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.
Amateur Photographer, IPC’s weekly photography magazine, next week offers readers a choice of two free multiple-purpose lens cloths printed with Photographers Rights, to provide support to readers when approached by police and private security office
Railway Magazine, published by Mortons Media Group, is marking the Diamond Jubilee, by reprinting its launch issue from 1897.
Gardeners’ World Magazine’s June issue, on sale Friday 25 May, priced at £3.80 is using an innovative scented lavender cover to promote a garden aroma themed issue as part of its Springtime push for extra sales.
Finalists have been chosen for the second Shine School Media Awards, a national competition for secondary school pupils, by a panel of 16 judges chaired by Simon Heffer of the Daily Mail.
Country Life has unveiled its very special Diamond Jubilee collectors’ issue.
Future Publishing has announced the sale of Trucking and Truckstop News to Kelsey Publishing Limited.
Daptiv, a provider of project portfolio management software, has announced that Informa has selected Daptiv PPM to manage resources and better execute on project portfolio management.
Physics World, the membership magazine of the Institute of Physics, has been named best ‘Magazine – Professional Association or Royal College’ at the annual MemCom Awards held in London.
Centaur Media has chosen Abacus e-Media’s innovative ADvance platform to run its circulation and fulfilment activities as well as to provide a complete customer view across the group’s portfolio of digital, print and face to face products.
August Media has launched a new look for Butlins Music Weekends magazine.
Chelsea – Champions Of Europe, a oneshot from Sport Media, goes on sale 24 May, priced £4.99.
The University of Cambridge has appointed Peter Phillips as the new Chief Executive of Cambridge University Press.
The Institute of Administrative Management (IAM) has announced the appointment of custom media marketing agency Publicom, as the new publishing partner for its membership publication Manager.
FIPP has appointed Cobus Heyl to the key position of marketing and membership services manager. He will join the organisation on 6 June 2012.
Buxton Press has just placed its largest order ever, worth more than £7 million.
