We’re putting the finishing touches to our annual directory – the Publishing Partners Guide (PPG) – which will be mailed out with the Jan/Feb issue of InPublishing magazine (not on the mailing list; register here).
(If you’re a supplier and want to be included in the guide, there is still time, but you will need to contact Martin Maynard today.)
Still in print, but with an accompanying digital edition, this year’s guide will be our eleventh. Below are a few of the lessons about directory publishing I’ve picked up along the way:
- Clean categorisation is all-important: Sloppy categorisation will make the guide unusable. Users looking for particular services will quickly give up if they find the category populated by companies that don’t actually provide those services. One thing to guard against is companies assuming that the more categories they’re listed in, the better. The right categories, not the number of categories, is the key thing.
- Adopt (and stick to) a style guide: if you don’t control the look and feel of the directory, it will look a mess and you’ll lose credibility. You need to have house rules on, for instance, the use of headers, subheads, capital letters, bold, italics, line spacing and paragraph indents.
- The template is king: Using a template allows you to maintain design consistency as well as push back against left-field requests from companies who might want something unique just for them.
- Ensure a level playing field for listed companies: by adopting an A-Z approach, all companies get fair exposure and no one company can buy undue prominence over another.
- Give users reasons to hold onto the directory all year round: as a publisher, you want users to keep it and repeatedly reference it throughout the year. So, the inclusion of useful things like lists of key industry contacts, links to valuable resources and event diaries will all help prolong the directory’s shelf life.
- Make it easy to use: If users find it hard to use, they won’t use it. Simple. Logical layout, clear navigation and signposting and well-thought through design cues are all essential.
- Make it more than just a directory: Give users multiple reasons to pick it up: the listing is the key ingredient, but it’s a good idea not to make it the only ingredient. Must-read editorial features by your best writers or leading industry figures make it as much a magazine as a directory.
- Include advertorials, but make sure they’re good: Advertorials are a useful extra revenue stream for directory publishers, but you need to maintain strict editorial control to make sure the pieces are worth reading. Strive for thought-leadership, not PR-puff. No one reads salesy advertorials…
So, do look out for the PPG when you receive your Jan/Feb issue of InPublishing magazine; I hope you will find it useful throughout 2026…
You can catch James Evelegh’s regular column in the InPubWeekly newsletter, which you can register to receive here.
