The PublishPress Podcast

PublishPress

We talk with people interested in WordPress publishing. You'll hear interview with publishers who happen to be using WordPress, and also people in the WordPress space.

  1. قبل ٤ أيام

    The PressConf Story: How Raquel Manriquez Launched the Best WordPress Business Conference

    In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Raquel joins Dan and Steve to chat about bringing PressConf to life. PressConf is the spiritual successor to Pressnomics, a business-focused WordPress conference. Raquel tells the PressConf story and shares her lessons for other event organizers, including Dan who was part of the WordCamp Canada team. Raquel talks about what it’s really like to organize large events, the ups and downs along the way, and why community is at the heart of it all. We dive into the behind-the-scenes details: how sponsorships work, how to make speakers feel safe and supported, and why global representation matters so much. Raquel shares what made PressConf 2025 such a success and what’s next for her events. Check out PressConf 2026: https://pressconf.events Timestamps:  00:00 The Birth of PressConf03:04 Organizing Large Events: Challenges and Strategies06:07 The Unique Experience of PressConf09:07 Sponsorship Dynamics in Smaller Conferences12:02 Creating a Safe Space for Vulnerability15:01 The Global Reach of PressConf17:57 Reflections on the Success of PressConf 202529:11 Navigating Visa Challenges for Events30:51 Funding Models for Conferences34:51 Balancing Ticket Prices and Sponsorships36:22 Understanding Event Costs39:07 PressConf's Future and Expansion Plans41:21 Attracting New Audiences and Diversity45:31 The Future of PressConf and Open Source Events49:38 The Role of the Host in Event Success51:01 Building Trust in Event Organization56:32 Looking Ahead to PressConf 2026

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  2. Green Street News: How A Major Real Estate Publisher is Thriving on WordPress

    ١٣ أكتوبر

    Green Street News: How A Major Real Estate Publisher is Thriving on WordPress

    In this episode, I talk with Than Taintor from the Human Made agency and Zeshan Ahmed from Green Street News. Together they've been part of the project to revamp the Green Street News website.  Green Street News is a major real estate publisher. They're based out of the UK, but have recently been expanding to Europe, Australia, and North America. That's meant a lot of changes to their business and their WordPress platform. This project had significant challenges, including codebase over a decade old. There was also a large volume of content, with over 100,000 articles split across multiple regions. There were also membership and scaling challenges as the Green Street team sends several highly-popular newsletters multiple times every day. 00:00 Introduction to HumanMade and Green Street 03:23 The Evolution of the Green Street Codebase 06:41 Architectural Decisions for Regional Content Management 10:48 Scaling Challenges with High Traffic 14:42 Implementing the Block Editor for Content Creation 18:15 Transitioning to Digital: The Evolution of Green Street News 20:51 Membership Management: Navigating Complex Systems 24:00 Modernizing Legacy Systems: The Ship of Theseus 27:20 AI in Action: Auto-Tagging Content 32:37 Expanding Horizons: Future Growth Plans 35:52 Data Privacy: Safeguarding Sensitive Information 38:01 Recommendations: Influential Voices in Publishing

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  3. How YouTube and AI Unlocked Jamie Marsland's Creativity

    ٢٩ سبتمبر

    How YouTube and AI Unlocked Jamie Marsland's Creativity

    In this episode of the PublishPress Podcast, Steve Burge chats with Jamie Marsland. Jamie is known for his YouTube work on the PootlePress channel and now the official WordPress channel. A few years back, he had a regular job in publishing, but a career change unlocked a whole new wave of creativity. First, they talk about how AI has changed Jamie’s writing. It helps him create content faster and even build apps like PootleWriter to make writing and publishing easier. Then, they dive into YouTube, which has become a big outlet for Jamie’s creativity. He’s passionate about teaching and helping beginners with WordPress. Jamie shares how building trust through video has helped him grow and how he’s using what he’s learned to make WordPress better on YouTube. Check out Jamie's work at https://www.pootlepress.com. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene03:01 The Transition from Traditional Publishing to Digital06:00 Unlocking Creativity with AI11:53 The Development of PoodleWriter and Other Apps18:04 The Impact of YouTube on Creative Expression23:58 Teaching and Training in the WordPress Community26:48 The Mission Behind the YouTube Channel28:59 Growth and Strategy of WordPress YouTube Channels31:57 Balancing Community and Consistency on YouTube33:40 Recommendations for Launching a YouTube Channel35:55 Building Trust Through Video Content37:53 The Future of AI in Video Content Creation41:07 AI's Impact on WordPress and the Future45:09 The Challenge of Competing with New Tools 48:02 The Exciting Future of Content Creation 52:53 The Value of Traditional Media in a Digital Age

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  4. Helping Print Publishers Find Success with WordPress, With Simea Merki

    ٢٢ سبتمبر

    Helping Print Publishers Find Success with WordPress, With Simea Merki

    Simea is part of a digital agency called Morntag, based in Switzerland. Her agency helps people navigate between different worlds. Many of Simea's customer are traditional print publishers and they need her help to navigate the online world including WordPress, AI and YouTube. Also the customers often need to work in different linguistic worlds including English, French, Italian, multiple versions of German, and more. Find out more about Simea's work at https://morntag.com. Her WordPress-to-PDF service is at https://pressdify.com. Timestamps from this episode: 00:00 Introduction to Montag and Multilingualism06:21 Navigating Multilingual WordPress Challenges12:36 From Print to Digital: The Evolution of Montag18:50 Client Needs: Balancing Print and Digital23:58 The Impact of AI on Publishing and Digitization24:12 Bridging the Gap: From Print to Digital26:12 Family Business Dynamics in Tech27:06 The Meaning Behind Montag28:02 Understanding Client Needs Beyond Platforms29:30 The Role of Pressdify in Digital Transition32:09 Exploring the Capabilities of Pressdify36:55 AI's Impact on Publishing42:49 Adapting to New Technologies in Publishing45:23 Complementary Tools for Enhanced Usability49:59 Influential Voices in PublishingSome key takeaways from this episode: Montag is based in Switzerland and serves clients in the DACH region (Germany, Austraia, Switzerland).WordPress is not inherently built for multilingual sites so it requires plugins and often consulting work.Clients often come to Morntag from a print-first mindset, needing digital solutions.The transition from print to digital can be challenging for traditional publishers.AI's impact on publishing is a growing concern for clients.Flipbooks sound like a good idea for PDF magazines, but are not favored by users who prefer responsive web designs.The future of publishing will require adaptation to new technologies. Montag started as an Adobe training company and transitioned to web design.Clients often seek solutions for pain points rather than looking for specific platforms such as WordPress.

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  5. Using WordPress and Open Source to Improve Government, With Luke Fretwell

    ٦ يوليو

    Using WordPress and Open Source to Improve Government, With Luke Fretwell

    Luke Fretwell is one of the most creative and pioneering people I've met in open source. He's enjoyed a 25+ year career that has covered multiple projects, collaborations, and businesses. The through-line for all Luke's projects has been making government better through technology.  Luke created GovPress, a very popular WordPress theme focused for governments. He built Proud City, a WordPress-based SaaS service for government. His latest work includes ScanGov to track the quality of government websites, and Proudly Serving, a collectively written playbook that helps governments build people-centered digital public services. LukeFretwell.com: Luke's personal site.Govfresh.com: Luke's consultancyProudCity.com: a WordPress-based platform for local governmentsProudlyServingBook.com: local government digital services handbookScanGov.org: Government digital experience monitorChatcivic.ai: Government AI chatbotsTimestamps: 02:53: The Journey from Journalism to Technology10:15: Connecting Technology and Government12:09: The Birth of GovFresh16:12: Launching Proud City24:27: Navigating the Government Market24:55: Navigating Government Procurement Challenges28:05: Innovating in Government Tech: The Innovator's Dilemma29:28: Introducing ScanGov: A Civic Tech Initiative36:13: The Future of Civic Tech and Open Source41:24: AI in Government: ChatCivic and Its Potential53:17: Civic Leadership and Influential Voices

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  6. What WordPress Media Operators Need to Know in 2025, With Jacob Donnelly

    ١١ يونيو

    What WordPress Media Operators Need to Know in 2025, With Jacob Donnelly

    Jacob Donnelly is the founder of A Media Operator (AMO) Over the last five year, he's grown AMO from a newsletter to a fully-fledged media organization. Soon after launching, Jacob moved from Substack to WordPress with the goal of owning his platform and audience. Jacob and AMO have covered huge changes in the publishing industry over the last few years, and his insights will be fascinating for WordPress publishers. On this episode of the PublishPress Podcast we talk about subscription-based business, AI and other hot publishing topics. But we also talk about the importance of events for publishers. Jacob runs a big annual conference for AMO and believes that events are vital for fostering community and generating revenue. Jacob introduces the three-legged stool model of combining media, events, and data to create a robust business framework. Timestamps for this episode: 00:00 Introduction to AMO and Jacob's Background02:41 Evolution of AMO: From Newsletter to Media Company06:25 Transition from Substack to WordPress14:33 The Role of Events in the Media Business20:43 The Three-Legged Stool: Media, Events, and Data25:55 Navigating Disruption in Media and Events33:03 The Evolving Role of AI in Publishing39:30 Building an Audience-First Media Company45:55 The Future of Media: Resilience and Niche MarketsTopics covered in this episode: AMO started as a newsletter and evolved into a media company.Jacob's background includes both journalism and business roles in media.The transition from Substack to WordPress was driven by the need for flexibility.Events play a crucial role in building community and revenue for media companies.The three-legged stool model combines media, events, and data for business strength.Building a loyal audience is essential for successful events.Jacob believes in the power of in-person connections in media.The subscription model is challenging but necessary for media businesses.AMO's content strategy has expanded to include multiple reporters and freelancers.The annual conference has validated AMO's potential and business model. Events are becoming a more secure business model compared to data and media.Data businesses face challenges from AI companies potentially scraping their information.Publishers may need to implement paywalls and validation mechanisms to protect their content.AI can enhance efficiency but is also causing traffic declines for traditional publishers.Newer media companies are more likely to embrace events as a revenue stream.Understanding the audience is crucial for media companies to succeed.The future of media may involve more direct monetization from audiences.Niche markets are becoming increasingly important in the media landscape.Friction in media products may become a differentiator in an AI-dominated world.

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حول

We talk with people interested in WordPress publishing. You'll hear interview with publishers who happen to be using WordPress, and also people in the WordPress space.