Thought Partnership

Consequential creative, editorial, audience and business decisions rarely arrive in a tidy sequence.

They collide.

A publication redesign changes the offer. A platform decision affects the audience. A new project raises questions about story, systems and revenue. Sometimes the audience begins to quiet, but the reason is not immediately clear.

In those moments, you need someone who understands the factors surrounding what comes next, identifies what is a take and thinks creatively alongside you.

Thought Partnership gives you someone to think alongside during consequential creative and business moments — when the stakes are real, the path is not obvious and generic advice can no longer take you where you need to go.

What Thought Partnership Offers

A place to finish the thought

Bring the project, obstacle or decision that is taking up space in your mind. You do not need to turn it into a polished brief before we meet.

An independent outside perspective

Think out loud with someone who is not inside your organization, dependent on the outcome or committed to a particular solution.

Specialized support without a retainer

Return to the same person across several stages of the work without hiring a fractional advisor or opening a larger consulting engagement.

Live problem-solving

We can examine the draft, data, offer, platform or publishing system together and work through what is actually happening.

Continuity as the work changes

You decide what to bring to each conversation. The subject can evolve as the project moves and new decisions appear.

I think of Thought Partnership as part listening and part treasure hunting.

First, I listen closely enough to understand the work, the context and the actual point of friction. Then I reach for the observation, evidence, specialty or tool that may help you move forward.

Storytelling online is a connected system.

Story, editorial direction, audience behavior, business offers and publishing technology do not operate independently.

After nearly 20 years across editorial, publishing and audience development, I know how often one decision requires several different kinds of expertise. I have trusted people whose perspective helps me see the moving parts more clearly. I imagine you do, too.

So why would you talk to me?

A Thought Partnership may be useful when…

You need someone who understands legacy media, traditional publishing and digital platforms — and recognizes the line between craft and gimmick.

• You want an independent perspective on work that is already in motion.

• You are leading a publication or working independently and occasionally need a specialty you do not have in-house.f

• Your plans keep meeting the same roadblock, and you want help identifying what you may be missing.

• You need candid feedback from someone who is not your employee, stakeholder, audience member or vendor.

• You are working through audience nurturing, data interpretation, editorial packaging, an offer or a platform decision.

• You want a second set of experienced eyes before making a meaningful change.

Here’s some expertise that might be relevant

Story, editorial and messaging

Editorial direction, publication positioning, developmental thinking, storytelling, reader promises, editorial packaging, launch messaging, ebooks, newsletters and other editorial products.

Audience and data

Subscriber and customer behavior, audience pathways, segmentation, engagement, conversion, retention, email nurturing and translating numbers into useful decisions.

Business and offers

Offer design, paid publishing models, product redesigns, pricing questions, launches and connecting editorial work to sustainable revenue.

Choose the partnership that fits the work in front of you.

Have we met yet? If not, let’s start with a complimentary Editorial + Audience Review.