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.
Lack of IT resource is a frequent gripe of the small and medium size publisher. They produce great content for a loyal audience but below-par digital publishing platforms, often developed in-house, are inhibiting growth. But as Abacus e-Media’s Ian E
The rise and rise of native advertising has been one of the big media stories of the last few years and the trend shows no signs of abating. Tim Cain looks at where native goes from here.
Good content, good people and good products will only get you so far. As Patrick Martell tells Meg Carter, getting the organisational structure right is vitally important if large publishing companies are to maximise their potential.
When it comes to printing, newspapers and magazines have always seemed a bit like chalk and cheese. They might both use paper and ink, but otherwise they’re completely different. Not anymore! As Newssolutions’ Tracey Hart and Steve Whitehead tell Jam
On 12 May, the PPA held its annual festival in London. The Marcus Morris Lecture, now an annual fixture at the event, was given by Condé Nast MD Nicholas Coleridge, who listed his ‘seven deadly sins of magazine publishing’ and his ‘seven golden rules
Readers consume content differently, depending on which platform and device they’re using. The challenge for publishers is in efficiently re-engineering their workflows and skill sets so as to make every piece of content fit for purpose. Progress has
Paperlit, the digital publishing solution for magazine publishers and brands, has announced the unveiling of “Paperlit Live”, a new feature enabling publishers to add exclusive content feeds to their branded newsstand app.
UK publishers have seen their total annual digital revenues grow by 62% over the last four years, according to analysis from the Digital Publishers Revenue Index (DPRI), a quarterly report of UK publishers from the Association of Online Publishers (A
UBM yesterday announced that it has acquired Content Marketing Institute (CMI) for a consideration of $17.6m with an additional earn-out subject to meeting profit targets over the next 2 years.
Senior marketers in the UK are overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in the UK, according to a survey by The Marketing Society, in partnership with RadiumOne.
Adestra has announced the addition of a new email editing feature to its MessageFocus platform.
DMGT has reported revenues of £950 million for the six months to 31 March compared with £922 million for the prior half year, representing, says the company, an increase of 3% or -1% on an underlying basis.
A number of publishers have transferred their subscriptions management to Quadrant, part of the Air Business Group, in the first quarter of 2016.
Edition Digital, the publishing solutions company, has launched its own media hub, a responsive website which explores the world of digital publishing.
Incisive Media has completed the digital rebuild of its enterprise IT portfolio with the launches of new sites for its V3 and the INQUIRER brands.
