B2B is so passé
Magazine people are people too
When we launched Grub Street we pitched it as a different kind of B2B magazine. Yes, we’re focussed on the business of magazine publishing, but we also wanted to talk to the people busy doing that business not just to ask them about their favourite KPIs.
We try to highlight our alternative approach in our covers, but also in our writing…
“Cutting three 3 lines doesn’t mean you can squeeze two new images in. It’s a DPS, not the bastard TARDIS.”
Are designers just colouring-in monkeys, Grub Street, Issue 1
How do I make sure my publication survives? “Hire clowns to deliver the magazines to subscribers’ homes for a fun surprise.”
Ask Aunty-AI!, Grub Street, Issue 2
“‘Thank you for educating my parents so that I don't have to – it's such a relief for me.’ We both cried when we heard that.”
A Bundle of Queer Joy, Grub Street, Issue 3
Of course magazine people care about metrics and markets, but they also care about other stuff, like hobbies and music and other people’s magazines. So we’ve decided to stop calling Grub Street a ‘B2B’ brand.
Instead, we’re a ‘Business & Lifestyle’ brand for magazine people. We’ll write about the print-digital revenue split in magazines, but also about people’s tattoos. Sales strategies? 100%. But also Spotify playlists (see below).
We hope you agree and become an active member of the Grub Street Gang. Remember, a professional community isn’t just about sharing SaaS software tips. Movies, music and snack choices matter too.
Listen to this… it’s too good to miss
A couple of weeks ago, Joanna and I joined my Media Voices colleagues to talk about what some people are calling a ‘print resurgence’. With NME coming back into print, Elle Australia hitting newsstands again next year, and Immediate’s Radio Times reaching 100 years, we spoke about print’s comeback looking more niche, less frequent, and more expensive to buy.
Think about this
In a brilliant love letter to music magazines, founder of the Drowned in Sound podcast Sean Adams says:
Convenience and hyper-personalisation is the antithesis of what magazines are about — they are not just vessels of information but cruise-ship adventures and pewter tankards brimming with passion and froth, where every page turn can be the first butterfly wing flap of a revolution. So much so that sometimes sitting down with a magazine and a mug of coffee can feel like a little act of rebellion against the echo chambers perpetuated by algorithms.
God, I wish I’d written that.
Steal this
Scottish publisher DC Thompson is putting communities at the heart of its business. Why? A community suggests interaction and participation, with members joining rather than subscribing. The company’s Ella Dolphin sees the company’s brands becoming ‘advisors, advocates, and connections of the community’.
Put yourself at the middle of your community and the people formerly known as your audience will be more engaged and more likely to pay.
Did you know the Grub Street Journal is on LinkedIn?
Music for magazines
Speaking of music recommendations, here’s our Walking Dead playlist. Give it a listen while you’re reading about why print just won’t lie down and die.