High Value Publishing

Eric Shanfelt and Jez Walters dig into the publishing news that mattered in May 2026, with a recurring theme tying most of the stories together: unique, authentic, non-commodity content wins. They cover the case for labeling AI content, how to become a Google Preferred Source, the newsprint supply squeeze, where AI is actually impacting publisher operations, Diario Vivo's live journalism even...

Eric Shanfelt and Jez Walters cover the latest news and developments affecting media companies and publishers. This month's topics include: AI missteps at major newsrooms — The New York Times, Ars Technica, and one of the Netherlands' most prominent news brands all made headlines recently for AI-related editorial failures. Eric and Jez discuss what went wrong and what practical guardrail...

Eric Shanfelt and Jez Walters are back for the March edition of What's New in Publishing, the monthly roundup of the biggest stories in digital media for magazine and news publishers. In this episode: Google's alarming new patent—It's been granted, and it could allow Google to replace your publisher pages with AI-generated versions. Should you panic? Eric and Jez break it down. Meta...

As a media company, if you've ever felt that Google Analytics leaves you wanting more, this episode is for you. This week, I'm joined by Michael Henry from Marfeel for a hands-on demo of their publisher-centric media intelligence platform. This is NOT a sponsored or paid demo. I requested this because several of my clients already use Marfeel and I've been impressed by it. I've...

Eric Shanfelt shows media companies how to use programmatic advertising on owned and operated media. He focuses on the practical business decisions behind filling unsold inventory on your site and in email newsletters, while protecting user experience, staying on the right side of compliance, and having an actual impact on your business. Topics covered: Owned and operated vs non-owned programmatic...

In this week’s High Value Publishing session, Eric Shanfelt and Jez Walters break down the biggest digital media issues publishers should pay attention to right now, and what to do about them. They cover a major Google Discover update, why transparency matters more than ever, and how AI is reshaping on-site engagement and search behavior. Topics covered: What the Feb 2026 Google Discover update ta...

Eric Shanfelt joins the Local Media Association to take an in-depth look at whether publishers should block AI bots from their websites and, if so, how to do it. He explains the tradeoffs between AI visibility and website traffic, then walks through simple, real-world defenses you can implement without overcomplicating your stack. You will learn: Traffic vs visibility: which matters more right now...

In this week’s High Value Publishing session, Eric Shanfelt breaks down a common problem that costs publishers renewals and credibility with advertisers: you are driving traffic, but your advertiser’s Google Analytics is not giving you credit for it. Eric explains where “hidden traffic” shows up (often as Direct/None, generic email platform sources, or social referrals) and shares a simple system...

In this High Value Publishing session, Eric Shanfelt is joined by Jez Walters of What's New in Publishing to unpack what the latest AI and distribution shifts actually mean for magazine and news publishers. The conversation gets practical fast: - How much traffic are publishers really seeing from ChatGPT? - Is it worth optimizing your content for AI? - Is Facebook going to start charging for...

In this kickoff episode for 2026, Eric Shanfelt runs an “ask me anything” session focused on real-world problems publishers are dealing with right now, including ad strategy, performance, analytics, and the growing impact of bots and AI on measurement. You will hear practical guidance on whether you should rotate or refresh ads, when AMP still matters (and when it does not), why email click data c...

If you are a local or regional publisher, your Google Business Profile is one of the most overlooked assets you have. It is not just a “listing.” It is a credibility signal, a discovery surface in Search and Maps, and a practical way to build trust in your brand, your website, and your audience in Google’s eyes. In this session, Eric Shanfelt breaks down how Google Business Profiles work for media...

AI junk content, Meta’s new AI licensing deals, Google’s latest core update, experimental pay-per-article wallets, and creator-journalists with bigger followings than local newsrooms all collide in this episode of “What’s New in Publishing.” Eric Shanfelt and Jez Walters unpack how these shifts are reshaping the playing field for news, magazine, B2B, and city/regional publishers, and what practica...

Should publishers block AI bots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity from crawling their sites? If so, what is the smartest way to do it? In this session, Eric Shanfelt shows you how generative AI is impacting publication search traffic, which types of publications are most at risk, and a practical framework for deciding whether blocking AI crawlers makes sense for your business. He then breaks dow...

Eric Shanfelt teams up with Jez Walters from What’s New in Publishing for a concise, no-nonsense update on the most important stories and developments impacting the future of publishing. In this session we cover: • OpenAI honoring robots.txt, but getting around it using Common Crawl. • Who is actually losing traffic from AI overviews ... and who is actually gaining traffic. • How publishers are ma...

Why do some digital media companies thrive while others fail? With over 30 years in the industry, digital media veteran Eric Shanfelt has seen what works and what doesn't. In this reboot of the "High Value Publishing" webinar series, Eric breaks down the 7 essential characteristics of a successful digital media company. Commitment from executive leadership. Content readers actually...

If implemented properly, Meta Ads can be a cost-effective way for a publisher to drive website traffic and grow their email list. In this High Value Publishing session, Eric Shanfelt is joined by digital industry legend, Dennis Yu. Dennis is the CTO and co-founder of BlitzMetrics and a former search engine engineer. He's managed billions of dollars with Meta ad campaigns. Eric and Dennis show...

As publishers, our email reputation and deliverability is critical. Google Postmaster Tools is a free tool that any publisher can use to see how well they are doing at delivering email to Gmail and Google Workspace users. Think of it like Google Search Console, but for email. It provides insights into email performance, sender reputation, and potential deliverability issues. Google Postmaster Tool...

In this week's session of High Value Publishing, we're shifting focus from our usual digital strategies to reflect on what lies ahead for media companies in 2024 including: The enforcement of stronger email authentication by Google and Yahoo. The removal of third-party cookies, particularly in Google Chrome. The integration of Artificial Intelligence into search engines. Google's fo...

Eric Shanfelt and ad sales expert, Ryan Dohrn, show publishers how to avoid the 7 biggest mistakes sellers make when selling digital advertising. The Wrong Products for the Wrong Client Too Many Products to Sell Faking It The Danger of Value Add Giving Too Many Details Not Closing the Loop with the Client Selling Magic Instead of Marketing Learn more at https://nearviewmedia.com/

For publishers, a podcast can be more than just an audio format. It can be a convenient way for readers to discover and follow your content, it can drive people back to your website, and eventually it can be a new revenue stream once you reach some scale. But producing daily or weekly podcast episodes can be resource-intensive and expensive. This is where the concept of a fully AI-generated podcas...

In this High Value Publishing session, we'll discuss strategies for publishers to simplify their digital advertising models in order to drive more revenue, including: Consolidating underperforming ad products. Limiting inventory / controlling supply and demand. Delivering differentiated value to advertisers. Having larger ad placements but fewer of them. Properly pricing products based on val...

SmartNews is a rapidly growing news aggregator rivaling Google News and Apple News in usage. As such it can be an important part of an overall content distribution strategy for publishers. But publishers need to go in with their eyes wide open before agreeing to work with SmartNews. In this High Value Publishing session, Eric Shanfelt shows publishers how SmartNews pitches themselves to publishers...

Email newsletter subject lines and preheader text play a pivotal role in increasing newsletter open rates and, in turn, ad impressions, website traffic, and overall engagement with your audience. Despite their importance, many publishers fail to utilize the subject line and preheader text effectively. Common mistakes include overly long subject lines, irrelevant or missing preheader text, and the...

Is Google good or bad for publishers? A Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against Google is bringing this question to the forefront. In this High Value Publishing session, Eric Shanfelt and his guest, Kenny Katzgrau of Broadstreet Ads , delve into the implications of the lawsuit and how publishers should best interact with Google. The conversation stems from a recent subpoena request by Goog...

Would you like to develop a 6-digit reader revenue stream without launching a paywall? If so, look no further than The Berkshire Edge, a small, regional publication in Massachusetts. A couple of years ago, The Berkshire Edge launched an online membership that was donation only ... no paywall. They now have over 1,600 members approaching $120,000 per year in donation revenue. David Walsh with Web P...