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Q&A with the FT's Republishing Account Manager | A US Perspective

What is your main role at the FT?

I am responsible for promoting the FT’s republishing service to media organisations and corporations in the Americas. I manage a portfolio of existing clients and look for new business opportunities in the region. I also oversee the FT’s Spanish republishing service which we launched three years ago and continues to grow.

What is republishing and what does it mean for your customers or prospects?

Republishing is essentially giving customers the right to include a selection of FT content – often translated into local languages – in their publications or websites. It allows clients to enhance their content offering by borrowing from the FT’s quality journalism. In addition to content, we also offer our customers a number of branding options which can serve to highlight FT stories/videos to their readers and attract advertisers. 

Customers from a number of sectors republish FT content on a regular basis and the republishing proposition is slightly different for each one. For media clients, the main objective is to enrich an editorial product. On the other hand, we see corporate customers republishing FT content to drive traffic to their portals and create engagement, to reward customer loyalty and to create unique marketing campaigns.

Why do you think more publishers and content marketers are turning to established brands for republishing, rather than producing their own original content?

There are a number of reasons for this:

Publishers

  • Can’t afford to have large editorial teams or many foreign correspondents
  • FT writers have a level of specialisation that many publishers lack
  • Associating their brand  with the FT brand can attract new readers and advertisers

Content marketers

  • May lack editorial resources to produce quality content
  • Benefit from an association with the FT brand which attracts an affluent demographic
  • Want to provide their customers a different viewpoint to balance their own ideas and appear more credible

Do you see any particular trends and successful tactics for content marketers and corporations who are looking to enhance their thought leadership and reach to audiences?

It seems to me that the most successful content marketers think first about what their target audience wants to read about as opposed to trying to force a product or brand message onto them. They create a space to share interesting ideas and unique content where the brand is the sponsor but not the main topic of conversation.

Being responsible for the Latin American market and Spanish speaking regions, do you see any key differences between needs in regions?

There are vastly different needs and challenges in each market. Working across the Americas is very interesting as you get to learn how economic trends impact the media sector. 

For example, publishers in countries with high income and internet penetration levels such as the US and Canada are experiencing steep declines in print circulation and loss of advertising revenue to social media platforms. On the other hand, there are countries in Latin America where large numbers of people have only recently gained middle-class living standards and print newspapers are still the best way for advertisers to reach this demographic.

Which part of your job do you enjoy the most?

Travelling across the region to meet customers and prospects is one of the most enjoyable parts of the job. It’s also very rewarding to see FT content appear in our clients’ publications or websites for the first time. It’s good to feel like we’re helping to expand the reach of the FT brand and exposing new audiences to great journalism. A number of the editors that republish FT content have told me that authors such as Martin Wolf have sparked national debate in their countries, which I’m always pleased to hear. 

An FT Republishing licence provides your organisation with high-quality, relevant intelligence for use online or in print, fulfilling the growing worldwide demand for authoritative news and analysis and helping you grow your business.

For more information about how the Financial Times can help your organisation or to request a free trial, please get in touch.

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