Freelance: Magazine Industry

MAGAZINE INDUSTRY

Green Between the Pages

Questions for Writers

• Magazines make most of their revenue off of advertisers—not subscriptions or newsstand sales. So it’s important to understand each magazines’ target audience. Knowing who their magazine is targeting and how its editorial content creates this specialized environment that appeals to both reader and advertisers is key to developing story ideas and writing in a voice that will appeal to very specific readers.

Pass-along rate gives magazines added value.

1. What is the motivation of publishers and editors in putting out magazines (editorial and advertising motivation)?

2. What is the motivation of the reader in buying and reading them (their interest and needs)?

For Whom Do We Write?

Therefore

Mag Categories

• Magazines are aimed at communities of interests.
• Need to carefully study demographics and psychographics.
• Demographics: tell us something about the characteristics of the people who are consuming the magazine.
• Psychographics: consider the needs, interests, and attitudes of readers, particularly how they translate into lifestyle choices and consumer behavior.

Two areas of values we need to look at:

• Primary values: political disposition, financial and economic attitudes, lifestyle preference.
• Secondary values: information, entertainment, service, motivation/inspiration, social bonding and health, fitness, and grooming.

Editors are always mindful of the interests and needs of the readers in order to shape content (specific stories) that will serve the interests and meet needs—called pillars.

• Know the magazine before beginning to shape story ideas:
• Read the descriptive blurb published in Writer’s Market or on the magazine’s website.
• Look at the magazine’s online media kit.
• Look at the articles.

• Consumer magazines – advertising goods and services aimed at a general consumer information about events, people, trends, and culture.
• In recent years (with higher audience sophistication) industry has moved more toward targeted marketing.

• B2B publications (business to business) – advertising goods and services to business owners and managers engaged in the industry targeted by the publication.
• Vertical publication: deeply focus on specific businesses of professions, or specific job titles within an industry
• Horizontal publication: still covers specific areas or industries, but may cut across a number of job titles within the industry, or cover areas that could be pertinent across a number of different fields.