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 new-look Daily Mail Saturday supplement will include a definitive TEN-page On Demand TV guide with more than 100 must-see shows – in addition to the existing listings, say the publishers.
Forbes this week unveiled a preview of its virtual Billionaires NFT collection, describing it as a first of its kind NFT project for the media industry.
MPP Global has appointed Jeff Spies as Head of Subscription Management, tasked with shaping and leading the delivery of their subscription management strategy and product roadmap.
multilocal has announced the appointment of Lola Oguntokun as People Director and Charlie Parkes-Patel as Sales Director.
Time Out has announced that the final copies of its London edition will be printed at the end of June.
New Scientist launched their weekly podcast in January 2020. Host Rowan Hooper looks at how they put the show together and why it has proved so popular.
Earlier this year, the Association of Online Publishers conducted a survey – Digital Publishing; Meeting the Future. Here, Richard Reeves, the AOP’s managing director, summarises the main findings from the research.
Dotdash’s acquisition of Meredith’s magazine division in December came as a surprise to many. Karlene Lukovitz mulls over the implications for Meredith’s iconic magazine brands and the future direction of magazine publishing.
Email newsletters play an important role in increasing engagement and building loyalty, but it’s a competitive space. With the rise of platforms like Substack, some newsletter editors even find themselves competing with erstwhile colleagues.
Millions of people in the UK watch golf, play golf and spend their money on equipment, tuition and travel. There are publications devoted to all aspects of the sport, as Alan Geere finds out.
Dalesman Publishing has announced that Lorraine Connolly will take over as editor of The Countryman in May, succeeding Mark Whitley.
Software makes the publishing world go round. We grab five minutes with Patrick Lidstone, co-founder of The Engine Shed, to see how independent publishers can use software to grow their businesses.
Publishers don’t get their fair share of ad revenue. What can be done about it? Lauren Dick, co-chair of the AOP Commercial Group, answers our questions about the key issues and challenges facing publishers’ commercial teams.
Bauer Media has announced the appointment of two new senior roles as it strengthens its commercial sales team.
ACE has revealed the short list for its forthcoming Newspaper and Magazine Awards.
