We’re publishers who got tired of generic CRM software
Unlike the big software companies that see publishers as just another vertical, we live and breathe publishing. We built Pulse from the inside out. Our people understand that publishing workflows aren’t like any other.
We didn’t stumble into building publisher software by accident. One of our founders ran a family magazine business. His co-founder built enterprise software for complex industries. Together we created Pulse, because we lived with the frustrations of running a modern publishing business using systems that simply didn’t understand how publishers actually work.
How we built the UK’s first publishing CRM software
It all started with fruit and veg, one frustrated publisher and some clever code …
Back in 2009, Justin Hope-Mason ran his family’s publishing business – Fresh Produce Journal – a trade magazine that has served the industry since 1895. Like most publishers, he juggled multiple systems that didn’t talk to each other, spent hours on manual processes and watched his team struggle with software that clearly wasn’t built for publishing workflows.
The breaking point came with ad sales. Nothing on the market could handle the complexity of ad management.
So Justin did what frustrated publishers do. He built a workaround.
That first Pulse system was groundbreaking. It was purpose-built for publishing, with an in-depth understanding of how ad sales actually work. Word spread quickly. Finally, this software got it!
Co-founder Patrick Lidstone has years of experience in large-scale enterprise software development. He saw the bigger picture. Cloud-based software was the future – more reliable, affordable and flexible than the on-premises systems that dominated corporate software. Together, the founders made the perfect combination – deep publishing knowledge and serious technical expertise.
Pulse was the UK’s first SaaS CRM built exclusively for publishers. From day one, we built Pulse the way we wished all publishing software worked:
- Transparent pricing
- Features developed with real publisher input
- Support from people who actually understand your business
15 years later, we’re still growing with our day-one customers
Virtually every day-one customer is still with us, including Fresh Produce Journal, where this story began. That kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident in software.
We’ve watched many of our customers grow from small independent publishers into industry leaders. Take Kelsey Media for example, which has expanded their portfolio and scaled operations, implementing progressively more sophisticated strategy as their business evolves. When our customers succeed, we succeed.
What’s the strongest vote of confidence in Pulse? We use it to manage our own operations, track customer relationships and plan our growth. It keeps us honest. Every feature we build, we live with ourselves.
Our renewal rates speak for themselves. Customers become genuine partners. They don’t just use Pulse: they help shape it. The features we’ve built over the years come directly from conversations with publishers.
When you build software with genuine industry knowledge and fair pricing, people stick around.
We’re optimistic about publishing’s future. We see an entrepreneurial, resilient industry that’s far from finished. Our customers continue to adapt to massive changes, from social media upheavals to AI. That’s why we built Pulse to be flexible, to support whatever new revenue streams or platforms you explore next.
Pulse co-founders
The people behind Pulse publisher software
Patrick Lidstone
Co-founder & Managing Director
Patrick brings 20+ years of enterprise software expertise, after a PhD in high performance computing. Before co-founding Pulse, he specialised in helping businesses integrate disparate systems - exactly the challenge most publishers face every day. Patrick champions software that actually works the way businesses operate, instead of forcing them to work the way the system dictates.
Justin Hope-Mason
Co-founder & Technical Director
Justin bleeds printers’ ink. After years of wrestling with generic software that didn't understand publishing workflows in his family magazine business, he took matters into his own hands and wrote the first version of Pulse. His deep knowledge of publishing operations drives every feature we build. When customers tell us Pulse "just gets it," that's Justin's publishing DNA at work.
Support from people who know publishing
Our support team isn’t tucked away in a call centre. They’re right here in the UK, and they understand publishing, because that’s all we do. When you contact support, you speak to people who completely understand.
Reliability isn’t negotiable in publishing. When you hit print deadlines or manage live digital campaigns, your software needs to work. We’ve invested heavily in guaranteed service availability, with no serious outages in our entire 15-year history.
And here’s something unusual about us: everyone at Pulse works regularly in support, from founders to developers. It helps us all stay connected to your daily challenges. And when the person who built a feature also supports it, problems get solved faster.
Knowledge-wise, we’ve documented everything. You get comprehensive written handbooks and video guides covering every aspect of Pulse. You won’t need to waste time calling support for simple questions. But when you do need help, we’re here.
Pulse support isn’t just responsive. It’s relevant. No generic software advice here. Because we focus exclusively on publishers, we’ve seen virtually every scenario, workflow and challenge the industry can throw at us.