We set our official launch date for Expressions Custom Publications as October 15 (today!) but we’ve been off to the races for a while. If it weren’t for checking the calendar, the momentous occasion would have flown over our heads because we’re already knee deep in Phase 1 of the new magazine RAW for the company Representing All Women.
The Second Meeting
After the initial RAW meeting with our client, we left with a million ideas and much blank paper. But ideas are just free floating dust particles unless they get fleshed out, brought to life and sold to someone. We needed an editorial plan, a design concept and media kit before heading into meeting number two. Our client was thrilled with what we came up and I think a few extra steps we took along the way ensured this success:
Editorial Plan
First we built an editorial pattern listing the sections and what order features and columns will go in from front to back of the book. This establishes the flow of the magazine and allows us to be methodical and focused with our ideas for the specifics of the stories. We brainstormed multiple strong feature concepts for a meeting so we wouldn’t be caught off guard if your favourite one doesn’t fly. We went in prepared to defend the logic of why sections are where they are in the magazine. Your client may not ask, but if it’s a wise question to be asking yourself.
Design Concept for the Cover
We needed a cover design to include in the media kit. Once we internally agreed on the visual approach we wanted to take, after bouncing a few versions back and forth between designer and editor, we agreed on a cover we were excited about. Next, we sent it to a list of family and friends who also happened to be our target demographic. Asking for criticism is important. Many will look and just point out the things they like. Push people to look for what they don’t like. We had a popular look with our pool of secondary eyes from the get-go so we knew were on the right track.
Media Kit
The media kit is a primary sales tool and the exercise of doing it solves a lot of the remaining tangibles of publishing—distribution, circulation, marketing packages and the financial break-even for the publication. A media kit can be a work in progress, especially when it comes to the premier issue of a magazine. Allow for disclaimers where aspects of the distribution or costing may change as you get further in development. We concentrated on building the credibility of the brand and focused on what we can offer to your founding advertisers.
