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.
Consumers’ obsession with their phones meant the amount companies spent on mobile advertising rose at its fastest rate for two years to a record high, according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau.
NRS, part of Accuity, acquired FIRE Solutions, a leading provider of compliance and education products and services to the broker-dealer community and an industry leader in securities exam preparation, on 5 October.
The PPA has announced the shortlist for this year's Customer Direct Awards.
Intermedia Brand Marketing, a provider of integrated, circulation marketing and distribution solutions, has announced the launch of its new text messaging service.
With its acquisition of the annual exhibition Dental Showcase, the Mark Allen Group (MAG), has strengthened its position as a leading media player in the dental sector.
vjoon GmbH this week released Version 7 of its cross-media publishing platform vjoon K4. Featuring two new browser-based approval management modules, it affords brands, agencies and publishers the opportunity to produce content in a remarkably intuit
A new client for Abacus e-Media, the 136 year old weekly publication Cabinet Maker, has become the first to go live on Abacus e-Media’s new CXM platform with a fully responsive redesign.
Unveiling new research at the Technology for Marketing (TFM) show last week, the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM) reveals the use of personalisation and the data habits of digital marketers.
Your audience expects video. It is often the quickest, most engaging and compelling way to tell a story. The demand for video is increasing, with a recent white paper by Cisco predicting that 75% of all mobile traffic will be video by 2020. Pete Ferg
The Association for Online Publishing (AOP) has announced the first round of speakers for its annual autumn conference – now a two-day convention – to help publishers keep pace with rapid technological progress.
Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, the international business information and events group, last week issued a pre-close trading update ahead of the announcement of its results for the year to September 30, 2016.
Digital disruption. We’ve been talking about it and living through its consequences for two decades or more, but for those who are hoping that calmer waters lie ahead, Dickon Ross has a clear message. In terms of disruption, what’s gone before will s
Two trends underpin the global newspaper market today: sales of print newspapers are in decline but revenue from print far outstrips that from digital. Should publishers axe their print operations and focus on digital or should they nurture print and
It sometimes seems there are all too few good news stories in publishing these days. So the tale of Incisive Media’s award-winning twelve-month project to rebuild its digital platforms makes a refreshing change, writes Ciar Byrne.
To slightly misquote Thomas Edison, growth is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. In short, you’ve got to put the hours in, but what happens if you’re so bogged down with managing the here and now, that you have no spare hou
