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.
Future, the special-interest media group, has partnered with Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company, as its innovative fanpack editions of the new albums from Alice Cooper and Machine Head hit the shelves.
BBC Magazines has announced that it has secured a raft of international licensing deals for its award-winning science and technology magazine, Focus. The title is published as Science Focus internationally.
Last week’s PC Pro Excellence Awards 2011, held at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, revealed Britain’s best broadband provider and the best manufacturers for everything from laptops to digital cameras.
Postcomm has given its approval for a number of commercial changes proposed by Royal Mail.
Air Business has appointed Jonathan Middleton to the role of Group Business Development & Marketing Director.
Senior editorial figures from the world of magazine publishing will address the value of content in the digital age in a Westminster debate next month.
As Time Out media group continues to extend its footprint across the globe, the company is delighted to celebrate the 10th year of Time Out Dubai.
In 2011, it’s a museum piece – but the vintage Sony Walkman has beaten Apple’s iPod in a T3.com poll to find the greatest tech invention of the last 50 years.
James Papworth joined the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) as Marketing Director this week. Here, James considers what the future holds for magazines.
Leading digital publishing platform supplier Abacus e-Media has completed its acquisition the subscription, fulfilment and direct marketing consultancy Alliance Media.
Future, the special-interest media group and one of the UK’s leading provider of craft content, is unveiling an exciting new look for Simply Knitting magazine.
Earlier this week, Denmaur Independent Papers confirmed that it had penned a deal with UBM to become the official paper sponsor at the Publishing Expo 2012 show next year.
Uncut magazine has announced the launch of a new exhibition in partnership with Sonic Editions.
The Two Sides and Print Power Autumn Seminar takes place on Monday 7 November 2011 at Stationers’ Hall in the City of London.
Maney Publishing has announced a new publishing partnership with the British Society for Developmental Disabilities to re-launch its journal in 2012.
