Consumer magazines spent most of the past two decades managing decline. The more confident publishers have stopped doing that. Newsstand sales and print advertising are still shrinking, but well-made titles with loyal readers are raising cover prices and growing.
Scale matters less than it did. Bauer has made Grazia a more premium product and charged more for it, while independents such as Anthem have put print back at the centre of the business and grown their export sales. Stylist has changed format several times without losing its readers. Others have gone the other way, and Gay Times dropped print entirely to build a global audience online.
For most consumer publishers, print is our USP. It’s the anchor that makes advertisers trust us and the very thing that readers want from us.
Jon Bickley Our print strategy: Anthem
Behind the confidence sits some hard arithmetic. Newstrade is now a small share of revenue and events and ecommerce are growing from a low base. Trust has become a selling point as AI fills the web with content of uncertain origin, but the paid-for consumer model that works at scale is still being worked out.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on consumer magazines, from premium print and cover pricing to brand extensions, membership and the future of specialist titles, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
For a while now, magazine publishers have been on the defensive, unsure about the viability of their traditional business model in a fast-changing world. Katie Vanneck-Smith wants to change all that.
We asked Tamar Riley, portfolio managing director at Immediate, what does best practice publishing look like in consumer media? This is what she said…
For premium titles like Grazia, Mojo and Empire, growth is increasingly coming not from extending reach but from deepening engagement with existing passionate audiences, as Lauren Holleyoake tells Ciar Byrne.
The printed magazine will be a cherished part of people’s lives for years to come, says Jon Bickley, co-founder and CEO. That is why it’s the key component in Anthem’s publishing strategy.
With the arrival of AI and the widespread availability of unattributable content, specialist publishers need to ensure that their titles are the trusted go-to brands in their sectors, Our Media’s Andy Marshall tells Ciar Byrne.
Stylist’s mission has been clear from day one: to engage with its female audience in an intelligent, positive and non-exploitative way. 16 years on, and current PPA Media Brand of the Year, they are staying true to those values, says Lisa Smosarski.
Gay Times was stuck in a rut, tied to its traditional publishing model and reaching only a small part of the LGBTQ+ community. Under the editorship of Lewis Corner, that began to change, as he explains to Ciar Byrne.
Whatever the rest of 2024 holds, two things are certain. Firstly, the bumpy economic ride will continue. Secondly, the need for media companies to have a broad base of revenue streams has never been more important or more challenging to achieve.
How do you create a specialist consumer media business that is fit for the future? What steps do you need to take to be resilient and flexible as audiences and technology evolve? Carolyn Morgan researched 20 innovators from across Europe to find out.
For many publishers, circulation is all about chasing volume, but they would be much better off chasing profitability, says Natalie Smith, client relationship manager at Warners.
The system your editorial teams use to create content is full of rich potential, which many editors are completely unaware of. Rethinking your approach to your CMS opens the door to a new world of publishing possibilities.
The publishing industry gathered at The Grosvenor House Hotel for the annual Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Awards.
The Press Awards to return in 2023 celebrating the best of national and regional media in revamped event.
Ad tech company Adnami has appointed Svenja Damzog as publisher director, DACH, as it targets growth and expansion across Europe.
Cavai, a conversational advertising cloud, has appointed Mats Persson as CEO.
NewstrAid has announced the launch of a new funding scheme to support parents with a newstrade connection who are struggling to cover the costs of their children’s pastimes.
Bauer Media's publishing business has announced the appointment of Fiona Campbell as publisher of its TV Listings portfolio.
The AOP celebrated the digital publishing industry’s top talent at its in-person awards ceremony held at Old Billingsgate in London, on Wednesday.
We grab five minutes with Chris Wills, sales manager at The Manson Group, to get a printer’s view on the challenges and opportunities for publishers.
Warner Bros has partnered with NME for the theatrical release of Elvis, with a standalone free print issue.
Readly, a digital magazine and newspaper app, is launching podcasts on its platform.
Jeremy Abbott has been appointed as the new Managing Editor of NME Networks.
Readly, a digital magazine and newspaper app, is expanding its US portfolio by signing up 23 magazine titles.
Cavai and Azerion have announced the launch of conversational in-stream video, claiming it to be a world-first format.
Passendo has appointed Harry Charalambous as Head of Demand & International Growth to help shape its go-to-market strategy globally.
