COLUMN
Celebrating print
James Evelegh picks out three titles that are selling considerably more copies now than they did 25 years ago.
Consumer Magazines
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.
Essential Resources
INTERVIEW
Getting on the front foot
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.
Best Practice in Publishing
Consumer media
We asked Tamar Riley, portfolio managing director at Immediate, what does best practice publishing look like in consumer media? This is what she said…
INTERVIEW
Super-serving audiences
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.
A Celebration of Print
Our print strategy: Anthem
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.
INTERVIEW
The changing world of specialist media
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.
INTERVIEW
Speaking to women, intelligently
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.
INTERVIEW
Breaking free
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.
MEDIA FUTURES
Broadening the Revenue Base
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.
FEATURE
Building a modern specialist consumer media business
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.
A Celebration of Print
Circulation: how to make print circulation profitable
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.
All Articles
INTERVIEW
How Good Food is creating more multi-media content
Earlier this year, Immediate Media unveiled its new state-of-the-art test kitchen, designed to enable the creation of more video and audio content. Ciar Byrne visited to find out more.
Dickon Ross’s publishing world
AI’s visual potential
Whilst Dickon Ross has so far resisted the urge to get AI to write articles, he has asked it to create pictures.
FEATURE
Is the website dying?
For many publishers, the website is the linchpin of their digital operations. But, writes John Barnes, it might be time to reimagine its role.
INTERVIEW
Good Housekeeping’s spring clean
Taking over the editor’s chair of an already successful title has its own set of challenges. How to make your mark without undoing all the good work that’s gone before. Meg Carter meets Good Housekeeping’s new editor-in-chief, Jane Bruton.
A Celebration of Print
Print strategies: How to use print to best effect as part of a multi-platform publishing strategy
Print is no longer the default. It’s the premium format. It has presence, weight, and staying power, says Mike Hoy, CEO of Papermule.
A Celebration of Print
Paper choices: how to choose the right paper
Publishers wishing to reduce the cost of their printed publication or improve its sustainability credentials have a number of options, says Julian Townsend, publishing paper sales director at Denmaur.
A Celebration of Print
Print sustainability: how printers and publishers can reduce a publication’s carbon footprint
The two main areas where attention should be focused on are paper & inks and energy, says Steven Renders, general manager of Roularta Printing.
A Celebration of Print
Wow factor: how to make your printed magazine stand out from the crowd
Today’s technology and materials provide the best of all worlds, allowing for stunning creativity, sustainability, and sensory engagement, says Kirk Galloway, CEO and MD of Buxton Press.
A Celebration of Print
New product development: how print can be at the forefront of your NPD strategies
If you want results; if you want to build something commercially successful, remarkable, and long-lasting, you need to think creatively, says Chris Ferrari-Wills, national sales manager at The Manson Group.
A Celebration of Print
Our print strategy: Anthem
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.
A Celebration of Print
Digital editions: how your print PDFs can be used to create compelling digital editions
A well-structured PDF can serve as an ideal foundation for a compelling digital edition, says Jason Mengers, managing director at Touch Tree Technology.
A Celebration of Print
Page layout & design: how to design beautiful and engaging pages
The purpose of design is to engage readers and ensure they continue reading, says Michael Chinnery, founder of CPUK Print Publishing.
A Celebration of Print
Specialist distribution: how to achieve success in non-newsstand outlets
There is a world of potential readers beyond the newsstand and with the right plan and distribution partner, they are reachable, says Chris Horn, managing director of Gold Key Media.
A Celebration of Print
Our print strategy: London Review of Books
The vast majority of LRB subscribers prefer reading LRB content in print and that is why, says Publisher Reneé Doegar, print remains central to the business.
