A magazine can be an incredibly valuable piece of collateral to help market your organization, industry or service. But it’s also a big investment, so before you commit the funds for a magazine launch, make sure you ask yourself these key questions.
Who Is My Audience?
Before you can even decide on an editorial concept or a name for the magazine, it’s important to put some thought into who it’s all for. Is it to keep current members of your organization or association engaged? Do you want to reach new audiences who haven’t previously heard of you? A little bit of both?
What Are the Demographics of That Audience?
Depending on the age, education, wealth bracket and other demographic variables of your audience, the look and feel of your magazine may be different. For example, an older, highly educated audience may be interested in the long-form features traditionally associated with magazines, or in opinion columns from familiar faces. A younger audience may appreciate shorter bursts of copy and digital/multimedia components, such as video content linked via QR codes.
What Is My Editorial Vision?
Once you’ve homed in on the audience for your magazine, dig into what kind of content that audience would be interested in. No matter the audience, a mix of different kinds of content is usually key. For example, TMCC works with several forestry associations on magazines that provide a mix of legislative updates on pressing forestry issues, profiles of local landowners, and features that delve into the history of forest management. For our tourism clients, we create a mix of content that includes recommendations from locals, photo essays, checklists of things to see, and longer-form features that provide insight into the destination’s unique culture.
How Will You Fund the Magazine?
There are two aspects to this question – the long term and the short term. Will you use internal savings or external investments for the initial launch? How will you sustain the publication over time? The answer to the long-term component is usually ad sales. As your publication becomes established, it will be easier to attract advertisers, but you’ll definitely need experienced help to set your advertising rates, target your outreach and create appealing deals that may include components such as a digital edition or associated website advertising.
How Will You Handle Printing and Distribution?
The right printer for your publication depends on your location, your budget as well as your circulation and distribution needs. You’ll need to research the options and determine how much of your budget can be spent on printing and distribution.
Want to take the guesswork out of launching a new magazine? TMCC is here for you! We can help with everything from editorial planning to graphic design, advertising and fulfillment/distribution. Start the conversation at newbusiness@todaymediacustom.com.
