engage audiences more effectively.
Connecting content formats to distribution
Brand publishers should ensure formats are distributed appropriately so they have the best shot at growing and reaching the right audience.
The brand publishing shakeout
Brand publishing is growing up, which will benefit the discipline in the long haul.
Effective brand publishing puts formats before distribution
Content formats are not the same as distribution, and in order to be successful at creating valuable, engaging content and extracting the most value out of it, teams must nail one before the other.
Inside Carta’s brand publishing strategy
The fintech firm’s editorial director, Julie Ross Godar, outlines its approach to sourced reporting and “editor-controlled beats”
12 technology brand publishers to watch
Here are the publications by tech companies we’re keeping an eye on.
‘It is a long game’: Q&A with McKinsey Global Publishing’s Raju Narisetti
McKinsey Global Publishing uses content to externally reflect the company’s priorities.
The return of events presents an opportunity to go in-person
Brands have a timely opportunity to engage live audiences as events ramp up again.
Web3 is a content goldmine for brand publishers
Brand publishers are well-placed to capitalize on the burgeoning interest in web3 and crypto.
Why brands should invest in publishing over publicity
Brands are reconsidering the role that one branch of PR, media relations, plays.
What brand publishers can learn from a16z’s Future
Az16’s Future publication is one example of how brand publishers can chart their own path and tap into their own networks.
Brand publishing can boost employee engagement
Employer content is hard to get right, but research shows that brands have a significant advantage when it comes to believability and trust.
Audience quality trumps scale for brand publishers
Large audiences for brand publishing initiatives are meaningless if they don’t include the right people.
Business journalists are ideal targets for brand publishers
B2B or trade publishers can be ideal hunting grounds for brand publishers looking to kickstart or bolster their editorial efforts
Why brand publishing is a long game
It often takes months or even years for properly architected brand publishing initiatives to yield discernible results
Why brand publishers should give editorial teams independence
Journalism-style “church-state” separations between editorial teams and the rest of the business can help brand publishers create more engaging and credible content.
Five skills to look for when hiring editorial talent
Hiring managers should look for specific skillsets when hiring editorial talent.
Brands love print magazines, but print rarely loves them back
Numerous high-profile brands’ have attempted to stand up print publications over the past decade. Most, however, tend to fail.
Brand publishing is competing for PR budgets
The growth of brand publishing may end up forcing a diminished role for PR, both in terms of money and strategic focus, as the levers of traditional PR no longer work as well as they used to.
2021 was the year brand publishing grew up
It was the year that companies that were previously dabbling in content began to demonstrate serious commitments.
Why more agencies should capitalize on brand publishing
Agencies are in the business of selling expertise and guidance, but are largely failing to demonstrate it successfully via content and publishing initiatives.
Data journalism is an opportunity for brand publishers
Brands have historically shared data and research with media companies, but are increasingly using it to fuel their own content initiatives instead.
Brands have an expertise advantage over B2B publishers
Finding editorial talent with expertise in specific verticals is hard, yet it’s critical for B2B and trade publications.
Brand publishing is winning the talent war
Talented journalists and writers are increasingly considering leaving the grind of media companies to join brand publishers instead.
Are brands winning Future of Work content?
Everyone’s writing about the future of the workplace. But brand publishers may be in a stronger place to create compelling content on the topic.
‘What should we write about?’: Stop leaving content opportunities on the table
Many brand publishers routinely miss opportunities to easily create high-quality content.
Avoiding friction with content review processes
Review processes help ensure content doesn’t cause unintended consequences.