Forbes is a highly successful American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features articles on finance, industry, investments, and marketing, but it is also well known and respected for its lists. Each year Forbes ranks the world’s most successful people and organisations based on a variety categories ranging from the wealthiest billionaires on the planet, to the richest self-made women, to the 30 people under the age of 30 to watch.
Forbes says of itself that it “Champions Success by Celebrating Those Who Have Made it, and Those Who Aspire to Make it.” They provide their audience of influential leaders, high-net-worth-individuals, tastemakers, business decision makers and millennials with critical business insight and unparalleled access to the world’s most powerful people. It’s a magazine to read, and a magazine to be seen reading.
The New Jersey based publication, which also reports on subjects including technology, politics, law, business finance and science, has a formidable reputation and an extremely successful and prolific online presence, which means its opinions and judgements carry significant weight in the business world, and beyond. But why is that? Why do people listen when Forbes speak and why do they care so much what Forbes has to say? And how have they build so much respect online?
History
Founded in 1917 by Bertie Charles Forbes who was a newspaper business columnist, Forbes magazine was the only major business magazine in the USA during the tumultuous 1920s until Business Week and Fortune joined it on the newsstand at the end of the decade. When their circulation figures began to fall behind those of their competitors, Forbes made some big changes including hiring a staff of in-house writers and the setting up of the Forbes Investors Advisory Institute which was an investment advice service. This, along with the fact that editors hired in the 1950s placed great emphasis upon factual accuracy, meant that Forbes was seen as a trusted and authoritative publication that business owners and aspiring business owners alike took seriously as a reliable and credible source of financial information.
In 1982 they launched the now famous Forbes Richest 400, a list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. The publication has grown further since, launching versions of the magazine in many other countries as well as developing an unparalleled online presence, and cementing its status as the go-to reading material for those seeking business success, and recognition. Getting Forbes recognition, has a certain cachet about it that other lists published by other news names just don’t have.
Forbes is published in 40 different global editions in 70 countries. It has a 6.4 million-strong U.S print readership, 71 million unique visitors to its website and 60% mobile/tablet traffic. It has a staggering 45 million combined social media followers.
Why do Forbes have so much online respect?
These days, if you want to connect with an audience then you need to build a presence online. Perhaps it’s not surprising that a publication that started in 1917, and has had to traverse to many changes to society and the print media, has made the transition from traditional newsstand magazine to online giant so successfully. But Forbes has more than just made the leap, it has done it in such a way as to leave the competition in its shadow.
Forbes.com ranks number one in the business competitive set, reaching the most influential and engaged audience of business owners, IT decision makers, business decision makers and millenials. It has the largest digital audience of millenials and has amongst its readership, three times as many IT decision makers as all its competitors. Whatsmore, it shows no signs of slowing as it has an average of 9% monthly growth, year on year.
Forbes has used its publishing expertise to produce unrivalled digital content, that it markets exceptionally well.
Know your audience
Perhaps Forbes’ success is partly down to the fact that it understands its audience so completely and knows how to target their content at its audience. Times and technology might have changed, but Forbes knows its readership are just as hungry for success and just as aspirational as they ever were, and because of that, they know how to cater to their tastes. Being online has simply meant that the scope of what and how much they can publish for their readership has increased.
Forbes delivers cutting- edge, authoritative business intelligence on the emerging innovators, disrupters and brands, in just the way their readers want them to. They produce leading luxury content for affluent consumers and give them access to the finest products and experiences on a multi-platform stage. They understand what millenials aspire to, and put it all over their pages.
They create engaging content
When Kylie Jenner topped Forbes’ youngest self-made billionaire spot in early 2019, it was the topic on everyone’s lips. Forbes knew the title would create controversy and whip up a social media storm, and that is exactly what happened. They know how to get their content trending.
Trustworthy
Respect comes from being seen as authoritative, influential, knowledgeable and trusted. And Forbes is all of these things. It is one of the most widely respected and trusted publications in America. They are at the top of their game and their readers look to them to keep abreast of everything they need to know about in the world of business. There isn’t a merger, ad campaign or lawsuit of importance that goes unnoticed by Forbes and they never take their focus off the movers and financial innovators who are shaking things up in the business world. It is this that makes their lists so respected. If Forbes says someone is one to watch, then it is because they really are going places.
Forbes’ is very investor focused and they have ensured, through their extensive list of contacts and insiders, that if you want to stay enlightened in this most changing and volatile of fields, then Forbes is the publication to read, and be seen reading, keeping readers up to date with investment ideas and all the topics and news that are relevant to them.
It is for all these reasons that Forbes is considered an online publishing powerhouse, and a much-respected one at that.