BUILDING SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES
Publishers are taking community seriously
Successful communities need managing. You can’t just leave members to “get on with it”, because… they won’t.
B2B & Trade Media
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.
Essential Resources
Best Practice in Publishing
B2B media
We asked Amanda Barnes, chief executive of Faversham House, what does best practice publishing look like in B2B media? This is what she said…
FEATURE
Riches in niches
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…
A Celebration of Print
Our print strategy: Mark Allen Group
Print is certainly not dead, says Chairman Mark Allen. However, you need to offer readers choice and be neutral and agnostic about the outcome.
INTERVIEW
From controlled circ to enterprise subs
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.
Digital Horizons
What the ‘Intelligent Age’ means for B2B media
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.
COMMENT
Opportunities & Threats: B2B Media
The future of B2B lies in serving your sector in three connected ways: information, intelligence and events.
The Digital Transformation Journey
B2B media
John Barnes, chief digital officer, William Reed Business Media, tells Ciar Byrne about how the B2B media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.
Dickon Ross’s publishing world
The Post Office Scandal – 10 takeaways for B2B journalists
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.
MEDIA FUTURES
Gambling on M&A in 2025
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.
COLUMN
Keep iterating
If you’re thinking of setting up a membership scheme, be prepared to play the long game because success doesn’t come overnight.
All Articles
BUILDING SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES
Create spaces online to share opinions
Creating a successful community is a great way to find out what your customers really want.
BUILDING SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES
Community first, magazine second
Most publishers look to build a community off the back of a publication. For Freelancer Magazine, it was the other way round.
BUILDING SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES
Audience engagement is top priority
A community is nothing without engagement, but that engagement needs to be high quality and two-way.
SPOTLIGHT
Real-life magazines
Think you’ve had it tough? Cheer yourself up with a dose of real-life stories from these magazines – ALL for the unbeatable price of £5.49. Alan Geere looks out from behind the sofa…
INTERVIEW
Simplicity is a virtue
Keep it simple. Make a difference. Innovate with user insight as your compass. These are the guiding principles at MedicinesComplete, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s online platform, as Director of Technology Jeremy Macdonald tells Meg Carter.
News
FT announces three senior appointments
The Financial Times on Friday announced three senior hires across its B2B and Specialist operations; Nick Fallon, Carola York and Rosie Carr.
COMMENT
Back to front publishing
How you go about planning our publishing activities could make all the difference to your long term success.
News
White Bullet appoints Stuart Dickinson
IP protection and cybersecurity company, White Bullet, yesterday announced the appointment of Stuart Dickinson as Director of Advertising Operations and Client Success.
News
PPA Independent Publisher Awards 2021 – winners announced
On Friday, the winners of the PPA Independent Publisher Awards were announced at a ceremony in London hosted by comedian Maisie Adam.
COLUMN
The scarcity model
US based Lessiter Media has come up with a successful way of increasing digital ad revenue – sell less.
News
MPP Global acquired by Aptitude Software
MPP Global, subscription and billing specialists, has been acquired by Aptitude Software Group, a specialist provider of finance transformation and automation software.
COLUMN
Ten tips for publishing success
What’s the secret of publishing success? James Evelegh has ten top tips, courtesy of his latest podcast guest.
News
Air Business Drives Forward on Carbon Footprint Reporting
Air Business, a global distribution, fulfilment and subscriptions management company, has released its greenhouse gas emission and energy use figures.
FEATURE
Building publisher revenues by embracing new approaches to partnership marketing
While publishers have a sophisticated approach to managing their audience data, this is often not the case when it comes to managing their affiliate & partner marketing, writes Trackonomics' Hanan Maayan.
