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.
It was yesterday announced that Arc has acquired Incisive Media’s financial services and business sustainability portfolios and The Channel Company has acquired Incisive’s technology portfolio.
Baroness Stowell, Chair of the Lords Communications & Digital Committee, has welcomed a commitment by the CMA to take more action on digital competition issues.
The last print edition of Incisive Media’s Professional Pensions magazine went to press last week.
Management Today magazine has built a 12 metre high front cover in Decentraland, one of the largest decentralised platforms in the metaverse.
Adnami, an ad-tech company this week announced its new partnership with AutoScout24, a large pan-European online car market.
Cavai, a leading conversational advertising cloud, has appointed Kate Lyons as VP, US East Coast.
Texere Publishing this week launched The New Optometrist to expand its presence and impact in the eyecare market.
Collingwood Advisory, specialist scaleup and corporate finance advisers to the media industry, has opened up its Crescent programme for new members joining in Summer 2022.
The PPA on Friday revealed some of the confirmed speakers for this year’s PPA Festival.
Micropress is making a large investment in new equipment, to the tune of around £3.75 million.
Texere Publishing has announced that it has achieved the “We invest in people silver accreditation” from Investors in People.
Cavai, a conversational advertising cloud, has appointed Jonathan Pacey as Commercial Director, APAC.
IP-authenticated and fully-searchable access to a growing archive of Healthcare Markets International (HMi) is now available to libraries around the world.
Centaur Media, an international provider of business intelligence, training and specialist consultancy, has announced its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2021.
Incisive has announced the launch of Sustainable-Investment – a new digital platform for finance professionals who are committed to moving responsible investing “from the fringes to the forefront”.
