Training for publishing marketing and publicity teams
Practical, tailored training in audience development, Meta advertising and AI, built around how publishing teams actually work.
The way publishers reach readers is changing.
Meta's advertising platform has been completely reshaped, and many of the interests publishers used to target have disappeared. Algorithm changes have also cut the organic reach of authors and influencers. At the same time, retailers want to see early demand through pre-orders – just as publishers find they have fewer levers to create it.
The publishers meeting these challenges are building their own audience data, using it to target ads more effectively and, where they can, to build direct relationships with readers.
Meanwhile, AI tools are arriving on every desk with little guidance on how to use them in a publishing role, and busy teams rarely have the time to work out how they fit into the job they actually do. Setting aside time with someone who can show them how is often what makes it happen.
Our training helps teams with all of this: building their audiences, getting more from their advertising, and putting AI to work.
Audience development training
Brand building, with a small b
For years, building a direct audience looked like something only the biggest houses could afford: a brand team, a consumer Instagram account and a lot of hope. So most publishers didn't try.
That's no longer true, even for a smaller house.
Our training covers the whole picture: reaching readers who don't know you yet, turning interest into pre-orders, and building a loyal core of advocates across your list.
Read the full argument: Audience Development for Publishers Who Can't Afford a Brand Team
Meta advertising training
Meta has changed. Your campaigns should too.
Interest targeting, the way most publishers found readers on Meta, no longer works the way it did. Campaigns set up the old way now cost more and reach less.
Our Meta training shows your team how to work with the platform as it is now: using first-party data in place of interests, structuring campaigns so they learn properly, and building audiences you can retarget at key moments, like a launch or Christmas.
It's also how you supercharge audience development, because the data you build feeds every campaign that follows.
Sessions are one-to-one or for whole teams, built around your own account and campaigns, with planning documents your team keeps using afterwards.
"The training was bespoke; Caroline started with an interview to understand my business and needs, which meant the sessions focused entirely on what was most relevant to my role. In particular, we covered how to move away from interest-based targeting toward first-party data strategies, and how to use that data to segment audiences for future campaigns. I came away with greater confidence and a clearer strategic direction for how we approach Meta advertising going forward."
Stacey Croft, Digital Marketing and Brand Manager at National Book Tokens.
AI training for comms teams
AI that fits how your team actually works
Most AI training is generic. It shows what a tool can do, not what a publicist or marketing manager should use it for, or how to set it up to save time every week.
Ours is built for publishing marketing and publicity. We start with each person's role, match it to publishing-specific uses, and set everything up with them.
This isn't about replacing creative work. Most of the value is in taking the legwork out of campaigns, so your team works more efficiently and has more time for the work that matters. If your AI policy allows creative uses, such as copy or images, we can cover those too.
Your team leaves with:
AI tools set up properly in their own accounts, ready to use
Ways of working matched to their role, built on best practice and their own preferences
Pre-built campaign-relevant skills they can import and start using straight away
Know-how on managing token usage, so their tools keep working without hitting limits
Confidence using AI safely: what not to share, how to protect author and company information, and where human judgement stays in charge. We review your AI policy before the training, so everything works within it
A clear sense of what's worth using AI for, and what isn't
Already using AI?
Even teams that use AI every day are starting to run into token limits and rising costs. We show them how to track and manage usage, spot where they're repeating work, and use features like skills to save both tokens and time. Even confident prompters usually pick up tips they hadn't come across.
For whole teams, or one-to-one for senior and key staff, using whichever AI tools your organisation already uses, including Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude. Where your policy and security requirements allow, we can also introduce supporting tools, such as dictation and meeting-notes apps.
How it works
A conversation. We talk about your team, your list and what you want to get out of the training.
A tailored plan. We build the training around your team's roles and priorities.
Hands-on sessions. Practical, with time to set things up and apply them to your own titles.
Who it's for
Campaign teams at publishers of every size, trained in small, focused groups. One-to-one sessions are also available for leaders and department heads who want to get up to speed fast.
Why Convert Culture
Convert Culture was founded by Caroline Butler, former Head of Marketing, Insight & Strategy at Ebury (Penguin Random House). She has worked in-house across marketing, comms and campaign management, so sessions start from the reality of a busy campaign calendar.
She also has a technical background (one of the first hires at Amazon.co.uk) and has worked as a data and insight analyst.
Caroline uses AI across her business every day and has used it to manage live publishing campaigns. On a campaign, it works like a second brain: nothing to look up, no names to remember, problems solved quickly and communications that are clear and professional without the extra effort. The training is based on what works in practice.
Every training programme is built to order, so the best place to start is a conversation.