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​This weeks Thought Leader shares insights on supporting editors' professional writing and technology skills .  

MGES: What are the major challenges on the editorial side of B2B media today, and how have you addressed those challenges at Gardner Business Media?

Kate: One of the major challenges is that editors are faced with the need to do so much more than has been expected of them in the past. They have always needed to be content experts and excellent writers with the ability to communicate with and to the business communities that they report on. But it has become necessary for effective editors to become technology experts as well, constantly expanding their knowledge of new ways to present their topics.

Now, editors must be proficient in analytics, webinars, video, social media, podcasts, search engine optimization – the list goes on and on. They must understand the rules of retooling articles for any platform. And the list will keep growing with each new technology advance and application. This is a significant burden and not all editors are interested in embracing it. Some, perhaps rightly, feel the expectations placed on them are unfair. 

Our philosophy at Gardner is that we will hire the best writers we can, and then support them by teaching them the technology. We provide all of the resources for our editors to become adept at the various technologies the company uses so they don’t have to worry about learning them on their own. Then, once a year, we bring everyone together for an intense learning program for two days. The best editors want to learn more about technology, and it is our job to give them the training they need.

MGES: How do you hire editors who are great writers and who are also interested in life-long tech learning?

Kate: We just hired 5 new editors. We have found that the local universities are a good resource for us. The University of Cincinnati has a Master’s program in professional writing and editing from which we have hired a couple of good editors. Often, they are young people who love to write and are already developing their tech skills as well as their journalism skills in a variety of ways. Because it has the largest staff, we use our flagship Modern Machine Shop brand as the incubator for new writers.  We invest a lot of time into training them, so we’re really hiring for long-term growth. Gardner is a solid company that has been in business for almost 90 years. We want our people to build their careers with us and this is reflected in the way employees are treated. Training is just one of the ways we encourage our employees to stay with us, and it serves our audiences and advertisers as well.

MGES: How do you create a structure that works with the rapid changes in technology?

Kate: Eight years ago, my position was created to coordinate the production processes and training involved with all of the company’s technological advances, and the communication between our brands. A year ago, I was promoted to Gardner’s Executive Team. Our managing editors, who interact with the creative and advertising departments, keep the production schedules, update the websites and social media, and a host of other things, report both to me and to their Editor-in-Chief. They need to be, and are, tech-savvy, with the ability to juggle a lot of balls at once.  I organize their training and ensure that they are provided the resources that enable them to do their jobs effectively and communicate new initiatives to their teams.

We start with talented journalists who are enthusiastic about learning the technology. We invest in all our employees, experienced and next generation, and I think we’re set up with a team that will carry us into a successful future.

MGES: Thanks, Kate!