---
title: Start spreading the news
description: Product, subscription strategy and AI tactics
---

[![logo (2)](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/hubfs/Assets%20HBM%20Theme/Images/logo%20(2).svg)](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/) [![logo (3)](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/hubfs/Assets%20HBM%20Theme/Images/logo%20(3).svg)](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/)

- [Home](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/en-gb/)
- [Advisory](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/advisory)
- [121 Consulting](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/121-consulting)
- [Content Review](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/contentreview)
- [Testimonials](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/testimonial)
- [Contact](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/contact-us)

# Start spreading the news

[Alan Hunter](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/media-hunter/author/alan-hunter)  02 May 2025

 3 min read

**Product, subscription strategy and AI tactics**

A week can feel like a long time in the media publishing world, especially when you become the subject of an article.

I’ve often felt, and others have corroborated this, that when you really, really know about a topic then any story about it will contain an egregious error that makes you doubt the whole article (and, to a degree, journalism itself!). However, Andrew Deck’s article about Tomorrow’s Publisher in Nieman Lab contained no such errors and was a very fair report on what we are doing and where we think journalism is heading.

I was also pleased to get a lot of feedback on LinkedIn following an article I wrote on the position of product departments in news organisations. My view is that as an industry we have not taken product seriously enough and that’s partly because it has tended to sit under editorial or technology in org structures. I think it should be liberated and empowered and given its own seat at the top table.

Suffice to say, this opinion had some supporters – many former product colleague of mine, offering up a wry smile – and some detractors. I hope it’s a debate that continues to be had.

Later in the week Michael Brunt wrote an excellent piece with some recommendations for the new owners of The Observer, the venerable UK Sunday paper that is aiming to build an online subscription business. Michael knows of what he speaks, having led The Economist’s subs team before taking his expertise to The Times and latterly to our consulting clients.

And finally we are looking forward to presenting at WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress this Sunday. If you’re in Krakow please come and see us talk about the advanced applications of AI that newsrooms can put in place right now.

## Next blog post

<https://www.hbmadvisory.com/media-hunter/the-alignment-gap>

## [The alignment gap](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/media-hunter/the-alignment-gap)

[Read more](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/media-hunter/the-alignment-gap)

![logo (2)](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/hubfs/Assets%20HBM%20Theme/Images/logo%20(2).svg)

Hunter Brunt Media Ltd. Company number: 13546179  
Registered address: Aston House, Cornwall Avenue, Church End, London N3 1LF

- [Privacy Policy](https://www.hbmadvisory.com/privacy-policy)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Alan Hunter",
    "url" : "https://www.hbmadvisory.com/media-hunter/author/alan-hunter"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-11-06T17:14:22.611Z",
  "datePublished" : "2025-05-02T16:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Start spreading the news",
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.hbmadvisory.com/media-hunter/start-spreading-the-news",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject"
    }
  }
}
```