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.
Students from the University of Central Lancashire will see their magazine concept come to life in print after winning the top award category at this year’s Magazine Academy competition, organised by the Periodicals Training Council (PTC).
Rebranded Direct Marketing News has changed its tabloid fortnightly print format with web destination to a standard size monthly plus a debut iPad edition concurrent with the launch.
Magazines, including, BBC Olive, Golf World, The Lady, T3, The Oldie, Intelligent Finance and Sunday Times Travel, had an exclusive placement opportunity when the Queen inaugurated Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth ship in Southampton on Monday 11th October 2
United Business Media has announced that it has agreed to acquire a 65% stake in Rotaforte International Trade Fairs & Media, the owner of Turkey’s largest jewellery exhibitions, from its private owner on behalf of UBM Asia.
Royal Mail has welcomed the Government’s plans for rapid deregulation of the competitive postal services market and its intention to resolve the £10.3bn historic pension deficit.
Your Home Christmas Special, a oneshot from Hubert Burda Media, goes on sale 21 October, priced £2.99.
Sight & Sound, the British Film Institute's monthly magazine, has appointed Alliance Media to handle its subscription management and fulfilment.
Future, the special-interest media group, has revealed its latest launch - Tap! The iPhone and iPad Magazine, available simultaneously across multiple platforms in print, digital and online versions, alongside a paid-for iPhone app.
The PPA's Independent Publisher Conference and Awards takes place on Tuesday 7 December at Vinopolis. The PPA has just announced the shortlist for the awards.
Following a strategic review of its Irish distribution arrangements, Marketforce – one of the UK’s leading magazine distributors – has awarded EM News the exclusive distribution rights for its portfolio. The new arrangements commence 01 January, 2011
As part of the review of IPC Media’s niche and specialist titles, the company has announced the sale of Caravan to Warners Group Publications plc.
The fantastic all-new Classic FM magazine is the culmination of five months’ work for the editorial and publishing teams who left no stone unturned as they looked to improve upon the UK’s most popular classical music magazine, says the publishers.
Future, the special-interest media group, has announced that it has appointed Mark Whiteling as a non-executive Director with effect from 8th October 2010.
BMJ Group has awarded Polestar Chantry with a new 3-year contract for the print, binding and mailing of their portfolio of weekly flagship titles; BMJ and BMANews.
As part of the review of IPC Media’s niche and specialist titles, the company has announced the sale of Model Collector and Stamp Magazine to MyHobbyStore.
