Q: Why are puzzles popular with consumers?
A: There are lots of reasons why people solve puzzles. For many, puzzles present a stimulating challenge that helps sharpen their mental agility. Others play them as a way to relax, offering a temporary escape from the everyday stresses of life as they immerse themselves in solving. Then, there are those who simply enjoy the fun and satisfaction, especially when they’re looking for a boredom-busting activity to fill their time. Puzzles are also an inexpensive hobby that provides hours of entertainment, making them a popular choice for people of all ages.
Ultimately, all these motivations come down to the fact that people value their mental well-being. During the lockdown years, puzzles became a much-needed source of comfort and mental stimulation, and this habit has endured.
Whether in print or digitally, it’s interesting to see how people strike that balance between relaxation and engaging their minds with things like wordsearches, crosswords, sudoku, or the trickier logic puzzles.
Q: What are the business benefits to publishers in offering puzzles as part of their content package?
A: Offering high-quality puzzle content to your audience is a simple yet powerful way to increase brand loyalty and engagement. Puzzles are proven to increase dwell times, frequency of visits and subscriber acquisition and retention. They can attract an unknown audience, turning them into known customers. This also helps drive revenue growth through partnerships with advertisers.
Q: How can publishers best incorporate puzzles into their content offering?
A: Puzzles have the versatility to be integrated across multiple platforms, whether that’s print, websites, apps, social media and even voice-activated platforms like Alexa. So, whatever medium you’re using, they can work for you.
Q: How has tech impacted the world of puzzles?
A: The combination of innovation, flexibility and accessibility has allowed us to create a greater diversity of puzzle types, more user-friendly display and increased difficulty-levels of logic puzzles. This not only serves avid puzzlers, but it also caters for the growing number of casual players. Stylist magazine’s digital puzzle offering is an excellent example of the latter.
The digital automation of processing and generation means we can respond quickly to shifting trends, developing new features in an agile and cost-effective way. All of which contributes to a compelling user experience.
Q: What types of puzzles are increasing in popularity and what are decreasing?
A: Puzzling is a timeless hobby, so we don’t typically see a decrease. Some of the more complex logic puzzles and cryptic crosswords may appeal to a smaller audience but what they lack in size, they more than make up for in their passion for these puzzles. General crosswords, wordsearches and number logics are consistently popular, but we’ve seen an increased appetite for quick-fire puzzles that appeal to consumers looking for fast play and engaging challenges.
Q: What are the key dos and don'ts for publishers when it comes to puzzles?
A: Over 58% of UK adults play puzzles — that’s over 31 million people! So, my key recommendations would be:
- Recognise the strategic value puzzles can bring to your business. Our case studies show that adding puzzle content links to increased revenue and retention.
- Consider how puzzles can help achieve success in your objectives. Whether that’s to boost engagement, retain and acquire subscribers, introduce premium packages behind a paywall or build detailed user data to support advertising revenue.
- Puzzles appeal to all ages, offering a broad reach. Explore their potential and measure the results for yourself.
- Don’t forget to keep in mind the reasons why people play puzzles. Choose the right puzzle package for your customers.
- Don’t settle for low-quality content; puzzle enthusiasts are unlikely to engage for long if the content doesn’t meet their expectations.
Q: What's in the pipeline from Puzzler Media?
A: We are the UK market leader in puzzles and for decades, we have also successfully exported our consumer magazines to markets around the world. Today, we are expanding our business services into the international publishing sector. We’re creating content for clients in key territories including North America, Asia, and Australia, with plans for further expansion. This strategic growth allows us to develop a broader audience globally.
About us
Established in 1972, Puzzler Media is the UK’s largest puzzle-content creator. We produce the most comprehensive and diverse range of puzzles available in the UK and supply over half a million puzzles annually.
Well-known to consumers for our best-selling magazines — including Puzzler Collection, the market leader — we publish over 90 titles across the UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as books, apps, and other puzzle products.
For clients, Puzzler Business Partnerships partners with regional, national, and international publishers providing quality puzzles for print and digital. We also offer content management and support services for platforms including websites, apps, Alexa, Messenger, mobile, and TV.
We work with businesses to understand their audience and create puzzles to align with their tone and style. We’re always happy to provide no-obligation expert advice to help you decide on the best puzzle package for your business.
Email: business@puzzler.com
Website: business.puzzler.com
