Magazine. (noun)
The word 'magazine' describes branded, edited content often supported by advertising or sponsorship and delivered in print or other forms. Traditionally, magazines have been printed periodicals which are most commonly published weekly, monthly or quarterly. These may be supported by printed one-off supplements and annual directories. Increasingly, magazines exist online where content is available through websites or in digital editions, or delivered by email as an electronic newsletter. Many magazine brands also deliver tailored information services to their audiences. Magazine brands also engage with their audiences face-to-face by organising exhibitions, conferences and other events.
Advertising
There are two main categories of advertising for magazine brands: display and classified.
Display advertising is a form of communication that it is paid for by a client and which is usually intended to increase sales of the client’s products or services. Advertising can also be used to deliver public service messages or issue-based messages by charities and other 'third sector' organisations. Advertising is often placed by advertising agencies who are employed by marketing departments of their clients. These agencies can be creative agencies who design and produce adverts or buying and planning agencies who work out the best advertising vehicles for their clients and then build schedules to display the advertising through different media.
Classified advertising usually takes the form of small, plain text advertisements which may be taken out by private individuals. But companies and other organisations also take classified space in order to advertise either products and services, or recruitment.
Advertising, which can be placed in magazines or on digital platforms, is an important income stream for magazine brands.
2008 figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers show advertising revenues for consumer titles as £1.5-1.6 billion per annum for printed magazines, and as £80-90 million per annum for consumer title websites. Advertising revenues for business media websites are also £80-£90 million per annum. 2008 AA/WARC figures show advertising revenues for business media titles as £1 billion per annum, of which almost £600m is display advertising.
Editorial roles
Editor
The editor provides strategic direction for a title and is ultimately responsible for the non-advertising content. The editor is usually also responsible for the editorial direction on the title's website and other brand extensions such as conferences. The editor may also make decisions about how and when content is deployed online and in print. Increasingly, editors provide content ideas for conferences and other face-to-face events.
Art editor
The art editor is in charge of the look and feel of a title. This involves choosing typography, formatting news, features and opinion pages and commissioning and selecting photography, illustration and other graphics. This may include retaining a consistent look and feel for the brand in print and online.
Production editor
The production editor makes sure that the title is produced on time and to the right standard. A production editor will have close links with a title's printer, making sure that output files arrive on time and to quality to meet the print schedule. The production editor often manages the sub-editing team in order to ensure that the production process is driven to schedule.
News editor
The news editor is responsible for the content of a magazine's news content. The news editor makes decisions about what news stories are important to the audience and prioritises the running order and page hierarchy. The news editor manages a number of journalists, making sure that the areas and sources appropriate to the needs of the audience are covered and checking that the stories brought in are fair, balanced and accurate.
Features editor
The features editor is responsible for features content, including interviews and profiles.
Comment editor
The role of comment editor is vital, although it is often subsumed into other roles. The comment editor organises and briefs columnists, chooses published letters and increasingly moderates forums and comments on websites.
Chief sub-editor
Chief sub-editors are responsible for accuracy and are guardians of a title’s house style, ensuring copy is consistent and coherent. Chief subs often manage a team of sub-editors who proof copy that comes through from the news, features and comment sections.
Web editor
Web editors are responsible for managing the content on websites. This means working closely with section heads and often includes analysing traffic statistics. Web editors may also run forums and comment sections as well as commissioning and writing copy specifically for the website. It often falls to the web editor to organise and edit any audio-visual material which will be streamed through a title’s website. Web editors often oversee search engine optimisation, which requires a specialised way of writing for the web.
Reporter
Reporters can be news journalists or feature writers, and often both. Reporters are responsible for sourcing, researching and writing news and features.
Types of editorial products
Consumer media
Consumer magazines tend to be publications with a wide consumer appeal. Typically they serve women's, men’s or teen markets. Until recently, most of these titles were published on a monthly basis. More recently, weekly magazines have been launched alongside websites, mobile offerings and events. News is often geared to new products or celebrity gossip. A wide range of feature formats are used including interviews, product reviews, analysis of research or news etc.
For more information on consumer media, visit the PPA Marketing website.
Specialist consumer media
Specialist consumer magazines appeal to a particular consumer niche. If there is a hobby or an interest, there is often a title that serves its needs, ranging from angling magazines to zoology magazines.
Business media
Most businesses have a trade or professional title which serves the needs of that community. For many years, business titles have run conferences, exhibitions and awards for their communities. In recent times, business titles have developed websites and information products.
Customer media
Some magazine publishers specialise in producing magazines for corporate clients, charities and public sector organizations. These titles tend to be monthly or quarterly and focus heavily on features with smaller sections of news. For more information on customer media, visit the APA website.