Publisher monetization and AI Market: Julia Linehan: Publishers Must Reclaim Control

Julia Linehan, founder and chief executive of B2B tech PR agency The Digital Voice, argues publishers must regain control of their commercial futures amid consolidation, generative AI and constrained ad growth. Drawing on 30 years in digital advertising, Linehan says publishers should protect premium inventory pricing and distribution, choose adtech that adds demonstrable value, and negotiate more strongly with Big Tech. She warns against over-automating creative work — calling poor automated output 'AI slop' — and recommends selective AI use to boost efficiency while preserving human oversight. Linehan also advocates more personalized, multichannel sales approaches, deeper engagement via smaller events and podcasts, and preserving the reader relationship as the core rationale for subscriptions and long-term audience value.