Welcome to The Publisher Summit 2026
We're delighted to be bringing back The Publisher Summit for another successful year.
This year, there will be a single main stage focused on direct-to-audience product strategies, combining newsletter, app, podcast, print and event expertise and showcasing leading strategies.
There will be Masterclasses alongside dedicated to specific product opportunities and challenges.
As it becomes ever more difficult to acquire audiences and revenue through search and social, building and strengthening direct audience connections will be vital to surviving and thriving as publishers.
Date: July 8th, 8.45am-5.30pm
Location: HUCKSTER, Paddington, London
Tickets are now available at a pre-agenda Early Bird rate! Book now to secure your place.
Who should attend?
The Summits are designed to help those working at the forefront of publisher products:
Editorial & Operations leaders: e.g. Editor-in-Chief, Head of Newsletters, Content Directors, Head of Audio
Senior Decision-Makers: Key professionals with overall responsibility for product strategy
Practitioners: Journalists, editors, podcast producers and hosts, newsletter creators
Every session will answer key questions:
- How does this initiative grow audiences?
-How does this bring in revenue?
We are heavily focused on practical tips and takeaways publishers can apply to their own businesses.
2026 Sponsors
Early agenda
Please note this agenda is still being drafted, and may be subject to change.
Stage host: Charlotte Henry
| | Main stage | Masterclass 1 | Masterclass 2 |
| 08.00 - 08.45 | Registration | | |
| 08.45 - 09.00 | Welcome & introduction | | |
| 09.00 - 09.25 | Opening interview: If Good Housekeeping can do it, so can you: How a back-to-basics strategy helped a 104-year-old brand deliver its biggest year ever in 2025 Liz Settle, MD, Good Housekeeping | | |
| 09.25 - 09.50 | How an effective product strategy can support sustainable growth, revenue and audience loyalty Speaker to be announced | | |
| 09.50 - 10.30 | Panel: 'Quality over quantity' for long-term, sustainable audience growth As pressures on traffic and discovery grow, coupled with the bombardment of AI 'slop', there is an opportunity to lean into a true 'quality over quantity' ethos, and reap the benefits. On this panel, Maire, Malcolm and Anna share how actively embracing publishing fewer but higher-quality articles and newsletters has had a measurable impact on audience growth, conversion, and subscriber retention.
Panellists: | | |
| 10.30 - 11.00 | Coffee break | | |
| 11.00 - 11.20 | Newsletter case study - to be confirmed | Podcast Masterclass: Metrics that matter Lead: Chris Stone | AI Masterclass: Opportunities for AI in publisher product strategies |
| 11.20 - 11.55 | Newsletter panel - to be confirmed | ||
| 11.55 - 12.05 | Brain break | | |
| 12.05 - 12.25 | Podcast case study - to be confirmed | | |
| 12.25 - 13.00 | Does my podcast really need to have video? Arguments for and against turning the cameras on Apple is the latest platform to turn on support for video. The data seems to overwhelmingly point to video being a mechanism to supercharge audience growth and podcast discovery, but is it really necessary? Our panel will showcase where they're seeing success in video podcasting and audio-only delivery, and explore where video may and may not be a good investment. Speakers to be announced | App Masterclass: Strategies for onboarding and supporting early retention | Editorial Masterclass: How to turn audiences into loyal - and paying - communities Lead: Sarah Ebner |
| 13.00 - 14.00 | Street food lunch | | |
| 14.00 - 14.20 | AI in product case study - to be confirmed | Newsletter Masterclass: To be confirmed | Podcast Masterclass: To be confirmed |
| 14.20 - 14.55 | Why apps are engagement powerhouses in the era of enshittification Speakers to be announced. | ||
| 14.55 - 15.05 | Brain break | | |
| 15.05 - 15.30 | From traffic to intent: how editorial powers an events-led business This session, Editorial Director Joanne Birtwistle shares how aligning content across platform and event, developing high-value editorial products and using behavioural insights come together in practice to shape future content, audience strategy, and commercial outcomes. Speaker: Joanne Birtwistle, Editorial Director, SIFT | Print Masterclass: Innovating in print to meet demands for physical products | |
| 15.30 - 15.55 | Monetisation case study - to be confirmed | | |
| 15.55 - 16.30 | Closing panel: Putting the customer first Speakers to be announced | | |
| 16.30 - 16.45 | Closing remarks | | |
| 16.45 - 17.30 | Networking drinks | | |
| 17.30 - 18.30 |
THE PUBLISHER NEWSLETTER AWARDS | | |
| 18.30 - 19.30 | Shared Awards bowl food and networking drinks | | |
| 19.30 - 20.30 |
THE PUBLISHER PODCAST AWARDS | | |
2026 MediaVoices Masterclasses
These Masterclasses run in parallel to the main agenda. Attendance is free but pre-booking is advised. Masterclasses will open for pre-booking a month before the Summit to ticket-holders.
11.00-11.55 - Podcast metrics that matter
Lead: Chris Stone, Executive Producer, New Statesman, Founder of Podcast Strategy Weekly and Podcast Crew
Understanding the data from podcasts can be a minefield. Using those metrics to inform key decisions is another challenge. What matters and why, and how does that change depending on your aims?
Chris Stone has spent over a decade immersed in podcast metrics, from his work at the New Statesman, The Telegraph and the Evening Standard. He regularly shares his findings in his newsletter Podcast Strategy Weekly.
In this Masterclass, Chris will share what metrics matter at different stages of your funnel; for growth, retention, conversion and monetisation. He'll guide you about which specific metrics help inform specific decisions across both audio-only and video podcasts.
12.05-13.00 - From reach to relationships: How to turn audiences into loyal - and paying - communities
Lead: Sarah Ebner, Editorial expert, consultant and writer (ex Financial Times, Telegraph, The Times, BBC)
As platforms become less reliable, search and social fragment, and AI reshapes how content is discovered, traditional audience growth strategies are no longer enough.
This Masterclass will explore how media organisations and individuals can build more valuable audiences by focusing on engagement, habit and belonging, not just reach. The workshop will look at the importance of talent and voice, community, formats, experience and membership, using a number of examples. It will emphasise the importance of habit, consistency and becoming part of someone's routine, and also why people choose to stay and pay (they want to belong and feel connected).
The session will also show how relationships can be monetised through subscriptions, membership, advertising and events.
Sarah will show that the future is about meaningful relationships, so those in the media need to change their thinking from building bigger audiences to building better, more valuable ones. These days people follow other people not brands, and engagement is not just passive. How can you make this changing world work for you?
For speaking opportunities or Masterclass suggestions, please email esther@voices.media
For sponsorship opportunities, please email peter@voices.media
2025 guests:
Any questions or comments? Email team@publisherpodcasts.com or subscribe below for updates.