Magazine printing is a creative endeavor that some use to pursue their interests in a hobby or their current or past industries. But developing and printing a magazine is a big job that comes with a lot of small tasks that need to be completed for an issue to come together. Between looking at the layout, finding advertising and developing good magazine content, magazine authors have to make a lot of decisions with the end result of the magazine in mind.
But the main reason readers love to pick up magazines is that they are usually filled with interesting articles, stories, and interviews as well as gorgeous photography that enhances the publication’s content. But coming up with a large volume of good magazine content can be challenging, especially for magazines that are printed frequently. Sourcing good magazine content on the large scale needed for magazines can happen in a variety of ways. Let’s take a look at five ways you can find good magazine content to keep the articles fresh and your readers excited to read each issue.
Can Magazine Content Come from Already-Published Sources?
When trying to fill the pages of your magazine with quality content, it might seem like an obvious choice to include articles that you have seen in another place. Maybe you read a really interesting story online that would fit perfectly with the angle you were hoping to present in the next issue, or perhaps you picked up another publication that had an article using a perspective that would match the editorial style of your upcoming magazine. So do you snag these articles and include them in your magazine?
These kinds of already published content may be tempting to reprint in your magazine. But don’t do it unless you have express permission to do so. Articles that have already been published in any form or location belong to the authors and publications. Reusing them, without specific permission to do so, is stealing. Your magazine would lose the trust of your readers if they found out and your magazine could also be financially liable for using someone else’s work without their permission on your pages.
5 Sources for Good Magazine Content
But don’t be stressed about finding good magazine content that you will love. Your magazine content should be fresh and new to reflect the focus of each issue of the magazine. And ideally it should be created specifically for the pages of your publication, but that doesn’t always have to be true for the content to be a great fit for your magazine.
1. Write Good Magazine Content Yourself
If you are already planning for magazine printing, you might have some excellent insight into the topics you are planning on including in your next issues. So one of the easiest ways to include good magazine content you want and need for your magazine is to simply write it yourself. Of course, plan on using a qualified editor to help you revise, edit, and shape your piece into its best form before including it in the magazine. But you can create exactly the good magazine content you need by picking up the proverbial pen and crafting an article yourself.
2. Offer Content Space to Paid Advertisers
Another very common way to get good magazine content is to turn to businesses or individuals who have purchased advertising in your magazine. Contact these advertisers and let them know that their expertise means that you know they can provide meaningful and relevant content for your readers. They will appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the readers without having to pay for the chance to do so and your magazine will gain good magazine content at the same time.
- Articles: Your advertiser’s expertise in the marketplace might bring a fresh perspective to the magazine through an article that would be interesting to your magazine audience. Either provide guidelines for an article that would work for your issue’s content or let the writer provide good magazine content they are confident will demonstrate their expert knowledge.
- Editorial Contribution: Provide the advertiser with the opportunity to express their opinion about a topic on an editorial page. Creating regular editorial content from one or more contributors can provide you with ongoing good magazine content that readers can rely on for a professional, market-specific opinion.
- Q & A’s: Target the industry, product, or service that your advertiser provides with a guided question and answer section. Less open-ended than an article or editorial page, a Q&A section can follow a standard structure from issue to issue, providing you with consistent content from a variety of advertisers over time.
- How To’s: Ask an advertiser to explain to readers how something works, how to accomplish an industry-specific task, or to explain their product or service to readers. Not only will they be able to spotlight their own expertise, but the pages of your magazine will be teaching readers valuable information that will add credibility to your publication.
- Day in the Life: Reach out to your advertisers and ask for them to provide an article in the form of a daily log that shows readers what it is like to be one of their critical employees. Choosing someone whose contribution to the industry is lesser known or of key importance can create engaging content as well as provide a springboard for future content creation.
3. Secure Expert Content
Depending on the focus of your magazine, reach out to local experts or well-known businesses in your magazine’s market to offer them space for an article. Their expertise will provide readers with relevant information through their voices while providing you with excellent content for your magazine. Readers will love to learn directly from someone who is respected in their field and your magazine will benefit from their contribution of a one-time article or even a recurring feature that you can print in each issue.
4. Work with Content Creators for Good Magazine Content
It might be challenging to find experts who are willing and able to create articles to contribute to your magazine on your timeline. One popular way to develop the content you want, when you want it, is to work with content creators like freelance writers, photographers, or industry specialists. By reaching out to these contract creators, you can specify exactly what kind of content you are looking for and negotiate what they will write or produce for you as well as the cost to do so.
Your readers will love reading unique, focused content and perusing professional photographs in every issue, and you will have creative control over exactly what you include on the magazine’s pages. Professional writers, photographers, and editors are excellent resources to use when putting together a magazine, because their work will be page-ready and of the highest quality, making your job as the magazine’s author (and likely editor) just a little bit easier.
Magazine authors usually focus on this type of content as the backbone of their publication since including articles produced by experts is a fantastic way to develop trust in your readers and reach new readers.
Investing in content from industry specialists and professional writers and photographers is a great way to get the most bang for your advertising buck, too. Not only will superb, exciting content be coming your way, but you can also use the names of experts in your publication when you seek advertisers. Potential advertisers will want to buy advertising space where their product or business will be aligned with experts in the field as their advertisements will be included in a publication that can be expected to be widely seen by a large audience.
5. Buy Evergreen Articles for Good Magazine Content
Paying a writer for a custom article might be out of the budget for some magazine creators, but it is possible to acquire unique content that has never been published before by purchasing pre-written articles. Some authors create evergreen articles for purchase that may fit into your editorial plan for the magazine.
Consider purchasing multiple articles at a negotiated bulk rate so your publication will have this guest writer in different issues, adding credibility to the magazine with a regular contributor. Often times these articles also come with high-quality photos as well, adding to their usefulness.
Publishing Your Magazine
Gathering good magazine content is a key step in creating a beautiful issue but so is working with a trusted printer. Dazzle Printing has worked with magazine authors for decades, helping them to turn their magazine dreams into a reality with quality materials, the best binding options, and beautifully printed content. Partnering with a trusted printer will ensure that your magazine will look great so you can focus on creating the next issue for your readers to enjoy.
