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.
The huge amount of video people watch on their smartphones is changing the publishing landscape. Immediate Media’s video output has grown 1,000% over the past year. Paul Doyle explains why.
Richard Reeves, AOP’s managing director, summarises the key takeaways from their latest research project, ‘Digital Publishing: Outlook and Priorities for 2024’.
B2B, specialist & academic publishers have a golden opportunity to provide their communities with must-have intelligence through blending their data with expert analysis and commentary, as 67 Bricks’ Will Bailey & Jennifer Schivas tell James Evelegh.
To-do lists are the beating heart of the publishing industry, indeed probably of every industry. What’s on the list and how quickly you can tick them off, to a large extent determines your future success. Reneé Doegar tell us what’s on her list.
Hearst UK titles Women’s Health and Men’s Health see their future as membership offerings and have recently unveiled a new tiered approach. Ciar Byrne talks to David Robinson about the thinking behind the new strategy.
Plenty have tried, but few have succeeded in cracking the local magazine market. Alan Geere looks at the success of Round & About, now celebrating 30 years of publication.
How does your business measure up against the key metrics?, asks Jim Bilton. If you’re not sure, then how do you know which direction to go in?
A large number of publishers place their titles on subscription platforms like Cafeyn. We grab five minutes with Cafeyn CEO Laurent Kayser to find out how publishers can optimise their presence on subs platforms.
Times LUXX has announced the appointment of Aurelia Donaldson as fashion director effective immediately.
Future plc has released a trading statement for the six months ended 31 March 2024.
Ace’s Newspaper and Magazine Awards 2024 will take place at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square on 22 May, 2024.
Print has an important role to play in the future of many news and magazine media companies.
The AOP CRUNCH event on 7th March investigated how digital publishers are leaving the cookie-cutter strategies behind and investing in commercial and editorial product innovation. Richard Reeves summarises the key talking points.
According to Forbes, LVMH Tycoon Bernard Arnault remains atop the ranking of the world’s richest people as the planet sees a record number of billionaires, worth an all-time high of $14.2 trillion.
Immediate has announced the launch of a multi-territory licensing agreement for Bluey Magazine.
