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Shed Media expands publishing capabilities, launches ‘The Rub’

Shed Media – a public affairs consultancy specialising in financial services – has launched a new ‘independent’ publication focusing on the superannuation sector.

‘The Rub’ will be edited by John Kavanagh, former personal finance editor at The Australian, editor of Banking Day and deputy editor of Business Review Weekly and has kicked off as a weekly email campaign which will go out to self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) trustees, investors and accountants.

At launch earlier this week, a statement from the media company said the database size exceeded 33,000.

Shed Media is a “specialist sales and communications company which promotes investment products through lead generation and public relations activities”, the statement said, however Kavanagh told Mumbrella The Rub would be independent.

“Shed Enterprises started as a third-party marketing business for overseas investment managers, which is a business it still operates. It expanded into PR, starting a separate company to meet other needs of those clients, who would occasionally ask for PR support. This is why most of Shed PR clients are in the investment management industry,” he said.

In addition, he said Shed’s expansion into publishing made sense and commenced some time ago.

“The move into publishing began 18 months ago when Greg Bright joined the company and launched New Investor. Greg has a long track record in launching finance industry titles, including Investor Daily, Super Review, Investor Strategy News and Professional Planner.

John Kavanagh will edit The Rub

“Like all publishers, Greg is interested in exploring new ways of generating revenue in an industry that faces financial challenges. While we operate as independent journalists we are open to working with Shed clients and others on lead generation, content management, sponsored content and white labelling.”

Kavanagh said the publishing arm of Shed had a broad remit, so its audience will likely be acquired from various sources.

“New Investor is targeted at financial planners, accountants and other finance intermediaries. The Rub’s target audience is trustees of self-managed funds and other investors. So the publishing strategy is to cover the full readership base for superannuation and investment coverage.

“The Rub’s target audience is probably reading a lot of newsletters, such as Share Café, Switzer Super Report, Eureka Report, Alan Kohler’s Constant Investor, Livewire and Intelligent Investor, as well as the wealth pages of The Australian, Smart Investor in the AFR and Money in the SMH and The Age.”

A statement about the publication’s launch said The Rub will report on the latest investment opportunities and strategies and alert readers to emerging technical issues, particularly those that relate to SMSF trustees.

“Readers will find a lively coverage of the equity, property, fixed income and cash markets. Coverage of strategy will include portfolio construction, superannuation planning, tax, estate planning, insurance, retirement planning, aged care and more,” the statement said.

The publication’s name should signify to readers it “will address the complexities and challenges investors face in building their wealth, breaking the issues down to provide useful information”.

“Why The Rub? The term refers to the problem or difficulty in a particular situation. Shakespeare used it in Hamlet’s soliloquy: To sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub.”

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