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What's the future of publishing? HLabs' US clients share 5 insights
Sooo.. It's me Han, founder of HLabs, writing another blog after my latest NYC visit. I whizzed around 13 meetings with our US publisher clients and thought, let's get some insight from this incredible group!
We'll jump into key trends shaping the future of magazine publishing and explore actionable strategies publishers can adopt to remain competitive and drive audience engagement, with a couple of HLabs examples thrown in!
HLabs and US clients from Conde Nast, Atlas Obscura, Hilton Grand Vacations, Haymarket and Quanta Magazine.
Staying agile in a fast-moving, AI-assisted, media landscape
With the rapid evolution of AI, publishers know they must stay nimble to keep up. Condé Nast and Hearst have embraced partnering with Open.ai in recent announcements. They are rapidly adapting to new content distribution channels, making sure their content is referenced at every opportunity.
Meeting with our largest publisher client at Condé Nast, their answer to my question was:
‘We need to be ready for anything!’
At HLabs, we couldn’t agree more.
We’re confident that our 24 hour lead times, global team and in-house creatives specialising in design, illustration and 3D, help our larger publisher clients with the ability to pitch the most innovative digital solutions, fast.
As the world embraces AI, we need to constantly innovate, try things, sometimes fail, and really experiment with new formats and processes.
Personalised content with precision targeting for maximum engagement
For publishers, personalisation has become a cornerstone of engaging audiences and winning clients. A tailored approach in the presales process—crafting bespoke presentations and pitches that resonate with specific client goals and audience needs—is proving essential.
Publishers who invest time in understanding client priorities and delivering customised content solutions are seeing higher-value campaigns come through. Is this the death of the template?
“Sadly, the future of publishing might be all about how you play the algorithms...”
Social media growth hinges on precision, with publishers rigorously tracking algorithms and adhering to data-driven strategies to amplify reach. By closely monitoring performance metrics, publishers can adapt posts to maximise engagement, building a loyal following and amplifying brand visibility.
Whether targeting a specific geographic region or a niche interest group, this approach increases relevance, making readers feel understood and valued. As precision targeting and tailored strategies evolve, publishers are positioned to drive both engagement and revenue, making these tactics fundamental to the future of the industry.
Performance driven technology partners
On this trip we did see that publishers are continuing to keep their technology vendors on their toes, expecting more from their performance than ever before.
Great SEO, AA accessibility as standard, page load speed, mobile first UX as well as higher level of security are now the baseline publishers expect; the no-code solutions are reacting accordingly.
Framer, HLabs' newest tech partner, is now a keen favourite. I was lucky to see Haymarket's most recent templates and they'd celebrated how easy the tool was to pick up internally.
Watch this space! We have a couple of NEW publisher clients to share Framer work on soon...
Rive App is an illustration & animation creator tool that’s changing the market with its lighter-weight outputs. Its recent integration with Webflow will increase its reach further. Whether used through a direct integration with your CMS or adding an iframe the results are beautiful and interactive. You just need to take a look at The Economist x IBM’s latest campaign to agree.
We’ve also introduced Rive to Wired, The New Yorker & Ars Technica to create immersive mp4 assets faster than Adobe After Effects.
Most publishers still have a way to go with AR & VR. A report by Reuters predicts that only 5% of publishers are investing into AR/VR. This provides a unique opportunity to move on this trend. We’ve made sure HLabs can now offer AR filters with gamification on Instagram & TikTok.
Keep niche & focussed to increase engagement
”In 2024, the growth of niche publications signifies a shift in reader preferences towards more specific, in-depth content. If it’s on a topic they’re passionate about, users will stay longer” Blockthrough.
This is totally apparent in launching Quanta’s latest editorial tent pole campaign on 'The Unravelling of Space Time'. We saw this piece record the highest dwell time in HLabs history in its first week of launch. The Quanta team including Executive Editor Michael Moyer agreed (over Happy Hour cocktails) that the reason for the great stats is due to the deep understanding of the subject matter, expert writers in super specialist areas, distributed to a captive audience is the recipe for success they plan to continue.
As audiences turn toward specialised content, publishers are doubling down on niche topics to foster loyal communities.
Atlas Obscura prides themselves in publishing best in class journalism about wonder-inspiring places, scientific marvel and the ‘obscure’ spots around the globe. They specialise in the places normally unmentioned.
This approach not only meets demand for in-depth and usually unexpected content, but also strengthens brand loyalty by offering something alternative.
Strong editorial campaigns that remain without a sponsor SHOULD be at the heart of any publishers editorial calendar. We've seen our clients start with a series of content they lead with, to be picked up with sponsors at a later date. This will always feel more authentic to their loyal readers.
Creating immersive experiences that excite, delight & inform online and offline
Hybrid events, in-person activations, and experiential marketing help publishers extend their brand reach beyond digital formats. All of our clients are starting to launch and experiment with live events in a variety of formats, with or without brand sponsorship.
Activations HLabs have been involved with in 2024:
- At SXSW, at the suggestion of Atlas Obscura, I attended the Inc. Founders House. Offering discounted subscription to the magazine got me happy hours and new clients from networking.
- Wired Consulting is in its third year of activating its travelling roadshow for business owners with HSBC. HLabs has loved partnering on the digital hub and long read content.
- Atlas Obscura launched its own festival and designed a digital editorial hub (with awesome HLabs animations) to promote the event for the solar eclipse.
On the last day of my trip, I attended The 25th New Yorker Festival, a series of talks, panels, and music performances.
I joined the masterclass, The Art of the New Yorker Cover with Françoise Mouly, featuring Sarula Bao and Adrian Tomine. It was an amazing insight into the incredible creativity that illustrators showcase when concepting and finalising the covers of this iconic title.
Françoise Mouly, answered my question in the Q&A after the talk, with a really honest and refreshing report: ‘I believe the future is print’, based on her love of having something tangible and real 'in your hands', to keep. Going back to 'perfecting our craft’ of high quality journalism and artisanal imagery, will last beyond AI generic content.
I totally believe we need to keep creativity and innovation as the key vision as we move into the future of publishing, but I might have to disagree with the 'print' bit, or, as a digital publishing focussed agency I might not have a business for long!
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