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.
In September, InPublishing held its first roundtable event, in London. The event was sponsored by software solutions provider PCS Publishing and was attended by leading technology and digital executives at magazine media companies. The discussions we
Faversham House’s Luke Nicholls was named Publishing Innovator of the Year (Business Media) at this year’s PPA Awards. One of the things that’s made the biggest difference, he tells Ciar Byrne, is the development of a highly engaged reader community
David Hepworth on magazines and beyond
For marketers selling software as a service (SaaS) using a subscription model, the vital importance of onboarding has been understood for years. Today, writes Julian Thorne, more and more publishers are following suit and creating onboarding programm
Affordance, magazines as a community and lessons from the past were among topics discussed at Mapping the Magazine 5 – an international conference hosted by Columbia College in Chicago. Mary Hogarth, who also presented a paper, reports.
The challenge for many independent publishers, Perception SaS’s Andy Kirk tells James Evelegh, is that they are trapped in inadequate publishing systems – be it circulation, sales or content management – that limit their ability to compete effectivel
Publishers have been trying to work out the formula for publishing success in the digital age. Over the past six years, Motor Sport has created a coherent, joined-up, reader-focused publishing framework. The challenge now, as Gerard O’Brien tells Meg
“Puzzles boost verbal skills, cut dementia risk”, says a headline in the Wall Street Journal. No wonder the newsagents’ shelves are groaning with puzzle titles. Alan Geere heads off in search of solutions.
James Evelegh’s editorial from the November / December 2018 issue of InPublishing magazine.
The 2018 PPA Customer Direct Awards were presented at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel London on Thursday night.
Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, a global B2B information business, has announced results for the year ending 30 September 2018.
dmg events has strengthened its commitment to the Egyptian exhibition market and has established a local entity in Egypt, to facilitate continued expansion into this key market for the Middle East and Africa.
The 2018 British Society of Magazine Editors Awards were held last night at The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel.
The Bookseller this week announced the launch of Books in the Media, a new book reviews curation and aggregation service.
Ultima Media, a B2B publishing and events business, has appointed Gavin Miller as Managing Director.
