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 the UK supply chain teetering on the edge of mould-breaking upheaval, the BPA’s Karlene Lukovitz looks at what happened in the States when their distribution system was turned upside down in the mid-90s.
Creating a successful strategy relies on setting the right objectives and utilising the best mix of media, list and offer. With the emergence of on-line techniques, the opportunities open to subscription marketers have grown substantially. On one lev
Nicking ideas is ok – we all do it. But too often, perhaps as a result of skill shortages, under-resourced subs departments or insufficient testing budgets, it is done uncritically, without any assessment being made as to its suitability for differen
What’s your response to a failed promotion? Try it again next time and fingers crossed? Or undertake a proper analysis of what went wrong and apply any lessons learned? Hopefully it’s the latter. Peter Hobday says that having “an open mind” is a pre-
On 18 May 2005, at the Westbury Mayfair in London, publishers and senior circulation executives gathered to hear speakers, including Euromoney’s Jane Wilkinson, CMP’s Diana Lomax and Haymarket’s Martin Durham, discuss the role of circulation in today
In the circulation building game, a high profile and instantly recognisable editor is probably the trump card. Not many titles have one. One that does is the Spectator, a title first published in 1828 and currently enjoying healthy circulation growth
The UK newsstand is worth approx £1.6bn a year in terms of retail revenue and how our titles are handled at the 55,000 odd retail outlets is fundamental. Yet how much control do we have and how much influence do we exert at the retail sharp end? Afte
If yours was the only title on the newsstand then getting noticed wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately it’s not and there are hundreds of other titles all vying for the attention of your reader. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have him all to yourse
The prospective magazine buyer is standing in front of the rack, browsing. It’s make or break. What can you do to ensure that it is your title that ends up in the shopping basket and not your rivals’. Having some idea of what is going on inside the s
On 3 & 4 May 2005, the great and the good of the magazine industry congregated at the Grosvenor House in London. The shadow of the OFT loomed large over the event and I suspect that supply chain issues crept into most of the sessions – in particular
Across the circulation world the spreadsheet and database are in the ascendancy and the time spent cultivating personal relationships is in decline. Yet, says Christopher Collins, the value of experience, gut feel and yes, occasionally a slightly-lon
Your competitors are in a fast-growing overseas market. Your lawyers tell you that the laws of the land prohibit or severely restrict foreign ownership of media. You want to stay legal but don’t want to miss the boat. What to do? Business Strategies
Like everyone else, academic publishing has been affected by the internet. The proliferation of online publishing opportunities has meant that the academic community now has less reason to trudge through the rain to their local library in order to ac
Just how far have US B2Bs gone in reengineering themselves for the 21st century? Limited resources, caution and print-focused attitudes are holding some back. BPA’s Karlene Lukovitz takes soundings from senior publishing execs.
We all dream of cracking the US market. For the Guardian, the high numbers of US visitors to its Guardian Unlimited web site demonstrated a demand for a global news perspective and an awareness of the Guardian brand. The Guardian decided to capitalis
