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Topic: First Time Magazine Publishing
| Author | Message |
| ravenda26 | Posted – 5/20/2008 9:23:27 PM | show profile | email poster Some friends and I are planning an online digital magazine to be ready in the next three months. I have only done limited projects for a small sector. This will be a huge change to cover readers of the internet. I'm using a digital publishing host that offers a great deal but I have to find the rest of my staff to get this thing on the ball. I'm also seeking sponsors so I have a couple friends assigned to that for help with operating and start up. I need a full business team, a budget person who can also do accounting and I'm checking my local college for writing and photography students. My question is, how the heck do I get all this in a couple months. My idea is solid and the business plan is almost done. Any advice? May I ad, it will be a very small budget until the ad revenue kicks in. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 5/20/2008 9:48:11 PM | show profile Well, if you are inexperience, have no budget, resources, advertising, staff, and haven't identified who is going to provide the content for your publication -- AND you have no idea how you are going to get everything done for a launch in 90 days -- why the heck are you trying to launch this in 90 days? |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 5/20/2008 10:24:10 PM | show profile set other deadlines first, such as getting your sales team together, etc. THEN start thinking about when you'd like to debut. |
| Brena | Posted – 5/20/2008 10:59:10 PM | show profile I'm launching a Web magazine as well, but at the end of the year. I had a small amount of start-up capitol, but the beauty of it is, I can do everything myself. The downside of doing everything myself is EXHAUSTING. I have background in reporting (writing for a newspaper) and as an editorial assistant. I'm currently in public relations and marketing. What I don't do (like graphic design), my husband does. But I have hired writers for stories; I buy images from a stock photo house because it's cheaper and less time consuming than doing it myself (or hiring someone). But I write for the magazine EVERYDAY. My goal is to have 100 articles already on site before launch. I currently have 30. But I have about 10 stories that need to be written (eight small stories and two big stories that require a lot of reporting). I wrote three stories today, already. Organizing stories and writer's is what I find the most daunting of the tasks. I will have several columns, with several different kinds of articles that need to be written. Constantly. Running a magazine is a lot of work. But if it's yours, it's worth it. |
| ravenda26 | Posted – 5/20/2008 11:16:52 PM | show profile | email poster I may not have the experience of a full fledged digital project but I did mention I have friends. They are more skilled in these pariticulars. I am skilled in sales, management, and public relations. I have a graphics team, additional sales, a couple management professionals, and an independent company that also helps with the planning of the project as well as hosting it. I'm basically looking for additional writers, which I can also get freelance, no biggie, same for photogs. My accounting person doesn't have experience in this type of budgeting for a magazine just general knowledge which may not be enough. I actually only need a person skilled in ad sales and marketing with a track record. My folks are out there seeking amongst our own friends and colleagues. Once we have established the organization of the staff which I anticipate within a month, and we have our final meeting with an intrested party for a partnership and as we pool our own money along with his, question is, should we just blast out there with "In your face" marketing or gradually like, "Hi, how are you, we are..." I don't doubt I'll have the resources, or staff, I'm just asking how should I present the project which is geared towards folks who are enjoying the social activities of a single lifestyle. I didn't think 60 days was not enough time to get started, since within a month everything organizational should be in place. We're all working together diligently. |
| Brena | Posted – 5/20/2008 11:39:00 PM | show profile I think you are asking questions that only market research can answer. For example, I studied my target market for two years (demographics, psychographics, etc.). I also conducted surveys and focus groups to make sure I was on the right track. What I have done may seem like overkill, but I wrote a book about the subject, so I know my target audience. To know whether your company should launch with an "in your face" campaign or a subtle whisper will depend on your target. Based on my target, I will launch with a whisper, establishing trust and creating value. I'm a believer that if you establish value for a consumer, they will come. And they will tell all of their friends. I'm willing to wait, attract one visitor at a time. Then again, I can't imagine that my expenses will be as high as yours. I'm a "one-man-show" and I freelance out all the rest. When my site does make money, my only staff member will be an editorial assistant because he or she will free up my writing time, and allow me to concentrate on branding (although I will have an editorial column on the site). |
