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.
With renewal marketing, as with dating; it pays to make an effort and not to make any assumptions. A subscriber, like a date, can decline your offer. Andrew Majewski has some tried and tested techniques to keep these important relationships alive.
With increasing pressures on circulation levels and advertising revenue, publishers are having to look again at their production processes for cost savings. Richard Mason looks at three areas which provide real opportunities for greater efficiencies.
It’s nice to feel welcome and appreciated. It gives a warm glow and makes you pleasantly disposed to whoever’s doing the welcoming. And, if the warm glow continues, then you’ll probably want to extend the relationship. All of which means, says David
Increasing distribution costs and paper prices, advertising budgets being cut, and mounting competition from other media mean that a small B2B publishing outfit has to concentrate on being efficient and manoeuvrable in order to grow, according to Ham
Brand recognition is a wonderful thing for a magazine to have. Vogue has it, the Economist has it, Reader’s Digest has it. In fact, Reader’s Digest’s standing goes beyond brand recognition; it’s really something of an institution. Why, then, would su
The latest set of ABCs clearly shows the effect of the credit crunch. As house prices decline and gloom spreads, there has been an inevitable impact on magazine sales. However, says Lucy Brunning, the picture is far from universally dire and some sec
Print media is thriving in India. Restrictions on foreign media ownership have eased and the economy is booming. For international publishers, India is seen as a highly attractive market, in spite of continuing difficulties in areas such as pricing a
Successful sales letters connect with the prospect. The deeper the connection, the greater the chance of making the sale. That is why, says Chris Gregory, copywriters need to exhaustively research the connections between the product and the prospect
If the sight of Christmas decorations going up before the clocks have changed gets your goat, then a career in subscriptions is not for you. In subscriptions, the wrapper is barely off the last Creme Egg before the first Christmas planning meeting is
The secret of a successful magazine launch is planning (and common sense). Thorough planning will help you stifle bad ideas early, avoid silly mistakes and ensure that all the elements of the supply chain are pulling in the same direction. Here, Mike
The PPA and Royal Mail commissioned Wessenden Marketing to map out scenarios for the future of the magazine subscription by looking at how other industries approach the customer journey and applying those insights to the magazine business. Jim Bilton
Magazine titles are not commodities. The price for which they will sell can vary spectacularly from one day to the next and depends on a whole host of factors. Presentation, timing and nerve are needed to see the process through to a successful concl
A lot is expected of today’s editor. In addition to having to fulfil all the traditional requirements of the job, they now need to be sure footed with new technologies; to be willing and able to interact with readers; to support the commercial teams
When economies hit rocky patches, magazine sales tend to head south. In the US, recent cover price increases may have accelerated that trend. Karlene Lukovitz assesses the damage.
Customer service is about more than just answering the phone within three rings – it encompasses all the various contact points with the subscriber. Dovetail recently undertook research to find out why people subscribed, their expectations and their
