5 Best CRM Solutions For Publishers in 2023

Salesforce is a major player in the CRM industry, offering cloud-based automation software designed for enterprise use. The platform is a popular choice among leading media companies including NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia and The New York Times.

While Salesforce is not specifically tailored for CRM in the magazine publishing sector, it addresses publishing industry-specific challenges through its related product, Media Cloud. Media Cloud streamlines the monetization and growth of media and digital publishing companies by facilitating subscription management, as well as ad and content sales. 

Some of Salesforce’s features include tools for lead management, ad sales, content distribution, social media engagement, and analytics. Moreover, it also offers a unified view of customer data, enabling publishers to gain valuable insights into their audience and make data-driven decisions.

Also of note is the fact that Salesforce offers advanced audience segmentation capabilities, meaning publishers can deliver personalized content and targeted ads based on customer preferences and behaviors.

For larger magazines or online publications anticipating rapid growth, Salesforce is an ideal choice owing to its comprehensive capabilities consolidated within a user-friendly platform. 

Workbooks, another well-established cloud-based CRM platform, also tailors its offerings to the media sector, with features including audience analysis, payment management and event management. The platform is used by Rapid News Group and Global Water Intelligence. 

The CRM solution offers subscription management capabilities, allowing publishers to handle subscriptions, automate renewal processes and track subscriber metrics. Workbooks also has lead management functionalities, allowing publishers to track leads, nurture customer relationships and convert prospects into subscribers.

There are also intuitive tools for ad campaign tracking, enabling publishers to monitor the performance of their advertising placements and optimize revenue generation.

Online publishers using Workbooks can efficiently handle tasks such as managing invoices, commissions and discounts. Additionally, the platform aids in tracking the sales cycle, from initiating conversations with advertisers to generating informative reports for partners.

The Magazine Manager, developed by Mirabel Technologies, was among the first web-based CRM systems designed specifically for the publishing industry. It is used by more than 21,000 publications worldwide. The Magazine Manager’s popularity can be attributed to its wide range of features and its deep understanding of the publishing vertical.

The Magazine Manager provides a collaborative platform for managing contacts and callbacks, allowing publishers to store and organize all relevant information about their contacts. The platform also provides flexible template-based contact lists as well as effortless searching, categorizing and organizing of client data, to further simplify the follow-up process

The Magazine Manager also integrates with third-party platforms MailChimp and Campaigner for email marketing. The platform’s integration of publishing production and order data, meanwhile, helps set it apart from other CRM platforms.

MagHub is a comprehensive CRM platform designed for magazine publishers, offering a wide range of features to streamline operations and enhance customer engagement.

Launched in 2013, MagHub serves as a global platform for publishers to efficiently manage all aspects of their media enterprises. The cloud-based CRM platform — which is aimed at media enterprises of all sizes — provides customizable workflows that make it easy to effectively manage day-to-day operations.

At the same time, MagHub also offers flexible booking software that allows users to handle various types of ads, channels, brands, sizes, discounts, positions and more. There are integrated project management tools to manage editorial workflows, collaborate with authors, and streamline content production processes. Audience segmentation features, meanwhile, allow publishers to deliver personalized content and targeted advertising campaigns.

While MagHub’s intuitive interface and range of industry-specific solutions make it an attractive choice, the company’s less than transparent pricing structure leaves something to be desired. Interested publishers need to be quoted pricing for all three of MagHub’s tiers.

RunMags is both a comprehensive magazine CRM solution and magazine publishing software that, while perhaps not as widely recognized as some other options, still offers high-quality features

Some of the key features of the magazine CRM software include lead management, contact tracking, sales pipeline management, invoicing and email campaigns.

Moreover, the platform offers comprehensive subscription management tools, enabling publishers to handle various subscription models, automate renewal processes and manage subscriber data effectively. The platform also integrates with Stripe to streamline contract management and subscription billing.

RunMags also has management features to help with ad sales processes. For example, publishers can track ad placements, generate sales reports and optimize revenue generation. 

Publishers can analyze revenue streams, campaigns, sales rep performance and other financial aspects and use dashboards and reports to optimize their business.