If there’s one thing the internet can never run out of it would be content. The demand for fresh content is as big today as it was ten years ago and you can bet this will hold true for decades to come–or at least until the internet is replaced by something humans today can’t even fathom, right? After all, in 1980 the average person knew nothing of a worldwide web. Because there is no filling this hunger for information and knowledge, a great way to be a part of it is to start an online magazine.
Online magazines are quickly replacing their paper counterparts, and that’s good for your clutter control, it’s good for trees, and it’s good for the environment. So, if someone were to go about starting their own online magazine, where would they start? Read on for some great ideas.
1. Define Your Market
If you were going to start a magazine, who would you be writing for? Would it be readers of fiction or nonfiction? Would you have a specific niche, such as fishing or knitting? Once you know who your readers will be, then you can start building your brand.
The biggest player in your brand is going to be your title. Think of all the great magazines you’ve read over the years: Field and Stream, Glamour, People. Don’t they have great titles? Your title should tell your readers something about your content. Use a business name generator to assist in creating some awesome options.
2. Plan To Monetize
Your overhead should be fairly low since you won’t be going to print, but you’ll still need to derive some type of income. After all, if you want to get good writers to submit their articles, they’ll want some type of compensation in return.
You can always charge a subscription fee. The New York Times does it for $1 a week, but they’re “The Times,” and they’re big news. A more feasible option, just starting out, might be to sell banner ads to other businesses in your niche.
3. Build Readership
The toughest part is going to be building your readership. Starting out, you may have to give some to get some. Look for established sites with large readerships, such as Medium. You can even publish articles through Medium and still host them on your own site. It’s definitely something to check out.
You can also do some of your own word-of-mouth advertising on sites related to your niche. If your magazine is for artists, find places where artists gather online. There are various artists’ forums and blogs. Also, look for podcasters who might give you a few minutes to share a bit about your publication. In return, you could give them a free banner ad on your space.
While the startup costs for creating an online magazine will mostly be whatever your time is worth, it’s an endeavor that could end up reaping big rewards. How big those rewards may be will be up to you in your new role as editor-in-chief.
