High Value Publishing

Eric Shanfelt

Join digital media veteran, Eric Shanfelt, each week as he helps magazine publishers and media companies grow their digital audiences, drive revenue, and improve their technology. We'll cover digital advertising, SEO, AI, social media, email, subscriptions, content distribution, and much more. Whether you publish an enthusiast / hobby magazine, a B2B trade magazine, an association journal, a regional consumer / business publication, or a local newspaper, each session has something that you can immediately apply to your business.

  1. قبل ٥ أيام

    What's New in Publishing for February 2026

    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 targetsWhy “show your sources” is becoming a ranking and trust advantageHow spammy content is impacting Discover qualityWhy paid subscribers should get an ad-free experienceWhat Taboola’s “Deeper Dive” means for conversational, on-site searchWhy publishers need a real video strategy (not just articles on social) Links and resources: Next Gen News: https://www.next-gen-news.com/Google Discover documentation: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-discoverGoogle Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-consoleCollaboration for publishers (James Breiner): https://jamesbreiner.substack.com/p/youre-not-alone-find-a-partner-andDigiday on AI rewriting publisher sites: https://digiday.com/media/bold-call-ai-will-rewrite-publishers-websites-in-2026/Marfeel community thread on Discover shift: https://community.marfeel.com/t/google-discover-s-shift-to-ai-youtube-and-x-what-publishers-are-losing/131424Simon Owens on subscriber experience: https://simonowens.substack.com/i/187043016/why-does-business-insider-hate-its-subscribers-so-muchTaboola Deeper Dive: https://discover.taboola.com/deeperdive-ai/Direqt: https://www.direqt.ai/A Media Operator on the data + subscription + events model: https://www.amediaoperator.com/analysis/data-subscription-events-the-media-model-driving-ma/Learn more at https://nearviewmedia.com/

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  2. ٧ يناير

    Ask Me Anything About Digital Media

    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 can be distorted by security bots, and how to think about AI crawlers and AI-driven discovery without losing control of your content. The episode wraps with a clear walkthrough of Core Web Vitals and what typically causes publishers to fail, especially cumulative layout shift from ad rendering. Resource mentioned: Google PageSpeed Insights: https://pagespeed.web.dev/ Key topics covered: Rotating and refreshing ads: why “more impressions” can create advertiser trust issues and hurt CTRAMP today: where it still shows up for some publishers, especially in Google News, and what to do if you do not have itEmail measurement: how security bots can trigger false clicks and how to interpret click performanceAI and publishers: indexing, sponsored content considerations, and what “value” looks like from AI surfacesGA4 basics that trip up dashboards: active users vs engaged users vs new usersCore Web Vitals: what they measure, why they matter, and how to reduce cumulative layout shift by reserving fixed ad spaceLearn more at https://nearviewmedia.com/

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  3. ١٠‏/١٢‏/٢٠٢٥

    What's New in Publishing for December 2025

    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 practical moves you can make right now. In this conversation, they dig into: The surge of low quality AI content and why platforms should be forced to label and filter it.Meta’s AI licensing deals with big legacy brands and what they signal for everyone else.The Tow Center’s “AI deals and disputes” tracker and how publishers can use it. https://tow.cjr.org/ai-deals-lawsuits/ SuperTab’s wallet based, time-boxed access model and where it might actually work.The November Google core update, AI overviews, and why generic how-tos are losing out.The reality of AI driven subscription pricing versus keeping things simple.The rise of creator-journalists like “Cody the weather guy” and what that means for local publishers.If you run a niche B2B brand, a city or regional publication, or a specialist news site, this episode will help you sort out what actually matters in the current AI and search upheaval and where to focus your effort in the coming year. Learn more at https://nearviewmedia.com/

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  4. ١٩‏/١١‏/٢٠٢٥

    Should Publishers Block AI Bots?

    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 down step-by-step how to actually block these bots at the robots.txt and firewall level without accidentally cutting off Google and other legitimate search engines. You'll learn: How quickly generative AI usage is growing and what that means for publisher traffic.Which publishers face the highest AI threat level (national news, hobby/enthusiast, B2B, city and regional lifestyle, city and regional business) and why.Real examples where blocking AI bots did not impact on organic search or overall visits.A simple recipe for blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt and keeping that list updated.Why you also need firewall or hosting level rules, not just robots.txt.When it makes sense to geo-block your site from countries with heavy bot activity.Common mistakes to avoid, including accidentally blocking normal search engine bots.Whether you run a national news or B2B trade site, or a local consumer or business publication, this episode will help you decide where you stand on AI crawlers and give you a clear, practical playbook for protecting your content. Learn more at https://nearviewmedia.com/

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Join digital media veteran, Eric Shanfelt, each week as he helps magazine publishers and media companies grow their digital audiences, drive revenue, and improve their technology. We'll cover digital advertising, SEO, AI, social media, email, subscriptions, content distribution, and much more. Whether you publish an enthusiast / hobby magazine, a B2B trade magazine, an association journal, a regional consumer / business publication, or a local newspaper, each session has something that you can immediately apply to your business.