B2B publishing has quietly become one of the healthier parts of the industry. The trade press that once lived on display and recruitment advertising now earns more of its money from subscriptions, data, events and membership, and private equity has noticed.
The shift meant giving up some old habits. Controlled circulation made sense in print, but open websites gave away what the magazine kept for qualified readers, and the publishers doing best have taken back control of their audiences through registration and paywalls. The Lawyer moved from an advertising-led business to one where paid content brings in over 40 per cent of revenue.
Don’t delude yourself because the barriers to entry in publishing are now non-existent.
Amanda Barnes B2B media
Specialist knowledge is the defence. AI makes generic information close to worthless, so the value lies in proprietary data, tools readers rely on in their daily work and journalism only a specialist could produce, as Computer Weekly's Post Office investigation showed. Print hasn't vanished either. Some publishers now sell it alongside digital at the same price and let readers choose.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on B2B and trade media, from subscriptions and data products to events, print, consolidation and specialist journalism, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
We asked Amanda Barnes, chief executive of Faversham House, what does best practice publishing look like in B2B media? This is what she said…
Rory Brown has enjoyed great success in business media. Having last year sold AgriBriefing and now following new paths in the B2B space, he takes some time out to tell us what he has learned on his journey so far…
Print is certainly not dead, says Chairman Mark Allen. However, you need to offer readers choice and be neutral and agnostic about the outcome.
The Lawyer has been on quite a journey, successfully transitioning from a controlled circulation ad-driven model to a high value enterprise subs one. Andy Baker talks Meg Carter through the key stages and what they’ve learnt along the way.
In the first of our new ‘Digital Horizons’ series, Tom Lake, director of product and technology at Infopro Digital, looks at the tech opportunities and challenges facing his company and the wider B2B sector.
The future of B2B lies in serving your sector in three connected ways: information, intelligence and events.
John Barnes, chief digital officer, William Reed Business Media, tells Ciar Byrne about how the B2B media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.
Computer Weekly deserves much credit for its role in investigating the Horizon IT scandal. Dickon Ross looks at what lessons other B2B journalists can take from their work.
The general expectation is that the buying and selling of media brands is going to increase significantly in 2025. A number of companies have been quietly building up their war-chests during a wobbly 2024, reports Jim Bilton.
If you’re thinking of setting up a membership scheme, be prepared to play the long game because success doesn’t come overnight.
Perception SaS has announced that Western Business Media has selected the complete suite of Perception’s publishing tools to run their sales, audience and content management over print, digital and events products.
Cafeyn, an information streaming service, has announced the addition of Immediate Media Co and Black Dog Media to the Cafeyn platform.
Data is used by every B2B publisher, though some use it more effectively than others. We grab five minutes with Daniel Verrells, MD of Beeline Data Services, to ask him how B2B publishers could manage their data better.
Individual and institutional subscribers can now access a growing archive of digital issues of Tes, created by Exact Editions.
Centaur Media has published its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2019.
PageSuite has announced the re-launch of MyDigitalNewspaper and subsequent launch of MyDigitalMag, an emergency solution to help publishers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Professional Pensions has relaunched its magazine as a monthly with new editorial features and more in-depth analysis.
Ultima Media, a B2B automotive media business, has established an insight and intelligence partnership with The Association of European Vehicle Logistics.
Sally Brown has been appointed Editor of Therapy Today, the magazine of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Stylist magazine has launched on the Readly platform this week, to coincide with the magazine's 500th issue.
As with any other part of your publishing operation, circulation can’t be left unattended. You need to work on it constantly. Andy Kirk, managing partner of publishing services provider Perception SaS, outlines six tips for a healthy circulation.
Informa this week published its results for the 12 months to 31 December 2019.
Centaur Media’s Influencer Intelligence has unveiled its new and improved platform.
Media Voices has announced the winners of its inaugural Publisher Podcast Awards, following a ceremony on Wednesday night at Proud Cabaret City, London.
Publishing success isn’t necessarily about having the best creative talent; it’s about making sure that it’s deployed in the right way.
