What are trade magazines and why do they matter?
By Jill Pyle
Every business has a story to tell and every story has some level of news value. Some stories are of interest to a large number of media, while others appeal only to a limited group. Determining which set of media should be interested in your story is a job best handled by an experienced public relations practitioner. Above and beyond developing a media list, any practitioner worthy of your business should be able to identify the set of media that have the potential to move your market and push forward business objectives.
With the launch of each new client and product, there are several types of media outlets a public relations agency might consider targeting. There are trade magazines, consumer magazines, local newspapers, national newspapers, web sites and blogs, to name a few. And for each type of media outlet, there is a wealth of publications and a plethora of writers and editors.
Specializing in public relations for high tech B2B companies, we usually rank trade magazines at the top of our media lists. So what exactly are trade magazines? Well, they’re the exact opposite of consumer magazines. They are magazines that often are an authoritative resource for business managers and employees who work in a specific field. They cover industry trends, include case studies, profile new products and highlight industry leaders.
There are two kinds of trade magazines, vertical and horizontal. An example of a vertical trade publication is the National Locksmith, which exclusively covers issues that are relevant to locksmiths and professionals concerned with physical security. Unlike vertical trade magazines that focus on a specific topic, horizontal trade magazines cover a broader topic area, usually attracting a larger audience. eWeek is a horizontal trade publication, appealing to the large audience of IT professionals, corporate managers and technology enthusiasts.
With the audience for many vertical trade magazines numbering 10,000 or fewer, keep in mind that it’s the quality of the audience that matters. Findings from a recent Forrester study noted that 40%-45% of purchasing decision makers rely on traditional industry-specific media to validate their purchase decisions, which is why trade magazines often rank as top tier targets for many of our clients public relations programs.
