They say hard work pays off.

Which is why, as we fire up the presses for this quarter's issue of Punchline The B!G ANNUAL 2023Q1 magazine, today's news marks a brief pause for celebration.

Cue the drumroll... we've broken the two million barrier for monthly online page reads!

We already knew we were the biggest business-to-business news publisher for Gloucestershire, but our latest data reveals just how far Punchline-Gloucester.com blazes a media trail – we're flying high at number one with updated figures showing a staggering 320,000 readers per month reading over 2.1 million pages.

Punchline's team of six dedicated journalists pull out all the stops each day to deliver relevant and specific county news. From South Cerney to Mitcheldean and St Briavels to Fairford, every corner is covered – with the interests of every business being equally important to our major employers.

Mark Owen, editor, publisher and ex-RAF chef said: "If you were making a food analogy, our menu is all about locally-sourced, organic content. Every story we look at has to be relevant and meaningful for Gloucestershire business. We sift out clickbait and cut-and-paste press releases and we cut to the source – to the business experts and leaders, to the people behind the counter and out there on the road, slogging to make their companies succeed."

And that organic approach to news has triggered a growing appetite: each working day of the week, Punchline-gloucester.com sends out a free news digest that offers a linked round-up to the day's top stories (just add your email to the subscriber window above if you've been missing out).

"The e-zine email is what drives our news team forward: at the latest count we've got more than 16,000 business subscribers waiting to know what the key stories are across the county; to them, we're now a staple diet along with a cuppa and a sandwich," said Mark.

"And this bulletin approach works so well because it creates a newsroom dynamic that's based upon a shamelessly old-fashioned approach: a fast-paced, pressured news environment means we focus hard on delivering an informative and wide-ranging content mix.

"And that all links back to our philosophy: to strive for constant improvement. Our mantra is that you're only as good as yesterday's effort. So a big scoop on Monday doesn't mean we rest on our laurels for Tuesday. We're constantly looking to refine and improve the way we source and deliver business news –  we never stop engaging with the business community across Gloucestershire.

"Ultimately, we see ourselves as champions of their interests – we fight their corner every day."

Across social media, Punchline's success has spilled over into deep interaction through LinkedIn , Twitter  Facebook  and Instagram  with a combined following of over 62,000, plus our own YouTube  channel achieves up to 10,000 monthly views.

And it also ensures we keep delivering Punchline magazine. Rolling out delivery from May 15, the demand for our title as the only printed B2B resource serving Gloucestershire has been so great that for this 55th issue we've increased the circulation to 14,000 – a figure based on print-industry calculations that translates into 42,000 readers.

Fresh copies of our bumper Q1 issue are distributed across the county's 120 business parks and trading estates and high streets by our trusted team, including the journalists who write the words. 

Mark added: "It's an operation that's all about local: we print the magazine in Tewkesbury and Glos runs through the pages like a stick of rock!" Mark said.

And as well as being a comprehensive digest of the latest news and views in business, the magazine also reflects Punchline's ongoing commitment to supporting and boosting the work of the county's charity sector.

"So far this year, thanks to our advertisers and supporter we have been able to support 92 individual charities through our daily news and magazines".

Mark said: "Through the pandemic we managed to support and champion the community we serve and I'm proud of our team who work so hard to deliver relevant and informative copy everyday - thank you all for your continued support".