Transform your magazine, transform your association

For associations, content from their magazines is often the most read and most valued information they produce. It’s no surprise — magazine content is planned with audience needs in mind, designed beautifully, written by professionals, and goes through a thorough editorial process.

That said, I suggest that it’s the CONTENT, not the magazine itself, that association members appreciate. This is more true as time goes on, with the decline in advertising and the fact that so many associations no longer print and mail magazines.

Your magazine is the content cornerstone of your association

Think about your magazine’s content outside of the package that it comes in (similar to my advice for content from other departments or member groups).

Members don’t know or care which department produces which content. And because magazine issues are time-based, the fact that an article appeared in the April 2023 issue isn’t meaningful for someone looking to learn something new, answer a question or address a challenge they have.

Reconceive the magazine as a strategic content asset (not a budget drain)

Here are some of the ways you may reconceive magazine content:

• Articles could be the centerpiece of an organizational topic, connecting to other resources the association produces.
• Articles can and should cross-link with other content, both from the magazine and from other areas of the association.
• Article design and multiple related elements could inspire association-wide best publishing practices.
• Magazine editors can guide the rest of the organization on how to plan and publish better content. In fact, I spoke about this with Stacey Moncrieff of the National Association of Realtors at the 2022 Amplify conference.

Digital-first thinking opens so many possibilities

Here are just a few thoughts.

No space limitations

• If you have a contest, you can present many more entries online than would fit in a magazine’s pages.
• If you conduct interviews, you can present both the summary and the complete interview for those who want to explore further.
• You can publish links to other sources of information, both from the organization and elsewhere.

Multimedia opportunities

• Add audio or video material to articles.
• Have columnists create a podcast.

Rethink frequency

• Publish on a schedule that makes sense for the audience, rather than for the printer.
• Publish less content at a time, but more often.

Remove or replace time-focused content

• The editor’s introduction to each “issue” could be replaced each month, since it isn’t relevant after the time has passed.
• Consider ending publication of recaps of other association content.

Revisit magazine promotions

With a digital-first approach, fewer members will get the printed magazine on their doorstep. And while you may still email people letting them know the latest issue is available, there are other opportunities:

• Highlight topical articles in other newsletters produced by the association.
• Highlight entire collections of content on a timely topic.

You will need a strategy for why and how to transform your association publication. Please get in touch if I can help.