Articles by: David Arkin

The more I experiment with AI, the more I discover it can do for the work we do every day. I still catch myself thinking, “I can’t believe I just got it to do that.” One of my biggest takeaways...

Search has changed a lot in the past year, and it is getting harder for publishers to know what actually matters and where to focus. Should you still care about traditional SEO? How do you get stories into Google’s AI...

45 special sections. That’s how many I counted on a publisher’s 2026 special section calendar that I reviewed this week. The obvious question I had: Are all of these working and are they all worth it? As you start planning...

You work hard to get people to sign up for your newsletters. But then what? Too often, someone joins a list, starts receiving the regular newsletter and that’s about it. In our upcoming Newsletters That Grow Revenue webinar, Penny Riordan will lead...

If you’re writing about data centers in your community, you’re probably noticing the engagement on those stories and the comments they generate on social media. It feels like in every corner of the country, there’s news about a new data...

There’s a lot of work that can go into a newsletter in a newsroom. • Creating subject lines and A/B testing them • Writing a great introduction • Choosing the headlines to feature • Working on a narrative format for...

If you’re active on Instagram — or want to be — there are some very specific formats and approaches that are working well today that you should know about. Things change fast in social media, and Meta often updates its...

One of the most common best practices to follow right now when it comes to getting your content seen by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews is to include a clear answer as high up in the story...

Soon it will be pumpkin spice season soon, and we’ll be picking apples and selecting the perfect pumpkins with our families. So to get you ready, I have a huge list of ideas broken down into content categories that will...

As publishers continue to navigate rapid changes in search, social media, artificial intelligence and audience engagement, David Arkin Consulting is launching the 2027 Audience Growth Playbook, a free four-part webinar series designed specifically for publishers, newsroom leaders, audience teams and...

We’re starting to see a trend where local sales teams are having real success using branded content as a terrific solution for new businesses in their communities. Branded content seems to be working so well for these businesses because it’s...

While Google hasn’t specifically said that embeddable content leads to more search traffic, there’s a growing belief among SEO experts that it’s a strategy worth pursuing. And there are a number of examples that suggest the approach is driving stronger...

It feels like search is changing almost every week, and honestly, it is. While not every update requires you to make a big change, some are important enough that publishers should understand what changed and, more importantly, what they should...

Below are the three biggest ones along with blog posts we’ve created that can help you make progress in each area. I hope everyone had a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend! AI is now becoming part of everyday work There...

For television news anchors, social media often becomes another item on an already full to-do list. Between preparing for multiple newscasts, reporting stories, shooting promotions and responding to breaking news, consistently creating content for Instagram and Facebook can be difficult,...

Why I love this idea for editorial teams Anyone who has ever covered a government meeting knows how much can come out of a single meeting. Between agenda items, public comments and discussions, there are often several stories to come...

Key Takeaways: With July just around the corner, now is a good time to look at whether your content plan is aligned well with what readers are looking for as the calendar month turns. There are some very topical things (news...

Key Takeaways: We recently wrapped up a several-month-long project for the National Trust for Local News where we helped its Colorado publications launch six newsletters and transition to a new email platform.  I want to tell you a little about that project...

Key Takeaways Let’s talk about a great social media package I’ve reviewed probably a half dozen media kits from publishers over the last month, and one thing I keep noticing is that while most of them offer the right products,...

David Arkin Consulting has hired Jenna Dolch as a Content Writer, where she will help create digital content and support client projects across the organization. Dolch joins the team full time after spending the past year as an intern with...

Key Takeaways: Google’s announcement this week that it is changing its search bar for the first time in 25 years is a clear signal that publishers need to think differently about both the questions their content answers and how those stories...

Key Takeaways: This week after filling up my wife’s car at a local gas station, I sent a text with a picture of the total with a shocked emoji. Maybe we’ll go to dinner around the corner from the house,...

When Pittsburgh Magazine began exploring AI, their leadership team wanted to do more than just test new technology. The team wanted to build practical, repeatable systems that could create consistency across departments, improve efficiency throughout the organization and make AI...

Key Takeaways: How much print content gets to the web? When we start working with a client on audience growth or integrating digital more into the newsroom, we always start by evaluating how much of the current content they are...

Key Takeaways: If you produce a newsletter you should definitely have an introduction section. Even if your newsletter is mostly just headlines and summaries, introductions play an important role in setting things up for your audience, creating a connection with...