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Hiring Product talent in publishing can be more complex than it first appears.
Many roles sit between editorial, content, technology, audience needs and commercial goals. A strong Product leader may need to understand how content is created, managed, licensed, distributed and used, while also being able to shape digital platforms, improve user experience and support business growth.
That mix of skills is not easy to find.
A company may receive a high number of applications, especially in a crowded market, but many candidates will only match one part of the role. Some may have strong publishing experience but limited Product leadership. Others may have worked in technology but lack an understanding of editorial workflows, rights, metadata, subscriptions or the needs of readers, educators and institutions.
This is why Product recruitment in publishing can take time, even when there appears to be plenty of talent available.
The word Product can mean very different things across publishing organisations.
For one company, Product may refer to digital platforms, apps or learning systems. For another, it may include books, journals, assessments, subscriptions, databases or content services.
Some Product leaders are responsible for digital delivery. Others work closely with editorial, marketing, sales and technology to shape the full offer.
This means two people with the same title may have very different experience.
A Head of Product in one business may lead a digital platform, manage a Product team and own commercial performance. Another may focus on content development, publishing programmes and audience needs.
The title alone rarely tells the full story.
A successful search needs to look at what the person actually owned, who they worked with, what kind of products they developed and how their work contributed to the organisation.
Product leaders in publishing often work across editorial, technology, sales, marketing, design, rights, operations and customer teams.
They may need to balance the needs of authors, editors, teachers, students, librarians, institutions, subscribers and commercial partners.
Each group may view the product differently.
An editor may care deeply about quality and accuracy. A technology team may focus on systems, data and delivery. A sales team may need a product that is easy to explain and sell. Customers may want better access, clearer navigation or more flexible content.
The Product leader often has to bring these different views together.
This requires more than strong delivery skills. It requires judgement, influence and the ability to make clear choices when priorities compete.
These are difficult qualities to assess through a CV alone, especially when the person’s achievements are spread across several teams.
Publishing Product leaders often follow varied career paths.
Some begin in editorial, commissioning, content development or learning design. Others move into Product from marketing, technology, customer success or digital transformation.
This variety can be a real strength.
Someone with an editorial background may have a deep understanding of content, quality and audience needs. Someone from technology may bring strong experience of digital platforms, systems and data. A candidate from education or learning design may understand how content is used in classrooms, universities or professional settings.
The challenge is understanding whether that earlier experience has developed into strong Product leadership.
Has the person moved beyond content delivery and into Product strategy?
Can they make commercial decisions?
Can they manage competing priorities?
Can they lead teams through change?
Can they connect audience needs with wider business goals?
A specialist recruiter can look beyond the original career path and assess whether the person has the level of judgement and ownership the role requires.
Publishing has changed significantly as organisations move further into digital products, platforms and subscription models.
Many businesses now need Product leaders who can help them move beyond traditional formats and create stronger digital offers.
This may include content platforms, assessment tools, data products, digital libraries, learning systems, membership products or personalised content.
The right candidate may need to understand both the legacy business and the future direction.
They may need to respect the value of established content and editorial expertise while also challenging old systems, processes or ways of working.
That can be difficult.
A Product leader who pushes for change without understanding the culture of publishing may struggle to gain trust. A candidate who knows publishing well but is uncomfortable with digital change may find it hard to lead the next stage of growth.
The strongest hires are often able to work across both worlds.
They understand why editorial quality matters, but they can also make clear decisions about technology, user experience, data and investment.
Publishing Product roles often require commercial awareness, even when the person is not directly responsible for sales.
A Product leader may influence subscriptions, renewals, licensing, pricing, audience growth and customer retention.
They may also decide which products should be developed, which markets should be entered and where the organisation should stop investing.
These decisions can have a major effect on revenue and growth.
However, many candidates describe their work mainly through content, launches or delivery.
Their CV may explain what they created, but not how it performed or why it mattered to the business.
A specialist recruiter knows to look for the wider story.
Did the candidate help launch a new subscription product?
Did they improve digital use or customer retention?
Did they support growth in a new market?
Did they reduce the cost or time involved in producing content?
Did they create a clearer link between editorial planning and customer demand?
This helps separate someone who has managed publishing activity from someone who has shaped the direction of the business.
Publishing roles can attract a high number of applicants.
Many people are drawn to the sector because they value content, learning, culture or education. This can create strong interest, particularly in well known organisations.
But a large number of applications does not mean a large number of well aligned candidates.
Hiring teams may spend a great deal of time reviewing people who have relevant interests but not the right level of experience.
Some may understand publishing but lack Product skills. Others may have Product experience but no knowledge of rights, metadata, editorial workflows or institutional customers.
The challenge becomes one of alignment rather than volume.
This is why relying only on job boards can slow the process.
Job adverts mainly reach people who are actively searching. The right person may be performing well in another organisation and not looking through job boards at all.
They may still be open to the right conversation.
Passive candidates are professionals who are not actively applying but may consider a move if the role fits their experience and future goals.
These candidates are often valuable because they may already be delivering strong results in a similar organisation.
They may be leading a digital change programme, developing a new content platform or building a Product team.
They are unlikely to complete a long application form without a clear reason.
A specialist recruiter can approach them directly and explain why the opportunity may be relevant.
This works best when the recruiter already understands the person’s background, interests and career direction.
Strong relationships built over time make these conversations more natural and more useful.
The candidate is not simply receiving another job message. They are speaking with someone who understands their sector and can explain the role in a meaningful way.
A generalist recruiter may understand Product recruitment well.
A publishing specialist brings a deeper understanding of the sector, its language and the differences between roles.
They understand that publishing can include trade publishing, academic publishing, educational publishing, professional learning, research, assessment and digital content.
They also understand that the customer and user may not be the same person.
For example, a university may purchase access to a platform, while academics and students use it. A school may buy educational content that teachers and pupils experience differently. A professional body may license content for its members.
These differences affect Product strategy.
A specialist recruiter knows to ask about the type of audience, the business model and the way the product is bought and used.
They can assess whether the candidate has experience with subscriptions, licensing, rights, direct sales, institutional sales or digital access.
This leads to a more informed search and more relevant candidates.
Publishing job titles are not always consistent.
The right person may be working under a title such as Head of Digital, Publishing Director, Content Product Director, Director of Learning Products, Portfolio Director or Head of Platform.
A narrow search for Head of Product may miss them completely.
The reverse is also true.
Someone with the title of Product Director may have limited strategic ownership, while another person with a less obvious title may already be doing much of the work.
A recruiter who understands publishing can search by responsibilities, products, customers and outcomes rather than relying only on titles.
They can identify people who have led relevant work even if their title does not match the brief exactly.
This is often where the strongest candidates are found.
Hiring teams can become too focused on replacing the person who left.
They may create a job description based on the previous role without asking whether the business now needs something different.
The organisation may have moved further into digital products, entered a new market or changed its commercial model.
The new hire may need skills that were not important three years ago.
An external recruiter can bring another pair of eyes to the process.
They can help the company decide which experience is essential and which can be learned.
They can also test whether the title, salary and scope are realistic.
This is especially helpful when the role combines several areas.
Some publishing businesses ask one person to lead Product, editorial, technology, content, data and commercial growth. That may be too broad for one role.
A specialist recruiter can help separate the real priorities from the wish list.
This creates a clearer and fairer search.
Recruiters usually work through a contingent or retained model.
With contingent recruitment, the fee is paid when a candidate is hired. Several agencies may work on the same role, and the search can become focused on speed.
A retained search usually includes an upfront fee, followed by further payments at agreed stages.
This model supports a more detailed process.
The recruiter can spend time understanding the organisation, its publishing model, its audience and its future direction.
They can map the market, approach passive candidates and carry out a more thorough assessment.
The upfront fee also creates a stronger commitment between both sides.
The recruiter becomes a dedicated partner rather than one of several agencies racing to send CVs.
This can be especially useful for senior, confidential or difficult to fill Product roles.
It gives the recruiter time to build a full view of the market and represent the organisation properly.
Publishing organisations often work across several countries and markets.
They may need Product leaders who understand international audiences, local education systems, language needs or different content standards.
A product that works well in one country may need significant changes before it can succeed elsewhere.
The company may also need someone who has worked with global editorial teams, international customers or distributed technology teams.
A specialist recruiter with an international network can help identify these candidates.
They can compare experience across markets and assess whether someone understands both local needs and wider Product strategy.
This is difficult to achieve through one local job advert.
A wider network gives the organisation access to people who may bring experience from another market, business model or part of publishing.
A careful search does not need to become a slow or confusing process.
Publishing companies can lose strong candidates when interviews are delayed, feedback is unclear or the role keeps changing.
The aim is to create a process that is thorough but focused.
A specialist recruiter can help agree the key criteria, manage communication and keep candidates engaged.
They can also share honest market feedback.
Perhaps the salary is too low for the level of responsibility.
Perhaps the title does not reflect the scope.
Perhaps candidates are interested in the organisation but unclear about its Product direction.
Perhaps the role is trying to combine too many functions.
This feedback allows the company to adjust before the search loses momentum.
The value of a publishing recruiter is not simply access to more names.
It is a clearer understanding of which candidates are most likely to succeed in the role.
A specialist recruiter understands the differences between editorial, content, technology and Product.
They know how varied publishing careers can be and how to assess people whose experience does not follow a standard path.
They can reach active and passive candidates, challenge the brief and help the organisation understand what the market can realistically offer.
This matters because strong Product leadership in publishing requires a rare combination.
The person needs to understand content, audiences and the culture of publishing. They also need to make commercial decisions, lead change and shape digital products that people want to use.
Finding that person can take time.
Working with a recruiter who understands the sector can make the search more focused, informed and likely to reach the right people.
RecruitHer supports education, publishing and EdTech organisations hiring mid level, senior and executive professionals.
We combine sector knowledge, targeted headhunting and an international network to help companies reach candidates who understand their products, audiences and growth plans.
