10 Ideas for Making Magazines Relevant in the Digital Age

When I was an aspiring journalist, the magazine industry was bleak. 

Publications shifted their focus online, publishing only their best stories in print. Every outlet started a Twitter and Facebook page to distribute stories. Newsrooms began analyzing Google Analytics to optimize SEO and clicks. 

In the mid-2010s, print magazines saw a reckoning. A number of print titles shut down, went solely online, or only released a limited number of editions per year. 

This was in contrast to just a decade earlier, when print magazines were booming and journalism was glamorized and romanticized (It didn’t help that Condé Nast set the bar high, paying some of its contributors up to $12 per word. No wonder every protagonist of 2000s rom-coms was a journalist). 

But print magazines are seeing a revival. 

Social media overconsumption and AI slop have forced readers offline and into analog media. Outlets are starting to respond to this, either by bringing back their print edition (Vice) or by starting new publications from scratch (W Youth).

However, we’re in a digital age, and it’s not just enough to bring back a print magazine. It’s about balancing digital and analog channels to extend the experience for readers, bringing communities, events, and even products into the mix to reflect how they create and consume media today. 

Which means magazines need more than just strong editorial to stay relevant in the digital age. 

Last week, I was asked in an interview what I think magazines could do to stay relevant in the digital age. 

Here's what I said: 

1. Bring back print editions. There is such a craving for analog media right now, and people (especially younger generations) want something tangible and novel to hold. Magazines that have discontinued their print editions can bring them back in limited editions, creating something exclusive and worth collecting for their audiences.

2. Host more IRL events. With an emphasis on community and IRL events, magazines can host more of them. And I'm not talking about huge parties filled with celebrities, but smaller, more intimate events with creators, smaller brands, or local organizations. The idea is to bring people together in more offline, exclusive experiences where they live, especially outside of NYC, LA, or SF. 

3. Bring in more editorial voices or guest editors. Magazine editors and journalists aren't the only tastemakers. Magazines can partner with influencers, creators, or SMEs to guest-edit issues or contribute columns, adding diverse perspectives and bringing in new audiences. This could also be lucrative for smaller, more regional publications, too.

I also opened it up to my audience for their thoughts, and here were their responses:

4. “Make them accessible outside of mailboxes, bookstores, and grocery stores…get those magazines out into the world in locations where people are. A magazine pop-up stand at my local farmer's market? I'm definitely browsing. A collaboration with a local coffee shop that allows me to grab a coffee and sit, and choose from a range of print magazines to read? Sign me up. Pair analog with third places 👀” —Alyssa Towns, Freelance Writer & Internal Comms Specialist

5. “Make the ads more experiential rather than a 1-2 page spread of pretty pictures and copy— make them interactive in some way so they'll actually get results and the reader feels like they have a purpose in your magazine, not just them taking up a page for "revenue" and never getting any response. Magazine ads could be soooo fun if the right people got their hands on that assignment!” —Rachel H. Meltzer, Marketing Strategist

6. “Print can be more than just a monthly / whenever magazine. You can do smaller-print stuff that fits your brand and accommodates multiple price points; you can do one-off special issues; you can do zines, calendars, books of puzzles; you can do WHATEVER. Think outside the box!” —Rachel Bicha, B2B SaaS Content Strategist & Writer

7. “Hire expert writers who can also conduct top-tier interviews. It used to be standard for magazines to hire real journalists and contributors to create exceptional stories for magazines! But now it’s all blah and bland — at least for the big ones. Luckily, there are some small, indie publications killing it in this arena! 🤗” — Alexa Creavey, Copywriter & Content Specialist

8. “Make mini-zines for certain publications or topics!! They REALLY need to play into the junk journalling and crafts sub-group.” —CK Galope, Brand Strategist & Designer

9. “Magazines represent an opportunity to connect to a community. This moment represents a strong opportunity to build on this aspect!” — Jeanne Bee

10. “Brands could really crush with true editorial print editions, as well. (All too often, they end up reading like product catalogs & sales pitches.)” —Jen Ator

What other ideas do you have? Reply to this email and let me know!

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