Latest News & Insights
How Asana is future-proofing its content organization
Emily Anne Epstein, Asana’s head of editorial, joined the Brand Publishing Show to discuss how to build a practical, audience-first mindset into a content organization.
Brand Publishing Briefing: May 30
Artificial intelligence and the future of media.
Editors’ Picks
Brand publishers’ AI experiments are running into quality and brand safety issues
Marketing executives are rushing to experiment with using artificial intelligence for content production and productivity, but running into quality issues.
The way brands are hiring publishing talent is all wrong
CollabWORK CEO, Summer Delaney, believes current hiring approaches are unfit for a post-pandemic world, which is why the company is focusing on networks and referrals to hire great editorial talent for brand publishers.
The Trade Desk’s brand publication draws questions about its objectivity
The ad tech company’s brand publication The Current has drawn questions about its objectivity, rekindling the debate around whether brands can produce legitimate journalism.
‘Drives the business’: Why publishing is becoming a core part of marketing strategies
AudiencePlus CEO Anthony Kennada on his company’s new software, and why publishing must become a critical part of a company’s marketing strategy.
Robinhood’s media arm Sherwood prepares for launch
Plans are firming up for Sherwood Media, a new subsidiary that will house Robinhood’s news and information divisions, and build on Snacks, its popular finance newsletter.
Google’s AI search announcement should worry brands creating content
Search is getting an AI facelift. Google introduced a suite of changes to its core search product at its I/O conference last week, and brand publishers could find the changes have significant implications for how they attract and engage audiences.
Brand publishers experiment with syndicating content to news sites
Swyft Filings has used Stacker Connect to syndicate its content to sites including MSN, Sacramento Bee and NBC.
Penn-Barstool Sports controversies highlight brand publishing challenges
Barstool host Ben Mintz was fired by Penn for saying a racial slur as part of a song lyric during a livestream last week.
‘Nothing burger’: Google’s latest search update has little impact on brand publishers
The search giant’s “Helpful Content” algorithm change has not resulted in less traffic from Google.
Brands vie to get their content on Apple News and other aggregators
Brand-owned publications are increasingly attempting to get their content distributed via Apple News, Google News and Flipboard, with mixed success.
The Brand Publishing Show
How Asana is future-proofing its content organization
Emily Anne Epstein, Asana’s head of editorial, joined the Brand Publishing Show to discuss how to build a practical, audience-first mindset into a content organization.
‘Drives the business’: Why publishing is becoming a core part of marketing strategies
AudiencePlus CEO Anthony Kennada on his company’s new software, and why publishing must become a critical part of a company’s marketing strategy.
Industry West’s mission to be Elle Decor 2.0
The e-commerce furniture brand’s CMO, Ian Leslie, discusses editorial independence and using publishing to build credibility.
Reports & Guides
Brand Publishing Snapshot: Q2 2023
This report explores the trends that will shape brand publishing in the second quarter, and runs down the events that defined Q1.
Structuring content teams
Evaluating and implementing organizational structures for editorial teams.
Editing and reviewing
Structuring an effective editing process and providing feedback to writers.
Writing and reporting
Writing in an interesting, accessible and responsible way.
Creating compelling content
Creating, presenting and packaging engaging, useful and valuable content.
Editorial processes and pitching
Instituting editorial processes and pitching systems
Hiring writers and editors
Interviewing, evaluating and hiring great writers, content creators and editorial talent.
Brand publishing strategy
Formulating and documenting an effective brand publishing strategy.
Introduction to brand publishing
Companies are increasingly creating and publishing content in an effort to forge direct relationships with audiences.
Events content
Programming events with engaging formats and valuable speakers and sessions.
Podcast content
Creating a podcast strategy and employing effective show formats.
Archives
Industry West’s mission to be Elle Decor 2.0
The e-commerce furniture brand’s CMO, Ian Leslie, discusses editorial independence and using publishing to build credibility.
Brand publishers hunt for audience development specialists in an effort to drive growth
Audience development is fast becoming a priority for brand publishers as they reckon with challenges that throttle their audience growth.
‘Quality has become table stakes’: Raju Narisetti on McKinsey’s brand publishing playbook
McKinsey and Company’s global publishing director discusses how traditional media and brand publishing are diverging, why every company doesn’t need to be a media company, and how he plans to own the AI conversation.
Why brands often create boring content
Shorthand’s director of content, Matt McGregor, believes the greatest danger for brand publishers “is to say something no one cares about, and no one reads.”
Brand Publishing Snapshot: Q2 2023
This report explores the trends that will shape brand publishing in the second quarter, and runs down the events that defined Q1.
‘We’re inundated’: New AI tools vie for brand publishers’ attention
A wave of new generative AI tools is vying to win spots in brand publishers’ toolkits, as the race to help brands with content production ramps up.
Brand publishing teams prioritize flexibility to stave off cuts
Brand publishing teams prioritize flexibility to stave off cuts.
AI threatens to upend brand publishing strategies
Expertise and domain knowledge may be less of a differentiator in a world of generative AI
Tech layoffs hit brand publishing initiatives
Technology companies are cutting brand publishing teams as they slash budgets more broadly
Brand publishers test the limits of editorial independence
As brands’ journalistic ambitions grow, questions around how to define and maintain editorial independence are getting more difficult to answer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Inside Atlassian’s plan to build ‘The Atlantic of brand publishing’
The software company has a unique editorial focus on work, productivity and teamwork.
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.