By Mel Stark, Director at Stark Comms, a B2B content and PR agency
Every Wednesday after school, I’d make the same pilgrimage: straight to my local newsagent to buy the latest NME magazine. I’d read it cover to cover: the gig listings, album reviews, interviews – then take it to school the next day. That weekly ritual shaped not just my music taste, but my understanding of what quality content could do: create community, spark conversation, and become something worth keeping.
Last year, NME announced its return to print after a six-year hiatus – a bi-monthly publication featuring new artists, exclusive content, and reviews, with the first issue available for online order. This return to print is part of a broader trend. SAVEUR, the beloved food and cooking magazine, is back in print after its previous owners stopped publishing during the pandemic, with the new editor-in-chief announcing the return just in time for the brand’s 30th anniversary. SPIN magazine has also returned to print for the first time in 12 years.
The Face magazine exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this year was also a great reminder of print’s enduring cultural power. From 1980 to 2004, The Face didn’t just report on culture, it created it, launching careers of photographers, stylists, and models (including a young Kate Moss) who became the most recognisable faces of their time.Now, I’m not saying your supply chain magazine or accounting magazine is going to have the same cultural impact as The Face. But for those of us working in agencies, this print renaissance offers crucial lessons about content strategy that go far beyond nostalgia.
The foundations of content strategy
Magazines embody the core principles that make any content strategy work. They’re built on journalism foundations – the ability to identify compelling stories, conduct meaningful interviews, and present complex information in ways that genuinely serve readers.
When SPIN’s CEO Jimmy Hutcheson says, “In today’s noisy digital ecosystem, print plays a fun and new role for all readers of all ages,” he’s acknowledging something agencies often overlook: in an oversaturated content landscape, the medium becomes part of the message.
Why print matters in content strategy
Print isn’t just another channel – it’s a statement of intent. When you commit to print, you’re telling your audience that this content is worth the paper it’s printed on, literally. There’s something powerful about tangible content that commands different attention than its digital counterpart.
In our hyper-digital world, print has become almost luxurious. The tactile experience of reading printed content offers a different kind of engagement that busy professionals increasingly value.
The B2B opportunity
B2B professionals face a unique challenge: they’re simultaneously the most content-saturated and quality-starved audience. A typical C-suite director might encounter more than fifty pieces of industry content weekly, yet struggle to find genuinely useful insights.
Magazine formats succeed precisely because they’re resource-intensive enough to create tangible barriers to entry. While any company can now use AI to pump out blog posts, few will commit to the interviews, fact-checking, design work, and editorial oversight that magazines demand.
The AI factor
In the age of AI-generated content flooding every channel, carefully considered, crafted material signals something profound to readers: respect for their intelligence and time. Magazine production forces the kind of editorial discipline that creates lasting value, you can’t just hit publish; every piece must justify its place and serve the reader’s needs.
Building professional communities
Unlike social media content designed for viral spread, magazines create what researchers call “bounded communities”, groups united by shared professional interests rather than algorithmic serendipity. SAVEUR’s return recognises this: food enthusiasts want more than quick recipes; they want the stories, techniques, and cultural context that only long-form magazine journalism provides.
The same principle applies in B2B. Recent launches across sectors, from professional services firms creating quarterly publications to trade associations launching member magazines, demonstrate organisations seeking to establish authority rather than just visibility.
The collector’s instinct
There’s something else happening that agencies should pay attention to: the collector’s instinct. NME is banking on physical items becoming “more collectible and special,” and they’re absolutely right. I’m a perfect example – I lugged my NME collection around for years, couldn’t bring myself to throw them out, and only finally ditched them during a recent clear-out (I’m 38!). There’s something about physical magazines that makes you want to hold onto them. In professional contexts, certain magazines become artifacts worth keeping – conversation starters, reference materials, symbols of industry engagement.
The visual difference
There’s also something to be said for how content looks and feels in print. Digital content gets squeezed into templates, constrained by screen sizes, and competes with notifications and pop-ups. Print gives photography room to breathe, lets design choices matter, and creates a focused reading experience without distractions.
When you pick up a well-designed magazine, you’re not just consuming information- you’re engaging with a carefully crafted visual experience.
For agencies creating content, this isn’t just aesthetic fluff. The visual presentation affects how seriously people take your ideas, how long they spend with your content, and whether they remember it afterwards. A beautifully designed magazine doesn’t just look professional – it commands attention in a way that digital often struggles to match.
Does your content pass the Wednesday test?
Here’s my litmus test for any content strategy: would someone look forward to it arriving through their letterbox or inbox? Would they read it thoroughly? Would they mention it to colleagues?
If your content can’t pass the Wednesday test, that sense of anticipation I felt at the newsagent after school – then you’re probably just creating more noise in an already saturated market.
For agencies, this magazine renaissance isn’t just a trend to observe, it’s a reminder that quality content strategy requires the same discipline, craft, and respect for audience that great magazines have always demanded. Whether digital or print, the principles remain: tell compelling stories, serve your community, and create something worth keeping.
Mel Stark is the Director of Stark Comms, a specialist B2B content and PR agency. For more info, visit: www.stark-communications.com.
