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.
Royal Mail achieved its 93.0% First Class quality target in the year to March 2011 when taking into account the extraordinary combination of the worst weather in living memory and the unprecedented closure of UK airspace because of volcanic ash.
Imagine Publishing has announced the appointment of James Willmott as Advertising Director of the company’s print and online operations.
Oakley Capital Private Equity L.P. has announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Time Out America LLC (“Time Out New York”).
Marie Claire, IPC Southbank’s flagship women’s glossy, is showcasing its content to hundreds of thousands of potential new readers with a limited edition 52-page magazine that will be bagged with The Times this Saturday.
Future Publishing’s SFX, the sci-fi and fantasy magazine, has partnered with Manga Entertainment to publish The Ultimate Guide to Anime, on sale now.
Future’s 2011 Adrian Flux Auto Series started with a bang at Europe’s biggest Japanese car show, Japfest.
Future, the special-interest media group, has unveiled its fifth annual T3 Gadget Awards, proclaiming it to be the UK’s biggest and most influential consumer technology awards.
Imagine Publishing has announced the launch of a brand new magazine, Photography for Beginners, due to hit the shelves on 30 June 2011.
Imagine Publishing has announced the appointment of James Hoare as new Editor of SciFiNow, the sci-fi film and TV magazine.
The Stationers’ Company has awarded its prestigious Silver Medal to Ian Locks, former CEO of the Professional Publishers Association.
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has announces that it has selected Exponent Private Equity as its preferred strategic partner for BBC Magazines.
Q celebrates its landmark 300th issue with an exclusive Adele cover shoot and interview, the world's “newest and biggest music superstar”.
The June issue of Guitar World, on sale 21 May, cover priced £5.25, is a dual cover special.
The June issue of Majesty magazine, from Rex Publishing, is a post-wedding special. It goes on sale 4th June, cover priced £3.10.
Best magazine has joined forces with Simplyhealth to launch the Best and Simplyhealth Community Awards - a nationwide search for the UK’s most deserving community initiatives.
