What type of Publisher are you?

In our dealings with publishers we've started to classify publications by their type - no, not their content focus per se or their size but rather the personality they portray (often as an extension of those that run them). As we've shared in other posts, we love local publishers and think they provide what our communities need - a local voice - but they also struggle and are falling behind in this rapidly evolving digital media world we live in when they should be taking the lead.

If you identify and/or take offense with any of these port rails we're happy to help :)

The Beauty Queen - High-quality photography and paper, jeweler's generally adorn the inside cover (often highlighting a very expensive watch). Great content, great ads, but generally light on engagement - a bit of an arms-length publication that often has significant distribution in hotels signifying readers are visitors not locals.

The Old Pro - While not explicitly an age identifier, longevity in the industry is absolutely a part of this publisher. They've seen it all - at least until they stopped looking about a decade ago. Because of all the empty promises and flash-in-the-pan technology that have popped up over the last 15 years or so they believe ALL technology is just a fad or fundamentally useless (never mind the fact that they use email, software to layout the publication digitally and a slew of other modern marvels). Unfortunately, this publisher simply preempts innovation within their company rather than applying the wisdom that should have come from experience.

The Marketer - A sales person's publication that may walk the line of a coupon mailer, often lacks refined design but delivers high value impressions and real-estate (including cover presence) to advertisers. Often derided for lack of editorial / advertising separation or willingness to write in exchange for ads purchased.

The Technophile - An early-adopter publisher that embraces, well, everything... Mobile apps, flipbook, any tech will do. QR codes? Those are so 2009, we're now doing Augmented Reality because what's really missing from a print magazine is video.

The Editor - High-brow editorial at the sacrifice of relevance or profit, often the publication is a hobby masquerading as a profession. Spends hours sweating the little things like a misplaced comma while major strategic or tactical aspects of the business go completely unaddressed.

The Defeatist - Always on the verge of going out of business - even when they're not, think Eeyore with a magazine. Some advertisers seem to buy ads, not to grow their business but because they want to support their local publisher (who makes them think they're on the verge of going out of business). Like The Editor the Defeatist struggles to run their business like a business extending terrible payment terms to advertisers and offering credit to new businesses without so much as a credit check.

The Starving Artist - Writer, editor, graphic designer who doesn't run it like a business. You're starting to see a theme, like The Editor and The Defeatist The Starving Artist struggles to get into a rhythm both on the day-to-day activities and in general as they run the publication. Unlike the other two similar types, this person is genuinely busy because they won't allow other people to contribute thinking they must do it themselves or, worse, thinking they're the best person to do each (very different) aspect of producing a publication.

The Pragmatist - Sadly, less common than hoped for they approach their business with fresh eyes each day looking for ways to grow the business and remain relevant while delivering true value to advertisers and unique insights to readers. Like a great salesperson, they constantly look to refine their craft and evolve knowing that publishing is about storytelling not paper and ink. They tend to be profitable, disproportionately so, and optimistic and while they don't fully understand all of the facets of the changing media landscape unlike The Old Pro this doesn't keep them from exploring opportunities to grow their business and leverage their leadership position moving forward.

While this was created as a fanciful way to have some fun with the people we've had the pleasure of interacting with over the last 4 years there's also a lot of truth and we believe that knowing yourself is important - in life and in business. If you identify with one or more of these folks we challenge you to embrace the opportunity to grow, yourself and your bottom line, by trying something new.

If you want to learn how Locable saves publishers time and money while improving their digital presence (website, FB, email) and, as a result, drive new digital revenue… basically, turning digital from a cost center to a profit center then please contact us to schedule a demo of what we can do for you (and your advertisers and your community).

P.S. did we miss any publisher classifications that should be added to the list?