There are great reasons to publish a magazine, from promoting your organization or business to sharing a passion with fellow enthusiasts. So what makes a magazine successful?
All Media Marketing & Printing has been partnering with organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs to create stunning magazines that have received stellar feedback. We have over 30 years experience in the publishing and printing industries, as well as graphic design, editorial, project management, and more. We are available to assist you with any aspect of your project including consultation services.
Below is information that we consider critical in planning or developing a publication.
Begin with market research
If you have a demographic that you want to reach, but you’re not sure how to do that, conducting market research will show you where to find and reach your audience. Successful magazines research the market at the beginning of the planning process.
Understand your audience: their geographic location, age group, occupation, recreational activities, disposable income, and other relevant demographics. This information will allow you to provide focused content which your readers will love! Consider the many magazines in circulation, each is targeted to a unique market.
Voice and style
The product aesthetics impact making a positive first impression. Consciously and subconsciously, the paper, colors used, type style and size, photos and layout cause emotional reactions in the reader. Attractive clean design, clear formatting, engaging content and quality printing all generate a response.
We suggest you visit a newsstand and review different magazines. Read through the editorials, main features and letters to the editor. Each publication uses language in a specific way and the images and advertising are carefully targeted to the readership. Voice and style come from the writers’ expertise and ability to communicate effectively and the designer’s skill with layout.
Do your due diligence and be clear as to what you want to accomplish before moving forward. At this phase of the planning process, if you have no or limited design and layout experience, we highly recommend you consult with a professional.
Content vs design
Consider the conundrum of the chicken and the egg, which is more important – content or design? Without content you have nothing to design, and without design no one will read your content.
The two should complement one another. How you design your magazine in terms of the brand colors, artwork, fonts, layout, and more, should be appealing to your audience and consistent with the subject matter.
Establish authority
Is the information you provide accurate and trustworthy? In order to produce engaging, fact-based content, you may have to hire the services of a professional writer. If you are writing the content yourself and not an expert in the field, be careful to cite sources for any factual information or claims you make. Combining these two approaches to is often a good practice. It takes a little more time and effort, but if you do your due diligence readers will consider your magazine a trusted resource and return for the next issue.
Content Variety
Successful magazine layout provides a sense of familiarity and consistency. It should be easy to find particular sections, segments and regular features, so make sure they’re in the same location and contain consistent visual elements that allow your readers to quickly find them. At the same time, readers like pleasant surprises and are always delighted to find something new and interesting to read. Consider recruiting a guest columnist or insert infographics for example.
Publishing Frequency
Look to other publications in addition to your market research to determine optimal publishing frequency. Some magazines publish annually, others weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Consider what your team capable of producing?
Advertising
Create a media kit that includes ad specs and pricing, deadlines, distribution information and any other information that will entice readers to buy an ad. Make this available on your website, social media, and as handouts. Promote this marketing piece every chance you get.
Production Timeline
The best way to map out your production timeline is to start at the release date – the big reveal event or mailing date. Working backwards using an Excel spreadsheet for example, include all deadlines for photography, copy writing, graphic design, page layouts, camera-ready ads. You will have to coordinate the content, layout and proofing deadlines.
Use a flat plan to layout your pages, content and ads. Click here to view a sample flat plan.
Always maintain a live list of sold ads and their status. Excel works well for this. Click here to view a sample page layout list.
Printing & Distribution
Allow at least a couple of weeks for printing (ask your printer) and additional time for mailing or other distribution.
If mailing your product yourself, consult with the post office prior to finalizing your covers. There are certain specifications you may have to adhere to. Otherwise a print and mail service will provide recommendations. A digital version is a great way to make your product more accessible to readers on the go, and this compliments the print version. And promote, promote, promote the release date.
Encourage contact
Make it easy for readers and interested parties to reach you. I suggest directing reader responses to a dedicated website comments page where they can post their questions and feedback. This way all comments are in one location. Make sure your business contact information – address, website, email and telephone number are clearly visible. These are typically included on the table of contents page.
Be prompt in responding to all comments posted, positive and negative. Consider the information garnered from these posts as an opportunity to improve your product and kudos for a job well done. Be considerate of those who have negative feedback, whether you agree or not.
Our price sheet
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Corinne at 321-698-1550, text for fastest response. We can answer your questions or provide a custom quote. Click here to view our pricing sheet.
Talk to us!
Give us a call to schedule a free, no obligation 30-minute consultation