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I always enjoy talking to editors and publishers who offer a real insight into their publication and its achievements. So when the opportunity came, I was delighted to interview Guy Procter, editor of Country Walking, for the Nov/Dec issue of InPublishing.
Having previously interviewed Guy during the PPA Leadership Summit (April 2021) on the challenges of building a recurring revenue economy, I was keen to follow up. Continue reading “Solving the publishing crisis: innovation is critical”
My experience on the changes in advertising sales over the last decade has resulted in this latest article, How magazines can take a strategic approach to advertising, published in WNIP.
Researching this feature took me back to earlier in my career when the core magazine revenue came from copy sales and advertising.
So much has changed over the past couple of decades, yet I believe the fundamentals remain the same. Whether digital or print, advertisements must reflect the interests and values of the readership.
Therefore, to build a sustainable title with multiple revenue opportunities, a publisher must first develop a robust set of brand values – including trustworthiness – that puts the reader at the heart of everything. These values should then be strictly adhered to and applied across all aspects of the business.
To achieve growth in advertising sales publishers must adopt a reader-centric approach because to fully engage a readership, all copy must be relevant, valuable and trustworthy – whether it is advertising, editorial or sponsored content.
Bland and irrelevant content will result in a loss of engagement, which in turn will impact on advertising sales as well as advertiser retention figures. Moreover, irrelevant adverts are likely to be responsible for low response rates, causing the advertiser to move on to another source.
While there are certainly challenges surrounding advertising revenue, opportunities for growth are still aplenty. It just takes common sense and some insight.
“How would I counteract today’s decreasing advertising revenues? A few things would change, but the basic model of attracting the right advertiser to relevant products or services remains vital. Advertisers need high response rates, but these can only be achieved if adverts are targeted correctly.” Mary Hogarth
To find out more about my approach, read How magazines can take a strategic approach to advertising.
Look around you, right now. You may be sat at your desk, slouched on the couch, or en-route to somewhere special but the chances are you’re probably ‘consuming content’ on your smart phone, tablet or some such device. And those around you are probably at it as well. On my own daily grind I very rarely see anyone struggling with a broadsheet or flicking through a red-top any longer as the only papers commuters appear to read are Metro in the morning and The Standard in the evening. The common denominator is they’re both free.
So, it’ll come as no great Usain Bolt outta the blue, that newspaper circulation is plummeting. I’m sure we’re all aware of the sad demise of The Independent earlier this year and even Dear Rupert’s managing to only flog just over a million and a half daily copies of the builders’ favourite, The Sun, from a 2010 figure of double this. The Torygraph a similar 500k from almost 700k, and The Grauniad an astronomically worrying 166,500. Astronomically worrying as I’ve always taken The Guardian. And Private Eye. Obviously. Continue reading “COMING TO A SMALL SCREEN NEAR YOU . . .”
Media kits either make a big first impression or flatline so it’s essential to get it right to achieve higher advertising sales.
If your ad sales are lower than they should be then it’s time to scrutinize your media kit.
Why? Because like a an amazing photograph a great media kit is worth a thousand words.
It’s not just about showing strong circulation figures, audience demographics and offering competitive ad rates.
It’s about creating trust. Continue reading “Improve your media kit: 7 ways to get higher advertising sales”
Readers accept the blurring of advertising and editorial these days giving native a new lease of life.
Whether its social media or a blog post, online content engages the reader who is able to respond instantly – thus it becomes a conversation.
It is that conversation that is crucial in maintaining audiences. Gone are the days when magazines produced a printed weekly, monthly or quarterly edition and nothing else. Today readers don’t like waiting – they want instant content that relates to them, which they can talk about. Continue reading “Native advertising – an acceptable way to boost magazine profits”
