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.
Partnering with Kagiso Media Radio, Time Out South Africa says it will curate the best cultural and culinary experiences for both locals and tourists to inspire and enable them to experience the best of the city and beyond.
Find Yourself in Publishing: PPA kicks off next phase of industry focus on talent with campaign launch.
Immediate has announced it is partnering on a multi-platform partnership with Stella Artois Unfiltered, creating a video series alongside bespoke recipes and content.
Utiq says the Europe-wide initiative and certification will provide training on use cases, technical deployment and integrations, testing and delivery, and measurement and reporting.
Immediate has announced the launch of a new official Minecraft magazine.
SeenThis has announced the appointment of Hannah O’Neill as VP sales, EMEA.
With so much content out there, how do professional publishers get noticed?
Today Magazines Ltd have announced that Fancy Fowl magazine returned to print from its November issue.
Readly and Disney are launching a ‘Christmas Surprise Token’ campaign enabling readers to enter a competition to win a festive entertainment bundle.
PA Media Group has announced the rebrand of PA Betting Services to Podium.
The PPA has announced the winners of its annual Independent Publishing Awards which took place in London last week.
The World Media Group, an alliance of global media organisations united in championing trusted journalism, has announced the winners of the 2024 World Media Awards.
Hearst UK has announced the return of the Bazaar At Work Summit, hosted by Harper’s Bazaar in partnership with the Samsung Galaxy Ring.
Immediate Live and Princess Cruises have commenced a partnership bringing the Good Food Show to the seas for the first time.
Some of Britain’s best editors, art directors and columnists were crowned at the BSME Awards 2024.
