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.
Yahoo UK, part of Verizon Media, has added a new podcast series to its growing portfolio – Before We Say I Do, hosted by Denise Van Outen and her partner Eddie Boxshall.
DC Thomson Media and Discovery have announced the launch of a new children’s magazine, Animal Planet.
Alison Phillips, the new chair of Woman in Journalism, has vowed that the campaigning organisation, will be “a noisy advocate for trusted journalism” in an epidemic of fake news.
Hearst UK has announced the appointment of Richie Booker to the role of Diversity & Belonging Lead.
Immediate Media Co has yesterday announced a new group organisational structure focused around its key business areas to help drive the next stage of its growth and development.
With the vaccine rollout gathering pace, what are the opportunities and challenges facing publishers? We grab five minutes with Rich Cheary, CEO at Publisher's Toolbox, to get his views.
Lineup Systems has unveiled their new subscriptions platform, Amplio.
Anthem have announced the launch of membership schemes which include access to a digital edition archive powered by Jellyfish’s Pocketmags, home delivery of the print edition, and other benefits.
Grazia has launched Grazia Skin Sessions – Grazia’s first virtual skincare event in partnership with skincare brand SkinCeuticals.
According to the latest quarterly Digital Publishers Revenue Index from the AOP and Deloitte, 78% of digital publishers view advertising revenue growth as a high strategic priority across the next year.
What’s the outlook for the consumer media sector in 2021? DC Thomson Media’s Sally Hampton looks into the future.
For all his many faults, Donald Trump sold lots of newspapers. Joe Biden will probably sell fewer…
Publishing and editorial strategy play a critical role for The Big Issue, writes Meg Carter, where sales means income for the magazine’s homeless and marginalised vendors.
How is the global press supply chain holding up in the Covid era? Distripress commissioned Wessenden Marketing to find out. Jim Bilton presents his findings…
The lifestyle platform celebrating the best places outside London to live, visit, stay, eat and shop is going from strength to strength, powered, writes Meg Carter, by unique content and raising a laugh.
