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.
The move to mobile should not be taking us by surprise. The writing has been on the wall for years, yet, as an industry, we continue to be wrong-footed by developments in the mobile space. Martin Belam urges publishers to eat, sleep and breathe mobil
The Freedom of Information Act came into force in January 2005. One decade on, how is FoI viewed by politicians and publishers? Jon Slattery investigates.
The seventh annual AOP Content and Trends Census points to a digital sector focused on data and multiplatform integration, whilst not forgetting the elephant in the room – ad blocking. Tim Cain summarises the main findings of the research.
“Paper’s paper” seems to sum up the prevailing view at some magazine publishers of one of the essential raw ingredients in print publishing, and this represents a major missed opportunity. Denmaur Independent Papers’ Julian Townsend and Peter Sommerv
Following Andrew Rashbass’s appointment as Executive Chairman of Euromoney Institutional Investor on 1st October, following the retirement of Richard Ensor, he began a strategic review of all aspects of the Company’s business including its corporate
A new report from the PPA has mapped out the seven personas of today’s magazine buyers, as part of a detailed investigation into the consumption of magazine media content.
The PPA has announced the winners of the PPA Customer Direct Awards 2015, which highlights the best direct and digital marketing in UK magazine media.
The 2015 British Society of Magazine Editors Awards were held at The Brewery in London on Monday, 16 November.
It’s been a successful year for the Mark Allen Group, which has just posted record profits for 2014-15.
The international Digital Magazine Awards, in association with Edition Digital, announced the winners of the 2015 competition at a showcase event held at Proud Camden in London on Wednesday, 11th November.
Circdata has launched a new fully responsive website to better showcase its solutions for event organisers, publishers and data owners.
ESco has announced that it is now working for Taylist Media and is looking after subscriptions and controlled circulations for four publications.
Centaur Media plc yesterday issued a trading statement on its operating and financial performance for the nine-months ended 30 September 2015.
UBM plc yesterday issued a trading update for the current financial year to date. The company reports that it is “on track for the full year”.
Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC ran its second hack event, TechSprint, last month in search for the next generation of top tech talent.
