Is the magazine industry dead? Not by a long shot. People have talked about the demise of magazines for years.
The industry is going to grow by $3.5 billion over the next few years. It’s a resilient industry, but that’s because people still enjoy reading magazines.
It’s also never been easier to create your own magazine. It takes a little planning, but it doesn’t cost as much as it did 20 years ago.
Want to know how to create a magazine from the ground up? Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents
1. Decide Your Business Model
While the magazine industry as a whole looks good, there are plenty of stories of publications bleeding money. They probably didn’t start out with a solid business model or plan.
Your business model details how you’ll make money. Some magazines use a subscription-based model, while others rely on advertising.
Will you have a print publication or will you be online only? Many publishers start off as online publications because it costs less to run.
They gain a following and then expand into the print world. If this is your path, you’ll have to consider magazine distribution for your publication.
2. Develop a Business Plan
A business plan is an in-depth look at the magazine industry and how your new publication fits in. You’ll assess your initial ideas and find out if there’s a market to support them.
Research the competition, potential advertisers, and get an idea of how many subscribers you can get for the publication.
The business plan lists the startup and monthly expenses. You can then compare your income with expenses to find out how much investment you need to get started.
3. Create the Editorial Calendar
Creating a magazine means you’ll have to have incredible content to draw people in. An editorial calendar is a schedule of content.
You have a theme for each month and a list of articles to produce. This keeps you and your writers on schedule.
Once you have the editorial calendar down, you can write the articles yourself or hire freelance writers to do the work for you.
4. Design and Format the Publication
Whether you’re printing a magazine or taking it online, you have to have a well-designed magazine. It’s the first impression people get of your publication.
They’ll decide if they want to read the magazine. Make sure the magazine is easy to read and has a clean design.
You can use tools like Adobe Illustrator or Canva to develop your initial design ideas.
5. Promote the Magazine
It’s necessary to have a plan to promote the magazine. The low-budget route is to start social media accounts and spend money on ads that promote specific articles.
You can also use search engine optimization to drive traffic to your site. Keep in mind that it takes time to build an audience.
Tips to Create Your Own Magazine
It’s a great time to create your own magazine. Follow the tips in this article and be patient. You’ll have a successful magazine before you know it.
If you liked this article, you’ll enjoy the other great articles on the blog. Check them out today!
