The Targeted Media Services Network has partnered with New York-based PurpleGray Consulting to deliver a 14-week online workshop for Australian publishers to transform and streamline editorial workflow, boost audience engagement, and track and measure success.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has had a profound effect on publishing at large. It has simultaneously put pressure on achieving ad sales targets, opened up new audiences, and clarified the urgent need for publishers to overhaul how they deliver content and generate revenue.
Many have tried to adapt. Most have scrambled (adding to their woes).
Only a few, in the current environment, can afford to hire a consultant to help them transform. Because those few tend to be large, small and mid-sized publications are overwhelmingly struggling alone.
That’s where the Digital Transformation Seminar Series can help.
The Digital Transformation Seminar Series is a 100 per cent remote, low-cost, low-intensity program designed to meet the needs of small and mid-sized publishers caught in this moment.
It allows existing teams to band together under the guidance of a seasoned industry consultant and discover as a collective how to overhaul their workflow processes, even as they operate remotely, at a pace that can be integrated into the working life of a content provider.
The Series creates a long-term community of practice centered on advice, technical know-how, and mutual support, and has delivered measureable results to small and mid-sized publishing teams across North America.
By the end of the fourteen-week program, participating publishers will have learned to:
- transition their content operations to a cloud-based, content-first workflow;
- track and measure success;
- boost audience engagement; and
- determine how to develop new revenue-generating products specific to their needs.
All without stressing their budget, changing their schedule, or adding to the burden on their staff.
About PurpleGray Consulting
PurpleGray Principal Kilian Schalk is an expert in workflow design, helping editorial content creators adapt to a changing world.
He led the 2015 ‘Moonshot’ effort to transform America Magazine into America Media, and created the blueprint for a 2018 workflow overhaul of Vanity Fair. Formerly Managing Editor for Editorial Development at Condé Nast and Technical Director of Digital Projects at The New Yorker, he was the youngest Production Manager in Rolling Stone history.
“An energetic, passionate devotee of continuous improvement”, Kilian enables clients to define and implement the culture change needed to compete in a mobile environment, launch new digital products, and find room in the day to create podcasts, expand into radio, and add video channels.
His training programs focus on client transformation, and he has worked with magazines to overhaul editorial and marketing workflows, accelerate content delivery, redesign websites and print editions, build digital archives, increase editorial web team output, move from a subscription to a membership model, restructure contributor contracts, and boost online traffic.
Kilian emphasises secure employment, centres employee collaboration, and builds change into the process, leveraging workflow to help teams of all sizes grow audience and revenue even as they re-engineer how they produce multi-channel content.
Digital Transformation Seminar Series program outline
Over the course of 14 weeks the Digital Transformation Seminar Series program will include:
- Introductory Zoom Calls with all participating staff members.
- One remote launch meeting to cover:
- Introduction to the transformation process
- Creation of goals and a roadmap.
- Six bi-weekly remote seminars to cover:
- One single-article workflow experiment
- One single-issue workflow experiment
- Data collection and analysis
- Audience analysis and development
- Product development and testing
- Revenue generation.
- Six bi-weekly remote team check-in meetings per content team.
- One remote Graduation/Results Ceremony.
All meetings last 55 minutes except for the Introductory Zoom Calls, which are 25 minutes.
Participants also have access to a private online community forum for the duration of the program – and ongoing support after the program ends – for troubleshooting ideas and asking questions outside of the seminars.
Who is the series open to?
The Digital Transformation Seminar Series is open to all magazine publishers who wish to streamline their editorial processes, reducing costs while opening up opportunities for new product development.
Participation in the seminar series is limited to 10 publishing teams, with publications vetted to ensure no competitors participate in the same series. Competing publications will be assessed on a first-in, first-served basis.
More information
For more information or to register for the seminar series, email Lyndsie Clark at lyndsie@targetedmediaservices.com.au
