How to Start a Free Community Magazine

Every writer dreams of being his or her own Editor, and there’s nothing like putting your mug in print. Heading up a new publication is a lot of work; but if you know the right people and have a plan for success, you just might pull it off. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• An Editor to manage content
• Writers
• A graphic artist
• A printer
• Advertising sales staff
• Marketing materials

How to Start a Free Community Magazine

1. Find your niche. What topics do you want your magazine to cover? Health and fitness? Community events? Family travel? The more you can narrow it down, the easier it will be to define a target audience and potential advertisers.
2. Meet with the bank. Unless you have saved up for the venture, you may need a loan to help pay the bills while the magazine gets off the ground.
3. Differentiate yourself from the competition. Whether you like it or not, any other free publication in your community will soon be your competition, as you will most likely all be calling on the same potential advertisers. Whether it’s unique columns, a modern design or another interesting quirk, decide what will make your magazine stand out from the pack.
4. Get a good graphic artist. Before you write a single article, find a freelance artist to help you develop fonts, headers and the general look of your publication-to-be. Mock-up the cover for your first issue, and start circulating it--along with marketing materials explaining your target audience and advertising rates--around town. If you like the artist’s work, consider offering him or her an hourly rate to stay on board.
5. Sell, sell, sell. Since it will be free, your magazine will not exist without advertisers. Hit the streets--or pay someone to do it for you--and sign up business owners to give your new outlet a try.
6. Find a printer. Get a quote from a number of printing presses before deciding who to use. Don’t limit yourself to your own community, as many printers will negotiate to ship your magazine to you when it is ready. Your graphic artist may be able to recommend a few options once you decide on paper (glossy or newsprint) and size (standard, tabloid or custom).
7. Set a calendar. Do you want your publication to come out monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly? Do you want to distribute on the first of the month? You will need a strict schedule for when to have articles written, when the designer needs to get you a proof and when the files need to be uploaded to the printer.
8. Decide where to distribute. Free magazines need to be visible and available in high-traffic areas around your community--coffee shops, doctor’s offices, fitness centers, family-owned restaurants, churches, etc. Find out where your target audience lives, works and plays, but get permission before simply setting a stack of your magazines on a table and walking away. Some businesses require you display your magazines in a rack, and others may want to review a copy before deciding if they are interested in offering your magazine at all.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to other publishers in the business. No one knows what it takes to start a magazine like people who have done it and succeeded. Find a magazine in your area that has been around for at least five years and schedule a meeting with its founder(s).
• When setting prices for your advertisements, keep in mind what your competition is charging, but also consider your full monthly budget--printing fees, staff salaries, a phone and fax line, a storage unit to hold back-issues, and your own living expenses.
• If starting from scratch sounds too overwhelming, consider opening a franchise of an existing publication. For example, Christian Family Publications, based in Birmingham, Ala., works with people interested in starting up free, family-oriented Christian magazines in their cities. The company currently has 12 publications, all owned and operated by independent publishers, including Birmingham Christian Family, Memphis Christian Family and Coastal Christian Family.
• When asking other publishers for their advice, avoid asking about their advertisers. They may not mind passing along contacts for printing and design work, but they will be aware that you will soon be their competition.
• Don’t be discouraged if potential advertisers want to wait and see your first few issues before signing a contract. It can take well over a year to establish yourself as a stable marketing outlet.