I forget when the last print newspaper was supposed to roll off the presses. This year I think it might have been. Well, the year is still young...
The digital age was not only meant to put an end to print newspapers but also print directories.
Sure, some have fallen by the wayside, but our own print directory — the Publishing Partners Guide (PPG) is still going strong. It will be mailed out with the Jan/Feb issue of InPublishing magazine (not on the mailing list? Register here) and if you’re a supplier and want to be in it, then... there are still a few places left).
This year’s PPG will be our tenth. All the above doubts about the viability of print directories were on our mind when we launched it, but from the start, it has been our most profitable product.
Based on ten years of directory publishing, this is what I’ve learnt:
- Include articles in addition to supplier profiles: a directory needs to be more than just, err, a directory.
- If you include advertorials, then ensure they follow a strict editorial line: specifically they need to be non-promotional and worth reading.
- Decide on your design template / house style and stick to it: the alternative is a design free-for-all, which damages your credibility.
- Be extremely well organised and methodical in your approach: short cuts and lazy assumptions at the proofing stage will come back to haunt you.
- Pay special attention to supplier categories: sensible categorisation is the beating heart of any directory. You, the publisher, need to decide appropriate categories and who goes in which one, not the supplier. If categorisation is sloppy, then the directory becomes useless.
- Pay special attention to the index pages: for obvious reasons — list a supplier on the wrong page, in the wrong category, or, worse still, miss them out altogether, and they won’t be happy...
I hope you find the PPG25 a useful year-long resource when you receive it. Now, back to my proofreading.
(PS. Our ‘AI Special - Q&A’ webinar takes place this coming Tuesday. Click here for more information and to register.)
You can catch James Evelegh’s regular column in the InPubWeekly newsletter, which you can register to receive here.
