Publishers need to stop selling audiences and start creating experiences

Trusted human curation matters. AI can aggregate recommendations, but it cannot eat the burger or sit in the theatre, writes Time Out Media’s CEO.

For years, publishers have been told to chase scale. More users. More pageviews. More impressions. More attention.

Those metrics still matter, but they no longer tell the whole story. In fact, if they become the only story, they can push publishers in the wrong direction.

We have all seen it happen. If pageviews are the main commercial signal, the temptation is to create content that travels fastest, not necessarily content that builds trust. A negative headline may outperform a positive one. A reactive news story may drive more traffic than a carefully curated recommendation. But if that is all a publisher optimises for, it risks becoming forgettable.

That is especially true at a time when AI is changing how people discover information. If audiences can get a generic answer anywhere, publishers have to be clearer about the value only they can provide.

For me, that value comes down to trust, judgement and experience.

At Time Out, that means returning to the reason the brand existed in the first place. When Tony Elliott launched Time Out in London in 1968, it was built around a simple idea: helping people find the best things to do in the city. That purpose is just as relevant today as it was then.

The format has changed dramatically. We are no longer only a magazine. We are a global media and hospitality brand operating across digital, social, research, live experiences and Time Out Markets (pictured). But the core promise remains the same: helping people experience the best of the city.

Trusted human curation matters

AI can aggregate recommendations, but it cannot eat the burger, sit in the theatre, watch the gig or know whether a bar actually feels worth your Friday night. A trusted editor can.

This is why publishers should be careful not to define their value only by how many people see something. The more important question is what that content inspires people to do.

Did someone book the restaurant? Visit the neighbourhood? Go to the gig? Plan the trip? Meet their friends? Feel more connected to where they live?

That shift matters for advertisers too. Brands increasingly want more than reach. They want relevance, credibility and meaningful ways to connect with people. The question is no longer simply: did 1,000 people see it? It is: did it inspire the right people to do something?

That is where publishers have an advantage. The best media brands are not just distribution channels. They have communities, authority, cultural relevance and the ability to convene people around shared interests.

First-party insight plays an important role here, but it should not be limited to knowing what people clicked on. It should mean understanding what people care about, what they are planning, where they want to go and what they want to experience next.

Communities allow publishers to listen directly to the audiences and understand the motivations behind their behaviour. That insight should inform editorial strategy, commercial work and the way you think about culture more broadly.

Across the industry, publishers are experimenting with events, memberships, commerce, festivals, podcasts, videos and live experiences. That is not diversification for its own sake. It reflects a bigger change in how audiences engage with media brands.

Consumers do not think in channels

Consumers do not separate an article they read, a social video they watched, an event they attended or a place they visited because a trusted brand recommended it. To them, it is one continuous experience.

Publishing needs to think that way too.

Content remains the starting point. But increasingly, it should not be the finish line.

The publishers that stand out over the next decade will not simply be those with the biggest audiences. They will be the ones that create moments people remember, help people make decisions and give them reasons to engage beyond the screen.

For too long, the industry has talked about selling audiences.

The future belongs to publishers that create experiences.

Rob Biagioni is the CEO of Time Out Media