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.
Short termism is a perennial problem in ad sales. Someone senior dreams up a new thing to sell and directs their sales team to get straight on the phone to sell, sell, sell. This approach doesn’t always fail, but there is a better way...
Fox, the Murdoch-owned US broadcaster, plans to increase its investment in blockchain technology by introducing more NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and digital collectibles for its shows and franchises.
Real Response Media, the publishers of World of Cruising and Cruise Trade News, has announced the appointment of Lina Slater as COO and the promotion of James Gambling to CMO.
impact.com, a partnership management platform, has announced that HubSpot veteran Kim Walsh has joined the company as Chief Growth Officer.
The Big Issue has launched a digital campaign calling for public support for the 1,300 vendors across the UK who are facing high streets with reduced footfall due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
Collingwood Advisory has appointed Debra Chipman as Vice President, North America, strengthening its team of entrepreneurs and strategic advisers.
Apple charges 30% on in-app transactions, but Facebook says it has found a way for creators to circumvent this “tax”.
This partnership will help publishers search and embed video assets from Dailymotion’s catalogue of more than 2,000 content partners through Quintype’s Bold CMS.
Alexa SVP Tom Taylor told a conference Amazon wants users to spend less time talking to the voice assistant, saying that the future of consumer technology is ambient intelligence.
Apple has asked a US court to stay a ruling which would enable app developers to link to third-party payment options within the App Store.
Aquila announced yesterday that it had completed the acquisition of Jaicom Oy through its subsidiary Atex Media Limited.
YouTube has hired its first podcast executive, long-time YouTube staffer Kai Chuk, after a month-long search.
Bloomberg.com will lift its paywall for Bloomberg Green and provide all of its content for free from November 1 through November 12.
Enhesa, a global compliance and sustainability content business backed by CGE Partners, last week announced it has completed the acquisition of HCB magazine and website.
The latest Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report forecasts UK ad spend will grow by 24.8% this year to reach a total of £29.3bn.
