PRINT MAGAZINES: A DYING BREED

PRINT MAGAZINES: A DYING BREED
By Jordyn Borczon of MLC PR

As a publicist, it is part of my job to stay up on essentially every print magazine that is being published, their lead times, the stories they are working on, and which of my clients would be a good fit for them. However over the past year, it is shocking how many print publications have been forced to shut their doors. Naturally, the blame is automatically put on the economy. With the entire nation in an economic crisis, magazines and newspapers have had cut back after cut back - leaving editors and writers without jobs. Not only that, but it leaves public relations professionals with less places to pitch their clients to for coverage. However aside from the economy, there might be another factor that is causing print outlets to become extinct, the Internet.

I have alerts set on my computer so that every time a magazine closes its doors, I can update it in my records. Literally, every day I have to make an update. The most recent magazine to cease publication that really hit home was Teen Magazine, which had been a staple for me growing up. The news was sad and a bit shocking, Teen Magazine fell victim to what happened to Elle Girl, Teen People, and Cosmo Girl Magazines in the months prior to their departure. The hope that publicists have, is that we have begun to find enormous success online. Personally, after securing placements with top outlets online such as Glamour.com, Elle.com, The Wall Street Journal online and more, it is safe to say that it may not be the economy killing print publications, but it could be the Internet as well.

Despite print magazines dying out, many have found a new home online, which has proved to be a powerful asset in public relations campaigns. The Internet has changed the PR game that remained the same for years, and while the once print magazine used to hold all the glory for a client, a website or "webzine" has quickly taken its place.

Statistics show that magazine websites attracted an average 75 million unique visitors per month in the last three months of 2008, compared to a monthly average of 68 million during the same period in 2007, an increase of 11% according to The Magazine Publishers of America. The growth rate for magazines' web audience far exceeds the 3% growth rate for the Internet overall. Seventy-five million unique visitors in the fourth quarter of 2008 equals 45% of the total Internet-using population of the United States, compared to 42& during the same period in 2007.

So what does this mean? When I first read these statistics, they were not shocking, however I do not think I realized the power behind having an interview or feature with a client on a site that can have anywhere from 1 - 75 million unique viewers a month. These stats show that as print magazines continue to die, magazines and webzine's online continue to grow stronger, and have the potential to exposure clientele to "eyeballs" that may have never would have seen them before. So, I will continue to say arrivederci to the magazines that shut their doors in the coming years, while adapting to the new world of publicity in the process.