The past few years have not been kind to publishers on the newsstand. For most categories sales on the newsstand have dropped significantly but City and Regional Magazines continue to do better than the rest of the industry.
One of the shining stars of the City Magazine category is Austin Monthly. They have been able to triple their newsstand sales over the past three years, even in this challenging environment.
How did they do it? It’s a three-part strategy.
1) Start with AWESOME editorial and design. Readers LOVE this magazine and they show it buy purchasing the title more and more each month. The product is always at the base of any retail sales success story and Austin Monthly nails it, month after month.
2) The Editor, Erin Quinn, has done an awesome job by creating a cover topic lineup that focuses on hot selling topics. Facts are facts and the fact is that some cover subjects just will not sell regardless of the presentation. Knowing which cover topics sell puts you miles ahead in winning the newsstand sales battle.
I have always found the Centofante Cover Database an invaluable tool for ideas, inspiration, and most critically—what sells! Of course, as an art director, I am passionate about trying to make covers that look great, but we are always mindful of what will sell well too. The Centofante Group’s database has been crucial in helping us steer toward that goal—look great, sell great. It’s a crucial resource for me and the Editor here every single month. —Kevin Goodbar, Design Director Austin Monthly
3) The Design Director, Kevin Goodbar, has a great newsstand eye. Newsstand sales grew tremendously at 5280 and St. Louis magazine when he was Art Director.
When the editorial and the art team members are focused on growing newsstand sales half the battle is won. The other half is on the wholesaler and retailer side. This is where the Centofante Group comes in.
The Centofante Group worked with Austin’s retailers and wholesalers to ensure that the title was in prime selling positions. They also helped the wholesalers and retailers understand that regional titles often outsell their national counterparts in that local market. That’s a huge selling point that is often missed.
The Centofante Group drives this message home with its City Magazines are Number One campaign. This continuous wholesaler and retail education program has made a difference in many markets including Austin.