City And Regional Magazines Special Report: Local Hot Spots

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, June 1, 2002

Still, even as established city titles dig deeper into communities and look to use their clout in the fight against neophytes, a string of new entrants will continue to push the boundaries, says 7x7 owner and publisher Tom Hartle. "A lot of the traditional guys will tell you the markets are steel boxes, that they cannot expand, and in every case that I've ever seen markets do expand," Hartle says. "The establishment will tell you that you can't do it because they don't want you to."

THE BEST OF THE "BEST OF"

City dwellers in search of the finest manicure, chili dog or day spa are addicted to the perennial "best of" lists found in their hometown titles.

But the editors charged with keeping these listings chock full of surprises can find themselves in need of their own cheat sheets. For help, we turned to a team that's renowned for its annual "Best Of" issue - Los Angeles Magazine. Here senior editors Joshua Tompkins and Gia Lauren Gittleson offer their do's and don'ts for creating "best of" bestsellers.

DO

* TRUST YOUR GUT

A lot of what goes into a "best of" issue in any market is largely intuitive. There are certain staples that readers always want to know: where to find the best hamburger, the best hot dog, the best haircut. Stay away from categories you may not be qualified to make an assessment on.

* GET ORGANIZED

Give yourself four to six months lead time. Create a spreadsheet that details who is doing what, and the status of each category.

Are you still looking for the best barbecued short ribs in town well into production? A status log can keep you sane.

* GO DEEP

Pick at least 100 categories just to start with - even if you're planning to run far fewer. Many editor's picks seem like a good idea on paper, but prove too complicated.

One year, we thought it would be easy to pick the best dry cleaners in town, only to find that there were more than 12 good candidates and we didn't feel comfortable picking just one. Research more categories than you think you'll need because, trust us, not all of them work out.

* BE ECLECTIC

Pick things from every corner of town and every socioeconomic stratum. If you find that your three final candidates for the best hot fudge sundae are about equal, choose the one that happens to be in a part of town that's underrepresented.

* BE COUNTERINTUITIVE

Instead of the best hamburger, name the best blue cheese burger. Instead of the best golf course, find the best Frisbee golf course. Don't name the best waitress or waiter; select the best bus boy.

* BE BRAVE

It's okay to be specialized. If something is so new that only three places are doing it, mention all of them.

* FIND THE BEST SHORT-FORM WRITERS

Hire writers who can say it all in 100 words or less. There are a lot of freelancers who can write a terrific 3,000-word feature but cannot write a 75-word item to save their lives.

* CREATE FAKE DEADLINES

Have writers turn in everything two weeks before the real copy deadline. "Best of" issues will be far more hectic than you anticipated.

* RAISE A MASSIVE WALL BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE