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.
Demand for health and fitness content grew hugely during the pandemic. The challenge for publishers was how to meet that demand when existing routes to market were hit by lockdown. Hearst UK’s Matt Hayes tells us what they did.
The key to unlocking print opportunities, efficiencies and innovation is … talking with your printer, says Neil Wass, MD of Hertfordshire-based magazine printers, The Manson Group.
The winners for this year’s PPA Awards have been revealed during an online ceremony hosted by comedians Marcus Brigstocke and Jess Robinson.
Bloomberg continues to expand its talent roster on Quicktake and last week announced the signing of Emma Barnett to host a weekly interview show launching in the autumn.
After six years, Terri White, Editor of Empire magazine, has decided to leave Bauer Media UK.
DC Thomson Media’s Commando, Britain’s longest-serving war comic, is celebrating 60 years of stories of action and adventure.
Readly has teamed up with Motor Sport magazine and British racing driver, Jenson Button, to launch an exclusive collection of his Motor Sport highlights throughout the last 100 years.
Planet Sport Publishing has launched a new multi-sports site to provide a single destination for sports fans and meet, what the publishers say, is a growing demand for entertaining sports betting content.
Stuart Lacey, Managing Director of Air Business Subscriptions for more than 22 years, has announced his intention to retire later this year.
Immediate Media Co has announced the launch of its Slide Into Summer campaign, the continuation of a two-year content partnership with NEFF.
MPP Global has announced a strategic partnership with Zephr to provide publishers with a joint solution that optimises subscription revenues across print and digital channels.
Passion powers BSME Editor of the Year Loma-Ann Marks – passion for antiques and vintage, accessibility, inclusivity and editing, writes Meg Carter.
The pandemic’s toll on traditional US media has been severe and, not surprisingly, most deadly for newspapers and smaller magazine media companies, writes Karlene Lukovitz.
The last few years has seen a subtle but significant shift at The Economist, as the publisher has adopted a more product-led, outcome-driven approach. Meg Carter finds out more from Chief Product Officer Deep Bagchee.
Last year was a recording-braking year in web traffic for many magazines. What can we learn from it? What should we provide more or less of? Where are our resources best used?
