Latest research in Europe found that 82% of readers spent up to 45 minutes reading a custom magazine, and 64% of readers returned to it more than once. Can you imagine your prospects, customers and business partners spending so much active time with your brand? Heaven, right?
For this reason, many companies include custom magazines within their content marketing strategy. If you are starting down this path, there are five steps you need to take before you start planning the first issue.
This post examines what goes into making a great and effective custom publication and what you need to do to ensure its success.
1. Define your objectives
Ask yourself:
- What do you want to achieve?
- Why have you decided to launch a printed custom magazine?
- How does your magazine fit into your content marketing strategy?
This first step is crucial because everything else, no matter how important or detailed it may seem, depends on well-defined objectives. As they say it at the British Association of Publishing Agencies, “The tighter your objectives, the sharper the focus and the better the results.”
2. Define your target audience
In order for objectives to be achieved, you need to know exactly who your target audience is. Do research:
- What are your buyer personas?
- What are their pain points?
- How do you already communicate with them?
- What do they read?
- Are they a homogenous group, or are there two or more very distinct groups within your target audience?
The answer to the last question will help you make a decision about segmentation. Is there a need for two or more different editions of one issue? For instance, Chief Content Officer by the Content Marketing Institute is segmented into different editions, based on the locations of its readers: the US, Australia, Europe, and Spain.
3. Define the main concept
What content will be in your new printed custom magazine? What will be its main message? What underlying messages do you plan to communicate? In his book, Samir Husni (aka Mr. Magazine™ ) stresses that the concept is the only constant in your magazine: “Your magazine’s editorial concept is like a lighthouse on a foggy coastline . . .everything that ends up in your magazine must look to this lighthouse of a concept for direction.”
Every part of your magazine should be well-defined before you begin to think about the first issue. Moreover, if you can’t fathom what content you could put in the first four issues, you will find yourself in trouble very soon. Here are some of the things you need to define from the outset:
Covers: Readers see the cover first, and they decide within a few seconds if they are interested in opening the mag rather than throwing it away. Consider what the cover should include:
- Do you want to use an original photo or illustration?
- What will the theme be?
- How many headlines do you want to include?
- Do you want to include page numbers and your company’s logo?
- What will be their overall concept?
Sections: The sections/departments of your magazine should be relevant, recognizable and easy-to find in every issue. Keep things simple and consistent from issue to issue.
Your editorial board: Do you plan to do it all internally? I would suggest that you (also) appoint a publishing/content marketing agency. Additionally, based on the concept, will you use internal authors, outside journalists or both?
4. Technical parameters
There are a number of parameters to consider for each issue:
Page count: Custom magazines should be at least 24 pages long, but many have at least 36 pages. The length of the magazine depends on the content, the use of photography and other visual representations (illustrations, infographics).
Page/spread size: What page size is consistent with the messages, content, genres and your brand? Also consider how you will be distributing the magazine (whether in-store or by mail). If your main distribution channel is by mail, make sure your magazine will fit into average mailboxes.
Type of paper: You need to decide between matte or gloss, coated and uncoated paper. There are also eco-friendly papers. However, the traditional non-written rules about which type of paper to use are getting blurred. Glossy paper has been traditionally used in magazines that want to showcase the visual elements in the mag (especially photos). But that is not necessarily always the case. For example, Completely London, one of the best custom magazines by estate agency KFH., isn’t published on glossy paper but it still has a high-end look and feel.
When considering the paper type and weight ask yourself what your intended magazine’s life expectancy is as well as how important is its readability and image quality. Don’t forget to price out paper as some paper is more expensive than others, which can make your project drastically more expensive.
Issue’s circulation: Printing and mailing costs can be quite high, so consider these when you decide. It also means you really need to know who your target audience is and its size.
Magazine’s frequency: Research shows that to achieve its main objectives a custom magazine should be at least quarterly.
5. Design a magazine
Find a good designer. His/her job is to design a magazine with all the necessary elements. You need to work together.
Now, you are finally ready to plan the first issue, which I’ll discuss in detail in my next post.
Did I miss anything? What do you think? Let us know.
