Private Media launches career women's title

AT A time when much of the media is contracting, one outfit, Eric Beecher's Private Media, is expanding. Its latest title, Women's Agenda, will be launched today.

By InvestSMART · 8 Aug 2012

By InvestSMART ·
8 Aug 2012

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AT A time when much of the media is contracting, one outfit, Eric Beecher's Private Media, is expanding. Its latest title, Women's Agenda, will be launched today.

Aimed at career-minded women who want to keep their finger on the workplace pulse, the free online magazine will be the seventh to emerge from the Private Media stable as it eyes audiences and communities that it says have been abandoned or ignored by mainstream media.

With a target of between 100,000 and 200,000 women readers a month, Women's Agenda will be Private Media's second-largest title after Crikey and help drive its overall footprint of readers closer to 1 million a month. Crikey, which Mr Beecher bought from Stephen Mayne, was the foundation of his business.

Another title is in the pipeline, Crikey is to be relaunched next month, and the group is exploring ways to charge readers for bolt-on services, said its chief executive, Amanda Gome.

Access to Private Media's sites - with the exception of Crikey - will remain free, said Ms Gome, who views the erection of paywalls around some media sites with some scepticism.

She says readers are not prepared to pay for news that has been commoditised.

"If you look at the audience of the Herald Sun, the majority of them are not going to pay for news. You have to match the audience with the product," she said.

She has much the same view of Fairfax Media's chances when it puts paywalls around parts of its news websites next year.

"I think that the number of people who will be prepared to pay will be small and that is going to affect their overall numbers and their advertising proposition," she said.

Private Media's websites are tightly targeted at distinct audiences - the wealthiest 20 per cent of households in the country - and have a distinct role. SmartCompany is aimed at the small business market, Property Observer at the property investor and Women's Agenda at the nation's career women.

Its publisher, Marina Go, said there would be significant cross promotion to drive traffic.

She said the internet is going down the same path as magazines, which started with generalist, mass-market titles only to fragment into smaller, special-interest titles.

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

What is Women's Agenda and who is it aimed at?

Women's Agenda is a new free online magazine launched by Private Media aimed at career-minded women who want to stay on top of workplace news and issues. It's designed to serve a targeted audience of professional women and is Private Media's seventh title.

How many readers does Private Media expect for Women's Agenda each month?

Private Media is targeting between 100,000 and 200,000 women readers a month for Women's Agenda, which would make it the group's second-largest title after Crikey.

Will readers have to pay to access Women's Agenda or other Private Media sites?

Access to Private Media's sites will remain free, with the exception of Crikey. The group is exploring ways to charge for bolt-on services, but the core sites (including Women's Agenda) are intended to stay free.

Who runs Private Media and what other titles does the group publish?

Private Media was founded by Eric Beecher and its chief executive is Amanda Gome. Its portfolio includes Crikey (the foundation title Beecher bought from Stephen Mayne), SmartCompany (for small business), Property Observer (for property investors) and the new Women's Agenda.

Is Private Media planning a relaunch of Crikey and will that involve charging readers?

Yes — Crikey is due to be relaunched next month. Private Media is also exploring ways to charge readers for bolt-on services, and Crikey is the one site noted as an exception to the group's otherwise free-access approach.

What is Amanda Gome's view on paywalls and paid news?

Amanda Gome is sceptical about broad paywalls. She says many readers won't pay for commoditised news and that putting parts of news sites behind paywalls can reduce audience numbers and hurt an outlet's advertising proposition — a concern she expressed about Fairfax Media's planned paywalls.

How does Private Media target its audiences and advertisers?

Private Media focuses on tightly targeted, distinct audiences — notably the wealthiest 20% of households — and builds sites with clear roles (for example, SmartCompany for small business and Property Observer for property investors). That targeting supports cross-promotion and an advertising proposition aimed at premium audiences.

How will Women's Agenda help Private Media grow its overall readership?

By aiming for 100,000–200,000 monthly readers and cross-promoting across the group's titles, Women's Agenda is expected to be a major traffic driver that brings Private Media's total monthly footprint closer to its goal of about 1 million readers.