46% increase in readership for Hot Press

The magazine's readership now stands at 57,000, a figure that does not include Northern Ireland. The monthly extended readership figure in the Republic of Ireland alone is 101,000, the highest figure in the magazine's history.
"We are very happy with the results," says Hot Press new media director, Duan Stokes. "We have placed a lot of emphasis, during the past year, on making the magazine more accessible and reader-friendly. The campaign to attract new women readers has been particularly successful and this is reflected in the figures."
The magazine has already been involved in a number of innovations in 2006, which are aimed at further building the profile of the magazine and the Hot Press brand.
"You have to keep on your toes," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes says. "It's important to try new ideas and to bring fresh elements to the editorial mix. Overall, we have a commitment to keeping Hot Press exciting and relevant, and to giving readers added value at every opportunity and we've been able to do that with considerable success.
"Already this year, we've given away a free Rodrigo y Gabriela CD, and we've made a digital download mini-album by Josh Ritter available to readers. Each of these promotions was really successful, both for the artists – with Rodrigo y Gabriela going straight to No.1 with their album – and for Hot Press."
The magazine has also been promoting strongly in colleges, getting involved in the DCU Fashion Show, the National Student Music Awards and the DIT Spinoff DJ competition, among other on campus activities.
"We have a very high readership among students, but this is something that we are building on all the time. We are looking to keep the upward momentum going and to push Hot Press' readership to record heights over the next 12 months," says Hot Press marketing manager, Mark Hogan.
Hot Press has shown the highest percentage increase in readership of any publication over the past 12 months.