A forum for the print and
digital publishing industries

YUDU Express Publishing Launch

• YUDU are pleased to announce the launch of YUDU Express. YUDU Express replaces YUDU Plus as the next generation of high quality instant cross device publishing for just £6/month.

Behind Rogers Media’s Biggest Transformation

• Last year saw one of Canada’s biggest magazine publishers take some bold steps: eliminate some print editions, reduce frequency of others, shift some titles to digital-only, and sell off others.

Bauer Media Launches Teen Boss, A Newsstand Glossy For Gen Z Entrepreneurs

• Teen Boss, an ad-free, newsstand glossy, is Bauer’s answer to the struggling teen magazine market.

How Publishers Use Emotion To Promote Content On Facebook

• There used to be one neat trick that led to OMG results for publishers that shared their content on Facebook.

Video Consumption By Mag Audience Increases Popularity, Improves User Experience

• Magazine media audiences continue to increase their consumption of video content.

Social Media Marketing 2017: Top Trends To Drive Digital Audience & Revenue!

• Social Media Examiner (SME) recently published their 2017 Social Media Marketing Report to learn what businesses are doing effectively and what they want to do better, both in B2C and B2B.

Hearst, Scripps Team Up For Another TV-Inspired Magazine Launch

• Just a few weeks after cutting frequency to Dr. Oz the Good Life and laying off staffers, Hearst Magazines has indicated that it still believes in celebrity-driven titles in print.

As Apple And Google Take Aim At Ads, Publishers Tremble

• It’s been a week of muscle-flexing by the platform giants.

Google’s AMP Pages Mean Visitors Spend More Time With Content

• Chartbeat says visitors to web pages that load with Google AMP are spending 35 percent more time with that content on average than with standard mobile web pages.

• Beyond Advertising: How Publishers Take The Fight To The Duopoly And Win

The online advertising duopolies –  Facebook and Google – command 85% of ad spend.

• ‘It’s Going To Be A Slow Burn’: Publishers Are Starting To See Money From Facebook’s Mid-Roll Ads

Three months since Facebook started running ads in publishers’ videos, participants are finding there’s money to be made — as long as they have a ton of scale.

• How Refinery29 Gets A 63 Percent Click-To-Open Rate On Its Biggest Newsletter

Refinery29 knows how to stand out in its readers’ inboxes.

• Buzzfeed CEO Tells Publishers: Remember Who You Are And Play To Your Strengths

Google didn’t become an online advertising powerhouse by bolting on banner ads. It sold what it was good at: search.

• Charlotte Agenda Created A Newcomer’s Guide, In Print, That Brought In More Than $100,000

As more local print newsrooms try to figure out how to become digital, a digital site in Charlotte, North Carolina did exactly the opposite — it turned to print.

• At IMAG, Media Revolutionaries Are Breaking The Rules To Find New Revenue

I have several media conferences that I relish and greatly look forward to each year, and IMAG-MPA is one of the best of them.

• Digital Dynamic: 3 Top Ways To Transform Your Revenue Model

A recent report by MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte found that nearly 90% of managers surveyed report that their industry is likely to be disrupted by digital technologies.

• Google Will Help Publishers Prepare For A Chrome Ad Blocker Coming Next Year

Google has told publishers it will give them at least six months to prepare for a new ad-blocking tool the company is planning to introduce in its Chrome web browser next year.

• Ascential Sells 11 Former Emap Magazine Brands To Metropolis For £23.5m

Ascential has sold 11 business media brands which were formerly part of Emap to Croydon based publisher Metropolis for £23.5m.

• Here’s How Top Women’s Magazines Are Doing Online
  Legacy media is in a transitional moment as ad spending shifts from print to digital, causing media companies to reallocate resources.
• Hearst Revamps Auto Ad Sales Under One Division
  Hearst is reorganizing its automotive advertising sales and marketing operations for all print and digital titles under one division called Hearst Autos.
• Publishers Look To SEO, Syndication, And Email For Growth
  It’s a bit of déjà vu all over again. As we previously reported earlier this year in our monthly analysis of the Magazine Media 360º Brand Audience Report, publishers have suddenly…
• People Slashes Price Of Pippa Middleton Wedding Issue
  People has taken the surprise move of slashing its cover price in half, to $2.99, for the June 5 issue now on newsstands — the one with Pippa Middleton’s wedding on the cover.
• Facebook Will Let Publishers Convert Instant Articles To Google AMP And Apple News Formats
  Facebook said Thursday that it’s making it easier for publishers to export stories formatted for Instant Articles to Google’s AMP and Apple News as well.
• ‘Focused On Profitability’: Why The Atlantic Is Shifting Its Focus To Youtube
  Forget food videos on the feed: The Atlantic is sailing against the winds, opting for longer videos as part of series that are distributed through YouTube.
• Texas Monthly Dominates Again At The City And Regional Magazine Awards
  Texas Monthly made a big dent in another award show, taking home seven prizes at the 32-year-old National City and Regional Magazine Awards…
• Hamptons Magazine Business Heats Up As Summer Approaches
  The Hamptons publishing scene is once again defying the soft national trend. Revenue at the beachy titles is up double digits and publishers are tossing posh kickoff parties this weekend…
• How Pop-Up Magazine Gets Sponsors To Do Live Ads
  Publishers talk about giving advertisers their audience’s attention all the time. But Pop-Up Magazine, a traveling variety show of performances…

• Why AMI’s Dylan Howard Sees A Bright Future For Print
  American Media Inc. has 100 million reasons to be optimistic about its future. The David Pecker-led company is not only doing well with its print titles, says Chief Content Officer Dylan Howard, but its digital business is growing too.
• ‘I Need A Neck To Throttle’: Why Publishers Don’t Build Their Own Ad Tech
  Relying on ad tech vendors is a hard habit for publishers to quit. Because vendors eat into publishers’ revenue and slow down their pages, pubs are eager to purge them to have more control over their own tech stacks.
• Condé Nast & Hearst Divest Themselves Of The U.K. Distribution Business; Comag U.K.’S Future Is Uncertain
  There isn’t much to say about the latest upheaval hitting our industry, because apparently not a lot is, as yet, known. Just this: Hearst and Condé Nast have “pulled out” from Comag…
• Top Dollar M&A: Capitalize On The Power Of (Your) Niche
  Within this blog, our constant mantra is The Power of Niche. It’s no surprise that the broader magazine publishing industry has taken notice of this fact and the steady revenue of niche brands.
• Cracking The 429 Code In Luxury Men’s Magazines
  “When people say print is dead, I just think that’s idiotic. Print stays relevant in the sense that it needs to provide an aesthetic, sensory and tactile experience that the web can’t.
• Is There Life After Print?
  As magazine companies consolidate titles, fold or reinvent themselves under new management, there tends to be a common occurrence: Veteran editors are being traded in for their less expensive, more digitally savvy counterparts.
• Free magazine publisher Shortlist Media reveal plans to make 50 per cent of revenue from digital
  The publisher, which also runs the Mr Hyde and Emerald Street lifestyle websites and daily email newsletters, has said it aims to do this by boosting “email, branded content and video”.
• Magazines In The Amazon: What To Expect From Amazon’s Newsstand & Subscription Business
  The world’s largest bookseller recently made two moves that could open new opportunities for magazine publishers, so it’s a good time to consider what’s afoot in the Amazon.
• Planet Rock Radio Kicks Off Print Magazine With Motörhead 40th Anniversary Celebration
  It used to be that a Bic lighter was raised at live concerts to signify audience approval. Today, for better or worse, it’s more likely to be a smartphone. Whatever your rock ‘n’ roll high-five beacon of .choice…

• Publishers Need To Focus On Magazines Rather Than Websites To Improve Sales
  Hedges was speaking at this week’s PPA Festival in London and noted how his title has posted eight successive annual ABC increases since he took over as editor in 2006.
• Time Out Launches Free Print Edition In Austin
  If you find yourself walking around South Congress looking for something to do, you’re in luck. The first quarterly print issue of Time Out Austin came…
• Time Inc. To Sell Assets Amid Push To Move Beyond Magazines
  Time Inc. is planning to sell some magazines or other properties as the struggling publisher tries to push ahead with a digital strategy and move past months of talks with potential acquirers.
• The Economist Aims To Attract More US Readers With NY #Feedingthefuture Campaign
  For its first project since launching in the US, real world marketing agency Sense is working with the iconic business title The Economist on its #feedingthefuture campaign, aimed at highlighting the impact of food waste on the environment.
• The Rise Of Transparent Digital Ad Buying
  As marketers push for greater transparency in how the murky world of digital ad buying works, agencies are rethinking their approach. For the past several years…
• Publishers Are Using Facebook Video To Drive Commerce Revenue
  Facebook video has been tough for many publishers to monetize. But a growing number of them are using it to drive commerce. Last month, Business Insider’s commerce team…
• Launching A Magazine: What To Bring To The Table…Linda Ruth Reporting
  “Demographics are evil,” said Bryan Welch, the founder of B the Change Media, speaking before an enrapt audience at the Magazine Innovation Center’s Act 7 in Mississippi last week.
• Audience Disruption? Use It To Create Revenue!
  Online access, e-commerce, Google, Facebook, Pinterest, oh my! Advances in the digital space have profoundly changed B2C media forever. Readers can now instantly search, receive content, and talk with advertisers directly online.
• Despite Challenges, Native Ad & Header Bidding Opportunities Are On The Rise
  Last year was a good year for digital publishers. Although overall advertising growth slowed overall, according to eMarketer, digital advertising grew more than 15% and almost cleared $70 billion. And, by 2020, digital spend is expected to reach $100 billion.

• Outside Magazine Built Its Own Recommendation Widgets To Replace Outbrain
  Although the revenue from third-party recommendation widgets can be addicting for many publishers, the ads can be rife with clickbait that degrades the user experience.
• Lead Nurturing: How To Launch A New $1 Million Revenue Stream
  I recently read an article in The Atlantic lamenting the fall of Yahoo. “Today, Facebook and Google alone are slurping up the ad dollars … and Yahoo as we knew it has all but vanished.
• Airbnb Teams With Hearst On Magazine Guided By Travel Site’s Data
  When the new travel publication Airbnb mag hits select newsstands and mailboxes later this month, many of the stories, including the cover feature set in Havana…
• Seventeen Magazine Is Bringing Fashion And Beauty Videos To Musical.Ly This Summer
  As one of the launch partners for Snapchat Discover back in 2015, Hearst takes pride in being ahead of the curve when it comes to leveraging new social media platforms.
• Focus On The Family Revives Brio, A Christian Magazine For Teenage Girls
  Teenage girls who dislike the frank sexuality of Cosmopolitan and the left-leaning politics of Teen Vogue but still want a magazine to give them tips on fashion and hairstyles (not to mention advice on abstinence) are in luck.
• Jerry Lynch – President, Magazine, And Books, Retail Association – Explains Why “Magazines Are Still A Viable Product In The Marketplace”
  With unit sales of 12.1%; the retail space allocated to the category down; the quality of space under fire, and a continuing buzz of negativity associated with print, it is no surprise that the sale of magazines at retail continues to be challenging.
• Hamptons Publishers Squabble Over Beach Niche
  A pre-season brawl is breaking out on the Hamptons publishing scene as Michael Dickey, chief executive of Modern Luxury takes aim at Cristina Cuomo and her new startup magazine, Hamptons Purist.
• Using A Content Hub The Right Way
  When it comes to digital presence, publishers often aim at a moving target. The expectations for online offerings change rapidly.
• “Wisconsin Foodie” Has Acquired Edible Magazine
  Soon there will be even more to love about “Wisconsin Foodie.” Specifically, a print publication. The Emmy Award-winning local television series will be expanding its reach, thanks to the recent acquisition of Edible Milwaukee magazine.

• 8 Survival Skills Every Publisher Needs to Offer Creative Marketing Services
  If you are a publisher, you’ve probably noticed this big fat trend: magazine and newspaper publishers are starting to offer creative marketing services.
• The Niche Publishing Print Renaissance
  I’ll admit to the title being a bit dramatic. But can we all agree that recent signs point toward a renewed preference for print in the magazine world?
• How To Explore Ways Publishers Can Make Money Again From Magazines
  Jim Elliott, President of James G Elliott Co,. led a panel of industry experts to explore the ways in which publishers can make money again, at the Magazine Innovation Center’s ACT 7 Conference in Mississippi today.
• Amazon Wants To Help Sell Publisher’s Subscriptions Too
  On Monday, the tech giant announced Subscribe with Amazon, a new program that lets publishers and other digital creators sell digital subscriptions directly inside Amazon’s platform.
• More Than 90% Of Publishers Saw Native Ad Revenue Increase In Q1
  More than half of publishers don’t believe that Google and Facebook “own” the digital advertising market.
• Yes, There Are Platforms That Actually Pay For Publishers’ Content
  There has been a lot of talk lately in the publishing industry about platforms. Should we share our content on LinkedIn, Facebook, or even Snapchat?
• Life After Print For Mental Floss
  2016 had its share of losses, but not all of them were tragic. Mental Floss, for instance, said goodbye to its print magazine at the end of the year, after a short, but fun, 15-year run.
• The Company Behind “The National Enquirer” Just Bought “Us Weekly”
  American Media — the company behind the National Enquirer, Radar Online, and a handful of others — recently acquired Us Weekly. Its editorial director.
• Gwyneth Paltrow And Anna Wintour To Create New Magazine.
  The New York-based magazine publisher will co-produce a quarterly special print issue of Goop that will hit newsstands in September.

• Magazines Thrive On Social Media
  Total followers and likes for magazine brands on social-media platforms — across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest combined — has reached 1.1 billion in the first quarter.
• How Dennis Publishing Has Grown Commerce Revenue 60 Percent In A Year
  Most publishers have some sort of commerce play in motion, typically involving affiliate links. Dennis Publishing’s commerce strategy is far more ambitious.
• Digital Reader Revenue: Don’t Let It Keep You Up At Night!
  During the CEO Panel at the March 2018 Super Niche conference, Ted Williams, CEO of the Charlotte Agenda, mentioned that reader revenue is what “keeps [him] up at night.”
• Magazines Matter, Print Matters
  MNI Targeted Media, a Time Inc. company, has been creating marketing experiences for over 50 years. From media planning to buying entities…
• How Publishers Can Use A CDP To Manage, Analyze & Act On Their Data
  Today’s publishers can gather more types of information than ever about their customers: subscriptions, of course, but also pages viewed, content downloaded, comments posted…
• Zink Magazine Relaunches With Constance White At The Helm
  Zink Magazine, the indie fashion magazine founded by Sheriff Ishak in 2002, will debut its first issue on Sunday.
• Star Tribune Launches Quarterly Print Magazine
  Star Tribune, the independent Minneapolis, Minn. newspaper, is launching a quarterly magazine. The first issue was delivered to 225,000…
• Politico Is Trying To Turn The Business Model For Magazines On Its Head
  I’ve read a hundred stories and written a few myself on the halting efforts of legacy magazines over the last decade to develop a complementary digital presence.
• Modern Luxury CEO: Market ‘Very Strong’ Amid Magazine Buys
  Modern Luxury, the regional magazine publisher controlled by the Dickey family, confirmed it has finally purchased Greengale Publishing…

• 7 CRM Strategies That Create Revenue!
  Let’s face it. Even ad sales rock stars can still leave money on the table. After all, we’re human beings, not machines. We need technology to see what the human eye can’t. Perhaps that’s why CRMs have become so popular.
• Facebook’s Instant Articles Are Falling Out Of Favor With Publishers
  A big story of the week was publishers’ changing use of Facebook. In some areas they’ve become displeased with the platform’s offerings, but in others they’re still happy with the massive scale as a testing ground for what works.
• Can Quality Publishers Finally Sell Quality?
  The storyline in advertising in the last few weeks is how advertisers are running away from toxic adjacencies on YouTube…
• Can Podcasts Give Print Media A New Life?
  Is print dead or is it merely being revitalized? It’s a question that everyone in the media industry has been trying to figure out for some time now.
• 5 Tips For Setting Your Digital Media Priorities
  Publishing used to be a pretty simple business: Write stories your audience wants to read, look after your advertisers, pay attention to paper, print, and postage costs.
• Outside Magazine And Rei Team To Release All Women Issue
  To celebrate the many achievements of women on all fronts, Outside and REI have teamed up to put out the May issue of Outside that features, and is put together, almost entirely by women
• Dujour Aims To Leverage Its Reach, From Social To Print
  DuJour Magazine is rolling out a new offering to advertisers, which company founder and chief executive officer Jason Binn has devised in order to compete in the changing media landscape.
• Print It: Introducing Dizzy, A New Magazine By Arvid Logan And Milah Libin
  Influences for the new magazine Dizzy created by New Yorkers Arvid Logan, 22, and Milah Libin, 24 run the gamut from ’90s graffiti ‘zines and art and children’s journals to forgotten publications sourced from junk shops.
• Coastal Living Magazine Celebrates A Milestone
  We mentioned that the industry is changing, but readers are changing as well.

• Finding Your Place On The Print-To-Digital Spectrum
  Over the past couple of years, the state of print and digital distribution has felt very similar to a busy cloverleaf highway intersection, with eight lanes speeding in every direction.
• Fortune Is Growing In Video And Print
  Fortune is growing in two places. One — video — you might expect. The other — print — you might not. Year-over-year the business publication, which was launched in 1929 by Henry Luce…
• How Instagram’s “Shop Now” Button Is Shaking Up Publishers’ Social Commerce Strategies
  There seems to be a misconception these days that brands can slap a “Shop Now” button onto an Instagram post and instantaneously produce significant revenue.
• Future Publishing Doubled Commerce Transactions To Top 1 Million Using Search Data
  Magazine publisher Future, with a portfolio of 50 brands spanning consumer electronics, music, and photography…
• Facebook Is Giving Publishers New Ways To Reach Audiences On Instant Articles
• Facebook announced Friday a few new ways that publishers can reach out to audiences directly through Instant Articles. Josh Roberts, a project manager at Facebook, wrote about the new features in a blog post.
• How New York Magazine Is Growing Commerce Revenue
  New York magazine has been giving its print subscribers shopping recommendations for five decades. But when it turned the print feature into a digital e-commerce brand last year, it had to start from scratch.
• The Day Magazines Paid For “User-Generated Content”
  Magazines have been valuing their readers and their ideas for years, even before This Old House magazine became “Your Old House” for an issue a few years ago, allowing its readers to have free rein with the content.
• Inside The Economist’s Plan To Conquer America
  Running a profitable, mass-market magazine whose revenue is overwhelmingly driven by print advertising is—to put things mildly—a much riskier proposition in 2017…
• Monocle Magazine Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
  Tyler Brûlé certainly gets around. In the Editor’s Letter for the April issue of Monocle magazine, he starts off from the POV of Mohawk, a store in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles.