6 Strategies to Grow Your Magazine

Growing a magazine takes strategy, including planning your direct mail printing service. Printing a magazine simply for the sake of having a magazine is a waste of your time and resources. For a magazine to be successful, consumers must get something out of your publication. Now, in 2022, with so many magazines moving to the digital sphere, it’s more critical than ever before to make paper copies worthwhile.

At Troi Mailing Services, we partner with businesses across Ontario on a variety of printing projects, including magazines. We understand the time and energy that goes into a successful magazine campaign, and it’s important to us that our clients are successful. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for ways to grow an existing magazine, here are 6 strategies to get you going.

1. Diversify your content

It’s one thing to have a key team of writers you can depend on to get work in on time and consistently deliver on quality. It’s another to give your readers what they want for every issue. To provide a diverse collection of writing, photography, and layout designs, it helps to bring in a few guest editors to your tried and tested team.

Depending on your magazine niche, consider inviting authorities in your industry to write a feature in your magazine. Inviting a new writer for each issue will keep readers excited, and ensure content is never stale or recycled.

The same can be said for photographers. Every photographer has a different style. Even if you only have a guest photographer for the cover work, and keep a regular photographer for content throughout your magazine, the diverse collection of images in each issue will make things more interesting.

2. Dig for local content

If your magazine is directed at Toronto residents, for example, consider including content that is relatable to Torontonians. Readers like to see information that pertains to themselves specifically. If you’re a travel agent, for instance, and your magazine is about Canadian vacations, try including a page of Toronto “staycation” ideas in each issue. This speaks directly to your audience and supports local growth.

Not only is local representation in your magazine a great selling factor, but it also encourages sustainability. You can take your magazine to local businesses and partner with them. Perhaps they will market your magazine for a mention of their establishment. Maybe a local eatery will put up a stand to sell issues of your magazine for a full-page ad. In any case, there are several advantages to including local content in your magazine.

3. Take criticism without pushback

Receiving criticism on something you’ve worked hard on is tough to take. Nobody likes it, but it’s a necessary step in growth. As you develop your magazine, asking for feedback can be a useful way to create new and popular editorials that your readers want to see. Sometimes, however, the feedback you receive isn’t positive. Use this to evolve and grow, rather than pushing back with excuses or brushing off the negative comments.

There’s nothing wrong with receiving a little negative feedback, sometimes, as long as you’re willing to learn from it. Ultimately, your magazine is designed to serve your readers. If the readers aren’t happy with the magazine, then you need to use that feedback to improve your content.

4. Set yourself apart

This is easier said than done, but in the end, being unique is what will push you above the competition. To grow your magazine, you need to figure out what makes it special. Maybe consumers will come to know your magazine as the one with all the coupons in the back. Your direct mail printing service can help you with this.

Whatever you choose as your magazine’s voice, amplify it in each issue. Give readers something to look forward to, something to set their watches by, and something they can depend on.

5. Consider the digital side

At Troi Mailing Services, we specialize in direct mail printing, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know the value of digital media. Our job is to support your website, app, and e-commerce stores by offering a tangible service to connect consumers to your digital sources. As you look for ways to grow your magazine, don’t forget the digital side of things. Whether you want to create a fully digital magazine, or you simply want to build a landing page for magazine subscribers to visit when they purchase a copy of your publication, having a digital component is useful.

Many companies are choosing to include QR codes as a means of connecting readers with online content in magazines. You can also add promo codes, link readers to a new business app, or invite readers to connect through social media. Whatever your style, including a digital link, will also make your magazine more shareable and engageable.

6. Use triangle marketing

As you design your magazine, consider the triangle over the hourglass for content delivery. This is especially true with tangible materials. Think of your newspaper; it arrives without lengthy introductions or clickbait titles. Instead, it jumps in with top stories and gives everything away upfront. The triangle method gets right to the point and broadens out from there to explain what’s going on.

When you use the triangle marketing style of magazine content writing, you draw in readers with important details up front. Catchy, but pertinent titles, subtitles, quotes, and snippets all work to entice readership, thus giving your consumers exactly what they want without having to flip page after page to get there.

Contact Troi Mailing Services Today

Interested in learning more about developing your magazine service? Troi Mailing Services can help. Our team specializes in direct mail printing and distribution. This includes mailing out to your subscriber list, or a list of your ideal prospective readers.

Canada Post offers data targeting services to help businesses like yours generate prospect lists. If you’re unsure of the process, Troi Mailing Services can walk you through the steps. We work with businesses from all different industries with our direct mail printing services. To learn more, call us at 1-866-486-9350 or contact us online today!