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.
BBC Worldwide has signed leading footwear, apparel and accessories brand developer Established Brands to create the first ever range of Lonely Planet branded luggage, travel accessories and apparel on behalf of the travel brand.
IPC Media, one of the UK’s leading magazine publishers, has chosen SPECAL (lifelong well-being for people with dementia) as its charity of the year for 2011, following a company-wide vote.
PPA has announced that it has changed its official name from the Periodical Publishers Association to the Professional Publishers Association.
The annual FIPP Research Forum and Awards will take place in France on 7-8 April 2011 at the Prisma Presse offices in Paris.
Bauer Media has appointed The Brooklyn Brothers to handle brand communications for its flagship, fashion glossy Grazia.
A saturated magazine market, with a depressed advertising climate and pressure on consumer spending needn’t put you off exploring opportunities in a new territory, says Joanna Marshall, BBC Magazines’ head of licensing and syndication.
Classic Bike Guide, from Mortons Media Group, is being relaunched with its February issue.
Haymarket Media Group has announced that Autocar will launch its 16th international edition and 9th Asian edition in Vietnam in January 2011.
The 34th annual What Car? Awards took place last Thursday, 13 January, 2011.
Egmont Publishing Group has signed a deal in the UK with Turner CN Enterprises to publish content across both print and digital formats based on the popular Cartoon Network series Generator Rex.
2009 saw Wessenden Marketing teaming up with InPublishing to undertake a pilot survey of the UK publishing business. 2011 starts with the publication of the second Publishing Futures survey which this time is sponsored by PPA and probes even deeper i
Twelve of the top consumer magazines, by ABC, are customer publications. It’s a huge subset of the publishing industry, yet, because most of the action takes place away from the newsstand, it’s sometimes forgotten about in traditional publishing circ
Running an independent publishing company offers the potential for a fulfilling life and a good income. But, for most, the real money is made when the time comes to sell up, yet few publishers devote much time to preparing their businesses to appeal
It is tempting to assess the challenges facing publishers purely in terms of the digital choices they face. Yet, most publishers continue to make most of their money from the print product and to produce vast numbers of copies every year. So, writes
Company magazine, the glossy monthly women’s title published by the National Magazine Company, will this week be editing the March issue of the magazine at Heathrow Terminal 5 – a world first for the magazine industry.
