Now it is time to find out about the perceived potential competition. What is already on the market today? What do they do well? What do you like? Dislike? To do this you’re going to do some research. The competition may be print, online or an app.
First, figure out who the competition might be (You need to identify two sources – print, online or app is fine). Look through a few issues – don’t just look at the covers – so you can get a feel of the standard elements from one issue to the next. You can check these sources or do a search like:
“travel guide” +”Park City Utah”
Or try one of these lists of publications to see if anything sparks your attention •http://megamediamarketing.com/demographics.html •https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_magazines •http://www.magazine.org/insights-resources/magazine-media-factbook
Next, Google the name of a competitor publication and “media kit” and you’ll find a wealth of information about the publication. The purpose of the media kit is to get people to advertise so they have a ton of great information.
SAMPLE: “travel and leisure” +”media kit” https://www.meredith.com/brand/travelandleisure
SAMPLE: https://www.meredith.com/Southern-Living-Media-Kit.pdf
SAMPLE: https://static.people.com/media-kit/assets/people_ratecard_2020-final-11.6.19.pdf
As you look through the competitor publication think about:
- What I like about this publication
- What I dislike about this publication
- My publication will be different because
You will take screenshots of the information you find to help create a competitor profile. You might need to go to a couple of sites to ensure you can find the required information. You are looking for:
Editorial calendar – The editorial calendar helps you to see what kind of stories they are planning for the year. This can help you as you try to decide content for your publication.
Sample Editorial Calendar
Sample Editorial Calendar
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/mediakit/assets/img/downloads/2020/NGK_2020_Media_Kit.pdf
Circulation & Reader Information – What do they have to offer about their circulation? What can you find out about the publication demographics? History? What is the unique selling proposition?
Sample Circulation Information
Source: https://static.people.com/media-kit/assets/people_ratecard_2020-final-11.6.19.pdf
Sample Readership Information
Planning Your Publication Project 