Creating Magazine Content: A Case Study

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Along with the monthly lifestyle magazine I edit, I recently accepted a gig editing a new monthly magazine geared towards area residents ages 55+. We launched our first issue right in the midst of COVID-19. So far it’s been well received, and I am in the process of planning our third issue. I thought it would be helpful to share with you how I used the resources I had to plan the content for a 40+ page magazine (we are still being conservative with the number of pages we’re printing because of COVID-19).

For the June issue of LIMITLESS, we planned for a “Foodie” themed issue. When we designed the magazine, we broke it up into different sections that could fill each month: “Explorers,” “Be Bold,” “Health + Happiness,” “Helpings Hands,” “On the Scene,” and “In My Glass” or “On My Plate.”

Because we pay photographers in trade, I try to come up with ways to repurpose stories we’ve run in the past in our other lifestyle magazine, CURRENTS, so we can use photography that’s already been shot. I knew we had profiled a local restaurant owner in 2018 who is also in the 55+ target market, so I assigned a writer to interview her focusing on how she found her niche in creating a tearoom in our area. We already have photography. I also read about a local pie company that was founded by a man who retired after a long career in corporate finance. I reached out to him to see if he was interested in a profile, and he was thrilled. One of our regular food and wine writers sent me a fun article he had written about a local farmers market experience, and I told him it would fit our “Foodie” theme perfectly.

Another local retired couple saw our premier issue, and sent an introductory note sharing a travel blog they started after retirement. They both had a successful career in marketing, so the blog is fun, fresh, and full of beautiful photography and helpful travel tips. I e-mailed them asking if they’d like me to interview them, and also expressed interest in having them write for our magazine in the future. A nearby resident and grandfather recently authored a picture book, so one of our writers is working with his publishing company to set up an interview. A sales rep forwarded me an e-mail about a camp that helps military families heal from the wounds of war, and the founder and director is in our target market and seeking volunteers for the camp. I sent an assignment off to one of our writers who enjoys writing about volunteer opportunities. Add in a fun health article that I plan to write about June being National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month and the calendar of events, and you’ve got an issue.

As you can see, planning content for a magazine takes a village, from the writers, to the PR firms to the sales team, but once it all comes together, there is a real sense of accomplishment. And before you know it, it’s time to start the cycle all over again.

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and magazine editor who is also in the process of launching a true crime podcast, "Missing in the Carolinas." Sign up for her e-mail list so you can be the first to know when the first episode drops in early May, and download her free short story, “The Last Circus,” by May 15.