Notes On Magazine Textbook

I looked at a book called ‘Exploring The Media’ which helped me gain an understanding for how magazines are made and published, what magazines need to think about whilst they are being made, such as their target audience, and how I can improve my music magazine. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t specify music magazines, but it does look at film and fashion/lifestyle magazines which have also been of help to me.

Magazines comes in a wide range of sub-genres, such as lifestyle magazine, comics, online editions. Virtual magazines have become more popular as more magazines are selling online editions and subscriptions online.

Magazines are different to newspapers, as they are more detailed, have less timely information, they feature more than just hard news and day-to-day stories. Magazines explore profile issues and there are usually only issues weekly/fortnightly/monthly, whereas newspapers are daily. Magazines are also more permanent, people like to keep them for longer and collecting magazine issues is very common. The content is also much more specialised, as the target audience is more precise.  

Magazine consumers appreciate information that is specifically aimed at their needs, they look for a magazine with content they would personally be interested in. Most magazines have a contents and an editor’s section. The editor’s section is a good feature to have, so the reader can have a personal insight to who’s behind the magazine.  

The cover is the face of the magazine, this is very important as it’s always on display. Readers must be able to tell by a glance if the magazine is for them. So magazine producers must make a stereotypical assumption about their audience by creating content the audience is likely to agree with.

The cover of a magazine usually consists of:

-          A masthead – title

-          Taglines/straplines – captions

-          Lure – free items offered by magazine

-          Cover photo

-          Celebrity endorsement – so the readers are interested in their favourite celebrities.

-          Bar code

-          Date

-          Price

Unfortunately, there is a decrease in circulation figures with many magazines nowadays and the competition is fierce. Magazines much keep up to date with new technology by creating their own websites and offering online services to their readers, such as e-mail updates, online subscriptions, etc.