- 1). Identify your target audience. Whether you are looking for advertising, startup funding or hiring employees, you need to have a clear plan target audience. Advertisers want to know exactly who is reading their advertising. Don't just stop at women's magazine, or men's magazine. Lifestyle magazine targeted towards women ages 18 to 50, with a focus on fashion and beauty has the type of specificity you need.
- 2). Create a business plan. You need a business plan to obtain financing from banks or venture capitalists. More importantly, the business plan will help you lay out the specifics of your magazine, including budgets, employees and format.
- 3). Create a mock-up. Whether you are creating a print or online magazine, create a sample magazine that includes space for advertisements, news items, pictures and feature articles. You don't have to write the articles, but the more specific the better. Include headlines that are similar to the ones you plan to write. Use the same software that you will be using to create the magazine.
- 4). Build your network. Begin to investigate writers, printers, publishers and advertising salespersons. You will go through several trials and errors before finding the best fit, so line up more vendors and potential employees than you may need. Meeting as many people as possible will spread the word about your upcoming magazine.
- 5). Get funding. With your business plan and mock-up, you will be able to answer questions that potential investors may have. By having clear and concise answers, you will make them feel comfortable giving you money. Use the mock-up to attract advertisers. Offer specials to advertisers who get in on the ground floor.
- 6). Prepare a soft launch. When your magazine is online, it is called a beta test. The soft launch is the dress rehearsal for a print magazine. Hire your staff, commission articles, contract designers and vendors. The end result is a saleable magazine. With the online magazine, set up a secure website and invite a few hundred people to test the site to make sure the links work, and that the site is user-friendly. The test run will give you an opportunity to troubleshoot the process early on.
- 7). Create a media blitz around the official launch of the magazine. Schedule a launch party, create a press release, and purchase advertisements so that as many people as possible know about your upcoming magazine.
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