Magazines and the pandemic effect
Posted on 21st July 2021
Despite the ongoing argument that magazines are no longer relevant, over 100 new magazines launched in the UK during the pandemic.
And they are selling at a premium price.
New trends in magazine publishing
According to a recent study the average cover price of all magazines launched in 2020 increased by more than 10% to a record £4.52. Across the whole UK magazine market, the average price is £2.23.
The evidence suggests that printed magazines are becoming lower frequency, lower volume, higher priced, and that they usually have more pages and better paper.
Digital-only magazine launches are rare and most of them have a printed version alongside their digital platforms.
Although the number of magazine launches in the UK fell by almost 60% in 2020, it’s still quite an encouraging picture when the wider social and economic impact of the pandemic is considered.
Planning for growth
In fact, special interest magazines, like the BBC’s Gardeners’ World saw circulation increase by more than 30% in the last half of 2020.
Popular subjects for new magazines have included gardening, cookery, health, and fitness – all things we cover in Pulse magazine.
The demand for lifestyle magazines is not just about discovering new hobbies and interests. Many people enjoy the experience of holding a print magazine.
Men’s Health UK saw subscriptions for its print edition increase by almost 60% last year. The editor is confident that this is a valid measure of the engagement the title achieves with its readership.
Reaching a young audience
Younger generations are returning to print as a content source, which is very encouraging for magazine believers.
Millennials are leading the way in their growing interest in reading printed magazines as an antidote to their digitally crowded lives.
Passion publishing
There’s also an increasing trend towards smaller, creative ‘passion’ publications that focus on very specific interests. They are carefully curated and well designed and deliver high quality printed products because their passionate readers are happy to pay a higher price.
All the things that comforted us during the pandemic, including our pets, pastimes and projects are ideal subject areas for well-produced magazines. Importantly, having discovered this new refuge from their busy lives, readers are showing no signs of losing interest.
Learning some new tricks
The pandemic has also inspired a lot of experimentation and innovation. For example, the cover of one edition of the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat was unreadable until you stepped back two metres when the government’s ‘Keeping it safe. From a distance’ was clear.
In India the newspaper Dainik Bhaskar published the front page of its 204-page anniversary edition in cloth to mark 15 years in the Bhilwara, the ‘Textile City of India’.
During the pandemic we have learnt a lot about the things that are important to us. We’re pleased to see that printed magazines continue to engage and attract readers.
We have always prioritised high quality content and the pandemic has confirmed that this is what readers value most of all.
Share this post:
