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.
Digital publishing revenues in the UK increased to £137.8m in Q2 2021, according to the latest quarterly Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index from the Association of Online Publishers and Deloitte.
Zephr, a subscription experience platform, has announced the launch of ‘Optimize’, which is designed to unlock the potential of first-party data to personalise subscription experiences.
Tech company Adnami has announced two new hires to join its London team: Alex Barstow as Publisher Sales Director, UK, and Tom Carr as Agency Sales Director.
Azerion, a digital entertainment and media platform, has announced the acquisition of multi-screen, high-impact digital advertising company, Inskin Media.
Effective data management, software design and automation depend on understanding where you add greatest value, then optimising each step along the way, writes Meg Carter.
House prices have risen 13 per cent in a year of lockdown leading to more work for the building and construction industry. Alan Geere puts on his hard hat to look at the light reading for the professionals.
Always being relatable, posting consistently, and a commitment to collaboration drives the successful social-first car brand, writes Meg Carter.
This is the pained reaction Craig Llewelyn-Williams, founder and principal consultant at The App Lab, often gets from publishers after they’ve called in his team to help steer their new product through to launch.
A successful digital transformation requires a different kind of leadership, writes Professor Lucy Kueng. CEOs need to demonstrate new skills and their top team needs to encompass new roles.
Many successful B2B publishers started life as two-person bands: someone to write, someone to sell. But, for success in today’s digital world, new publishers quickly need to add technical skillsets to their armoury or risk being left behind.
Immediate Media has one of the UK’s leading craft portfolios, writes Meg Carter, backed by a strategy for growth that involves more than simply surfing the current crafting wave.
With the Online Safety Bill currently winding its way through parliament, the big question is, can the platforms police themselves effectively, or is legislation needed? Dickon Ross assesses the social media landscape.
Hemming Group has been contemplating content monetisation for some time now, but the pandemic has pushed it up the to-do list. As Nick Service tells Meg Carter, it’s a gradual process with a number of sector-specific strategies in play.
More and more publishers are going down the membership route, because it offers recurring revenues, brings them closer to their readers & helps future-proof their businesses. Carolyn Morgan has advice for publishers thinking of going down this path.
Aspermont, a B2B publisher, has created the new group executive position of Chief Content and Strategy Officer, to manage the expansion of group content on a global basis.
