How Publishers Are Using Gen AI to Streamline and Improve Revenue Operations

Generative artificial intelligence may have captured the attention of the media industry because of its potential to reshape the landscapes of search and content creation, but so far those applications remain largely hypothetical.

However, starting earlier this year a number of publishers began using generative AI to streamline their back-end commercial processes, creating efficiencies in revenue operations, account management and the RFP process, according to interviews with executives.

In doing so, media companies including Politico, Raptive, Newsweek and Bustle Digital Group have increased the efficiency of their businesses, improving their margins and increasing win rates. 

“We have a high floor for what we will show to a consumer, but internally we are evaluating tools on the basis of whether they make it easier to sell or easier to write and edit,” said Jeremy Bowers, the chief technology officer of Politico. “Ultimately, we are looking to make people better at their existing jobs.”

While the efforts are too nascent to have produced definitive results, publishers have begun measuring the value of the tools using metrics like project velocity, pre-sales timelines and profit margins.

These efforts, although early, reflect how publishers can begin to reap commercial benefits from a technology whose hype has, at times, outstripped its immediate utility. They also offer a blueprint for other publishers looking to incorporate generative AI into their workplace in a manner that eases employee anxiety about its effects.

Increasing account management efficiency 

For many publishers, generative AI can bring near-instant efficiency gains by automating rote processes that are critical to pitching and sales.

For instance, ad management publisher Raptive has seen efficiency gains by using generative AI to draft responses to customer service inquiries, write job descriptions and pen performance reviews, according to chief strategy officer Paul Bannister.

The publisher, which assembled a 12-person internal team to find use cases for generative AI, also uses the technology to summarize market research data into bullet points, providing sales staff with concise summaries. 

On a more technical level, Raptive engineers have used the generative AI tool Copilot to perform unit tests, reducing eight hours of work into one, according to Bannister. In another instance, its database team used the technology to translate between coding languages, moving from SQl to MongoDB queries—simplifying a typically complex process.

At Politico, an internal team has identified an AI application that would scan its CRM software, analyzing inputs such as historical data and business cycles to present salespeople with clients with a high propensity to buy, according to Bowers.

Ultimately the sales staff would still make the client calls themselves, but the tool would reduce the prospecting timeline and helps them compile a more compelling pitch by drawing from volumes of historical precedent.

Right now, media organizations need to be asking themselves: What is the role of AI going to be in our company?

Adam Hillier, partner at executive search firm SRI

And at BDG, the publisher is using generative AI to provide a similar function for the RFP process, analyzing historical data and filtering for the KPI objectives of a client, according to chief technology officer Tyler Love. 

When done manually, this process requires the branded content team to refine its pitch multiple times to make sure BDG has the highest likelihood of winning the business without committing so many resources to the effort that its profit margins suffer.

By combining data from its CRM, its back-office software DealDesk and Google’s Vertex AI, BDG has used generative AI to produce suggestions for pricing, creative and strategy, according to Love. 

Internal education efforts

Outside of these experimental efforts, some publishers are also taking steps to familiarize their broader workforce with the technology.

At Politico and Raptive, company-wide hack-a-thons that pair engineers with non-technical staff have helped the companies introduce generative AI to their staff in a way that also reduces their anxieties about it. 

Raptive has established an internal education program, called AI Squared, to train staff to use tools such as Pinecone, Copilot and new Photoshop applications. Politico and Newsweek have created internal teams to experiment with the technology and use those findings to inform future strategies.

More broadly, publishers like The Guardian and Axel Springer have established guidelines about how they intend to use the technology, which can help staffers view the tech as a tool rather than a threat. 

These efforts have yet to translate to the hiring process substantially, as most companies are still in the test-and-learn phase, according to Adam Hillier, partner at the executive search firm SRI. But that will likely change in the next six to 12 months.

“Right now, media organizations need to be asking themselves: What is the role of AI going to be in our company?” Hillier said. “Being clear on that will inform the tools, costs, team members and skills they are going to need.”