Do-it-yourself media kits

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Feb 1, 1997 by Erica Ramus

When was the last time you looked at your magazine's media kit? When was the last time you looked at it and liked what you saw? I know, a redesign costs money -- and many of us simply cannot afford to spend big bucks on custom-printed folders and slick sales sheets. But relax Promotional materials do not have to be designed by professional artists to be effective, and a media kit need not cost a fortune to be impressive.

At Reptile & Amphibian Magazine, we used the same disorganized, uncoordinated media kit for more than five years. Recently, however, we tossed everything out and started from scratch -- a total media-kit redesign. Along the way, we learned five steps that even the smallest magazine can use to pull off a media-kit makeover without breaking the bank.

Dream. Whenever we're faced with a problem, one of our staff usually quips, "I wonder what a real magazine would do in this situation?" Even though we've been publishing R&A for more than seven years and have a circulation of over 15,000, we still have a kitchen-table mentality. We sometimes forget that there are more small-magazine publishers like us than there are multimillion-dollar operations with six- and seven-figure circulations. So we put aside any burgeoning inferiority complexes and, to get the creative juices flowing, made a list of magazines. They fell into three categories:

* Competitors: R&A has three direct competitors in the reptile category, proving once again that magazines are more targeted to small niches than ever before.

* Animals/pets/natural history: We chose a half-dozen titles that fall in the same genre as R&A and that represent a range of both large and small publishers.

* The "Dream Team": Our staff aimed for the sky and selected a few members of the "Real Magazine Club" -- major magazines with big bucks and circulation figures most of us can only dream of.

Armed with our fist, we called each magazine and requested a media kit. Here's what we learned: Looking at your competitors' media kits will show you what you're up against -- if you can get your hands on them, that is. Only one of our three competitors sent us a kit, although all promised they would. Media kits from what you consider your "dream magazines" will show you the outer limits of what is possible -- even if it is out of your price range. But it's the media kits from noncompeting magazines in your same genre -- magazines that have similar target readerships or occupy niches close to your magazine's -- that are likely to prove most useful to you: These are the media kits whose component Parts You can modify and adapt for your own use.

Study. When you have all the kits assembled, analyze the presentation -- from the envelopes to the cover letters to the paper quality. First impressions are critical. When you open the package, do loose papers fall out? Is the cover letter personalized, or is it a form letter? How does this kit make You feel? is it information-packed, or just vague propaganda? Can you find the critical data -- rates, closing dates and materials requirements -- easily and quickly? Most important, do you want to know more about the magazine?

Select Pick one or two favorites and analyze them in detail. Why do you like each one? What specifically would convince you to advertise with them? We found two publications in the animals category that occupy positions similar to ours -- both have serious, advanced amateur readerships, and both rely on a relatively small but devoted subscriber base. Both their media kits were packed with information, yet were simple and well organized.

Coordinate. Now get to work combining your favorite parts of each kit, making sure all the elements match in style and tone. As a nature-related publisher, I found that the full-color folders filled with glossy rate cards felt too slick (and expensive). On the other hand, one kit we liked used earthly paper with a down-to-earth, natural feel -- which is an impression we want to convey to prospective R&A advertisers.

Media buyers don't have time to read each line in a long letter or dig through page after page of data to find rates and closing dates. In one kit that we liked, the information sheets were tiered, with bold headlines at the top of each sheet. This made it easy for advertisers to find the information they need. We also liked the organized look of the staggered sheets and wanted to incorporate that into our new kit.

One pet magazine's media kit impressed us with its volume of information. It contained detailed demographics, reader profiles and subscriber buying habits, which gave advertisers plenty of reasons to advertise with the magazine. This kit made clear what differentiates the title from its competitors.

We now were inspired to undertake some research of our own: We surveyed current advertisers to find out why they choose to advertise with R&A; then we questioned subscribers to find out what they like best (and least) about R&A, and what they spend on reptiles and related supplies. From the data, we created a demographic sheet, plus a reader and advertise profile to add to the kit. Both sheets are presented in a concise, easy-to-read format so prospective advertisers can see at a glance that our readers are serious, devoted hobbyists, and can differentiate us from the magazines aimed at the "pet shop" crowd.