The Storyteller
Telling stories readers AND advertisers want to hear.
Interview with Algis Puidokas
Algis Puidokas founded Essential Homme magazine in 2010 (when he was 29), and it has become an authority on men’s luxury, high-end fashion. The magazine is bold. It’s glossy. It’s heavy (over 200 pages). It’s cutting-edge artistic. And it’s attracting major advertising commitments from heavy hitters in the industry: Christian Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Hugo Boss, you name it. The million-dollar question is, how?
The Essential Homme advertising model, like many things the publishing brand does, breaks the usual mold. Advertisers don’t just pay for space in the magazine or on its website. They pay Algis and his team to co-create content-slash-advertising that appeals to a carefully cultivated audience while advancing the brands’ messages in their minds. Again, the question is, how? We sat down with Algis and asked him.
High-Risk Blinders
We were overlooking the pillars of our industry
By Erica Chistoffer
Oichaelur magazine doesn’t sit on the newsstand. It can’t be picked up for $4.99 at an airport terminal. Our flagship publication is mailed directly to people who choose to be members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). It serves as an exclusive benefit to them, a business- and career-improvement tool that’s paid for with their dues and our $3 million in annual ad revenue. So our job — as an association and a publication team — is to make sure that it speaks to and provides value to the entire spectrum of our membership. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that we were largely ignoring a significant, particularly influential group.
The Evolution of a How-To Feature
[Or, How to Do How-Tos]
By Lauren Davidson
There are hidden talents among us. Everyone knows how to do something, and many times those “somethings” are fascinating to others — which is likely why Pinterest and Tasty and the DIY Network have become all the rage. They have made it easier for the average person to share their skill, craft, or side hustle.
And while alumni magazines often tell the stories of particularly accomplished individuals in the pages of their publications, here’s an opportunity to feature a broader spectrum of alumni. Undoubtedly, there are many out there who could teach us a thing or two. So I connected the dots: Let’s find out what our Dickinson College alumni know how to do and get them to share. And what better way for me to present how I approached committing the entire feature well of one issue in Dickinson Magazine to a series of how-tos than to tell you in how-to format.
Spring 2019 Departments
The Case of the Ideal Freelance Writer
Clues for finding real talent.
By Melanie Padgett Powers
I once made the mistake of hiring a new freelance writer because she was a friend of my co-worker.
I thought I was playing it safe by assigning her an easy feature. But when she turned in the draft, I was dismayed to see it was mostly quotes strung together. The lead was weak. There was little context, no narrative storytelling, and few transitions between the quotes. I had little faith that she had the skills to repair it, so I rewrote the article as best I could. By not doing my homework, I inadvertently created a headache — and extra work — for myself.
For most magazine publishers, finding talented and reliable freelance writers is critical. You rely on them to effectively craft the content that attracts and keeps the attention of your readers (and if you’re part of an association, your members). Identifying skilled freelancers who can embrace your organization’s brand, mission, and tone requires true detective work. Here’s how to use your sleuthing skills to track down writers who will deliver quality content on time and on point.
Takeaways
Free Pix. (Really!)
Goodbye, Texture. Hello, Apple News+
The Broad View of Publishing
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