Introduction
Reaching the right audience is critical to achieving your marketing goals. Every media placement should be carefully reviewed to ensure that you reach the right audience at the right time. This is more challenging than you may expect having numerous CRE news websites and publications to choose from. We created this list to help cut down on the amount of time you would spent searching for the best places for your content to live.
What to look for when picking publications
For a CRE publication to work for your promotional efforts there are a number of things that you should consider prior to picking which one of these publications you want to gain exposure from.
- Audience fit
- Coverage focus
- Frequency
- Access Model
- Events Footprint
We will break down each of these individual sections below to give you a better understanding.
Audience fit
First things you will need to identify your audience fit by gaining an understanding of who reads the publication, and how often. Are you looking to reach more developers, owners, investors, brokers, etc etc. This will help inform which of the websites / magazinies you should work to get your content on.
Coverage focus
Coverage focus matters because many commercial real estate publications will typically lean into specific asset classes such as: industrial, multifamily or other asset classes. Many of publications do not adequately cover retail, office, or other niche sectors like data centers and life sciences as often or deeply as they should or could.
Our recommendation for the “best” reading stack would mix one or two deep sources for your primary sector, followed by one market-focused outlet for your key geographies, and one publication that matches your role CRE as a investor/debt vs. owner/operator etc etc.
Frequency format
Frequency and format determine how useful a publication is to your day-to-day workflow. Daily, newsletter-first outlets are best for staying current on deals, hiring moves, and market headlines, while weekly digests offer cleaner curation with less noise.
Also note how content is delivered: email newsletters are the easiest way to gain high quality page views, websites are best for searchable archives and online optimization efforts. Additionally depending on your goals podcasts/video can be a great way to add real context through interviews. And finally if your goal is to gain market authority you should look to see if a publication publishes special reports (rankings, outlooks, surveys) or anchors content around events and webinars, as these can be valuable for networking and PR planning efforts.
Paywall/access model
The type of access model is important to know ahead of time. Paywalls have pros and cons to them. The pros being higher quality traffic, and verified users. The drawbacks are less traffic and it makes it harder to share content from the website. That being said, just because a website has a paywall does not mean it should be taken off your list. But you should consider any drawbacks that they may have.
Events footprint
Commercial real estate is a relationship based business. Nothing gets done in the industry without solid relationships. Some publications will offer in-person networking events. These are invaluable opportunities to reach a warm audience to find new business. Look to assess how many events the publication has per year as well as attendance rates of those events. Additionally, there are opportunities for in-person advertising placements to further expand your reach.
The Core CRE trade journals and magazines You Should Know About
BOMA Magazine
BOMA Magazine is the official news magazine of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International. This publication is great to find out more about important issues affecting the CRE industry, and to stay on top of news and events at BOMA International.
https://boma.org/resources-publications/
Development Magazine (NAIOP)
Development Magazine (NAIOP) is NAIOP’s publication for commercial real estate decision-makers who want a development-first view of where the market is heading. They provide development-focused insights across industrial and office and help to connect the dots between on-the-ground project execution and larger forces that shaping outcomes such as capital availability, interest rates and financing structures. They also cover other areas such as construction and design innovation, sustainability and building performance, and policy or regulatory shifts that affect feasibility.
Best for:
Developers, owners, investors, and industrial/office stakeholders as well as CRE leadership teams who want a development-and-strategy lens on what’s next.
https://www.naiop.org/research-and-publications/magazine/
CREATE (NAR)
Commercial Connections (NAR) is a commercial real estate publication designed for the Realtor® ecosystem, delivering timely updates that support professionals working in and around commercial transactions. Commercial Connections brings together commercial-focused news, market and sector trends, and practical resources along with advocacy and policy developments that impact business on the ground. The content is geared toward helping brokerage and association members stay informed, sharpen their market perspective, and apply best practices throughout their everyday commercial real estate work.
https://www.nar.realtor/commercial/publications-info
CIRE Magazine (CCIM)
Commercial Investment Real Estate (CIRE) Magazine is a bi-monthly publication published by the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Institute. An organization we know and love deeply. CIRE magazine boasts a reach of more than 45,000 top-performing commercial investment real estate professionals and has both print and online offerings.
https://www.ccim.com/real-estate-insights/ccim-connections
GlobeSt
(GlobeSt.) formerly known as American Lawyer Media (ALM) is a commercial real estate publication built for senior leaders who want a clear read on where the industry stands and where it’s headed. GlobeSt takes an “industry-wide” lens coverage with sharp analysis tracking capital markets, investment activity, leasing and occupier trends. They also cover macro forces shaping performance across property types.
National Real Estate Investor (NREI)
National Real Estate Investor (NREI) covers the commercial real estate market from an investment and decision-maker lens, helping to connect market shifts to real-world implications for capital, strategy, and performance. The content spans the full CRE ecosystem ranging from brokerage, transactions, construction, development, as well as finance, investment, property management, and corporate real estate.
Best for:
Commercial real estate investors, owners/operators, asset and portfolio managers, developers, lenders, and corporate real estate decision-makers who want market-driven perspective and strategy.
Commercial Property Executive (CPE)
Commercial Property Executive is a commercial real estate magazine focused on decisions and challenges faced by owners, operators, and senior leaders. CPE delivers executive-level coverage of: market trends, leasing and tenant demand, investment strategy, asset and property management, and development. They also provide practical insights and commentary from seasoned industry voices.
Urban Land (ULI)
Urban Land is the Urban Land Institute’s magazine made for both real estate and city-building professionals. Covering capital markets, design, planning, development construction, resilience and sustainability, as well as emerging issues and trends across major property types and global markets.
SIOR Report
The SIOR Report is a commercial real estate magazine built for industrial and office professionals who want actionable insights to use in the field. The SIOR report spotlights the evolving brokerage landscape, client advisory, as well as navigating shifting tenant and investor needs.
Their coverage blends market perspective with practical strategy, including dealmaking approaches, client service and business development, and helps to shed light into the tools and technology that help professionals streamline work and stay competitive in the ever changing landscape of commercial real estate.
https://www.sior.com/education-and-insights/insights/magazine/sior-report/
The Real Deal
The Real Deal is a premier real estate news outlet in the U.S. The Real Deal publishes The Real Deal Magazine, which covers everything commercial real estate professionals need to know about the industry in New York and beyond.
The magazine empowers real estate professionals with
- Up-to-date news, data, information, and tools
- Information on market intelligence
- Custom research
- Proprietary rankings
- Deal analysis
- Profiles, trends, and more
ConnectCRE
This list would not be complete without mentioning ConnectCRE, a site known for producing over 50 stories per day in 150 words or less. It is a great news website for any real estate professional who is in need of fast digestible content. They also have a fairly sizable in-person events throughout the year.
Bisnow
Bisnow is a leading CRE news website, publishing daily local-market news, analysis they also host industry events. helping to connect developers, investors, brokers, and operators with insights, networking, recruiting, and marketing solutions worldwide.
Conclusion
Reaching the right commercial real estate audience comes down to knowing who you are looking to reach, why you want to reach them and defining the end goal. The Cindtoro team is here to assist you throughout the lifecycle of your marketing efforts. Reach out now to a member of our team we are ready to help.