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.
Are passion, community and adaptability the key to success in an ever-changing media landscape? Holly Johnson, senior editor of Vegan Food & Living, canvasses colleagues at Anthem Publishing to find out.
OpenAI recently unveiled the second generation of its video creation app, Sora. James Evelegh looks at the implications.
Good Housekeeping UK unveils three test kitchens and broadcast studio kitchen in the heart of Leicester Square.
Bloomberg has announced the launch of “The Mishal Husain Show,” a new weekend global podcast.
Stylist has announced the launch of The Village by Stylist – a new digital magazine for mums.
TIME has revealed its 25th annual list of the Best Inventions featuring 300 innovations and 100 special mentions.
The News Media Association and the Professional Publishers Association have responded to the announcement from the Competition and Markets Authority confirming its final decision.
MOJO has announced it is celebrating John Lennon with cover-mounted collectors’ CD of unreleased tracks.
Puzzles has long been part of the newspaper offering, but its usage has grown considerably. We grab five minutes with Peter Stirling, head of puzzles at PA Media, to find out why and what publishers need to know when planning their puzzles strategy.
New data from Les Binet and Will Davis comes with a warning for marketers.
The shortlist has been announced for the PPA Independent Publisher Awards 2025.
The Walrus has launched fully searchable digital library subscriptions through Exact Editions.
Crown Paints and Immediate have teamed up to connect colour, food and travel with home spaces.
Impress have confirmed that their new ethical journalism training course will be launched to the public on October 15.
Would stopping kids using social media make them happier? The Danish government certainly thinks so…
