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.
Forbes has unveiled a “dramatic” redesign of Forbes magazine, which debuts with the annual Forbes 400 issue hitting newsstands this week, as well as the next iteration of a Forbes.com redesign.
Two of Informa’s reference texts have been highly commended at this year’s BMA Medical Book Awards.
A one shot, from Sport Media, celebrating Cliff Richard’s 70th birthday, goes on sale on 1st October, priced at £4.99.
Look – the high street fashion and celebrity style magazine – is making the fashion news with the launch of The Look Shoe for Office with “undisputed” leaders in high street footwear fashion, Office.
A oneshot, from Boston Hannah International, celebrating Coronation Street’s 50th anniversary goes on sale on 7th October, priced at £2.50.
The special 10th anniversary issue of Linux Magazine goes on sale on 2nd October, priced at £8.99.
Creative Beads & Jewellery Annual, from Practical Publishing International, launches on 7th October, priced £7.99.
IPC Connect publishing director Sandy Gale has announced the appointment of Sally Eyden as editor of celebrity weekly, Now.
IPC Media's licensing and syndication business IPC Plus - working together with Baker Lifestyle, part of the GP&J Baker group, and international brand licensing company Global Brands Group – has announced the launch of a new fabric and wallpaper coll
Perennial favourite beans on toast is falling out of favour for modern students, who favour more experimentation in the kitchen, according to a new survey from BBC Good Food magazine.
The PPA is working to help retailers across the country boost magazine sales through the nationwide roll-out of Just Ask, its relaunched Shop Save and Home News Delivery (HND) initiative.
Madgex, the job board outsource specialist, has announced a value-added commercial partnership with U.S. based job board service provider Amped Market Place Inc., (AMP).
Wyndeham has announced that Roy Kingston has rejoined the Group as Chief Operating Officer.
BBC Magazines Bristol has announced that its successful international title BBC Knowledge Magazine will be made available in the UK from issue 14, on sale 13 October 2010.
Gerry Woolf, editor and publisher of Batteries and Energy Storage Technology Magazine explains how his company hit upon publishing in the Chinese language, for Chinese readership.
