The Success Center

Archive “Super Star” Spotlight: I thought it would be a good idea to start spotlighting a couple of posts that are buried in the archives. Some of you are fairly new to this site and others are lifelong followers (you are, aren’t you?). No matter what category you fall into, I’m sure there’s at least 1 article here you haven’t read. Enjoy one of the most popular articles here at The Success Center!

8 Magazine Strategies that add Value to Your Blog

If you’ve been keeping up with the news then you know that newspaper and magazine readership is in a bit of a decline. Most of that stems from new media technologies such as blogs, social networks, and all things “world wide web.” The emergence of these technologies has given everyday moms, dads, grandmas, and uncle Joes the ability to funnel news, information, and resources more efficiently than their parent media brethren. But don’t count out newspapers or magazines just yet. There are still a lot of things they do, that we as bloggers, can learn and apply to our own projects.

This weekend I took a trip to the bookstore to do a little research. My goal was to find out what techniques big brand magazines use to advertise, engage with their readers, and add value to their content. Here are the results of my research and a few tips on maximizing them for your blog;

1. Offer a free download with your newsletter subscription – Source: Success Magazine
   Strategy: First and foremost let me say that if you’re not currently offering a newsletter of any kind on your blog or website then you’re sorely missing out on a huge opportunity to connect intimately with your visitors/readers/audience. Your newsletter can be delivered via email daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or whatever floats your boat directly to your reader’s in boxes. Success Magazine offers a single MP3 audio download of a motivational speech. How long would it take for you to record one of your best articles and offer it as a free download for your newsletter?
   Why is it important?: For starters it’s a great incentive for people to sign-up. Secondly, who doesn’t like getting free stuff?
2. Develop an “Advisors Board” – Source: Success Magazine
   Strategy: An Advisors Board is a list of big name columnist that contribute to the magazine on a monthly basis. For Success Magazine that included Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell, and others. For you it could be other bloggers that you connect with that have similar goals and want to reach the same target audience. The key is to offer whomever is going to contribute to your blog more than just “an opportunity” to write for you. Dedicate a page for them which will display their profile and links to connect with them. Developing an Advisors Board is really kind of like partnering. It should be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
   Why is it important?: It adds value to your audience because they get to read articles from a different point of view or with a different style. It changes things up and plus, you get to take a little break from posting.
   Note: Guest posting is a common practice but it’s typically a one-time deal. An Advisors Board would be based on a continual and consistent posting basis.
3. Create an “Editor’s Note” – Source: Every major magazine
   Strategy: Whenever you open up a magazine you’ll see a letter from the editor. It’s typically a note that outlines the month’s issue and what to look for inside. But I would challenge you to take it a step further by doing it with video. A short clip introducing readers to your site, defining your blogging goals, or just saying hello to your audience.
   Why is it important?: It’s a great way to connect with your readers “from the jump.” It also reaffirms your personal brand by showcasing your character and not just your image (People get to see who you really are).
4. Do Book Reviews – Source: Success from Home Magazine
   Strategy: A lot of magazines offer short reviews of books they recommend along with web links to get more information on the title. However, as a blogger, you’re at an advantage because of the web. Instead of writing a review, do a video review. One blogger that does this well is Chris Brogan. Not only does he do quick, laid back, reviews, but he adds his Amazon affiliate link for the products below the video.
   Why is it important?: It’s another great way to share who you are and what you’re about. It’s another form of connection between you and your readers. Some of you already recommend books to your friends, why not do it publicly?
   Tip: Don’t just do a review a book to make a quick buck with affiliate links. Recommend something you have read or would read yourself.
5. Write “List” style articles – Source: Black Enterprise
   Strategy: I love the way Black Enterprise creates huge lists of just about anything you can think of when it comes to business. “100 Most Powerful Executives, 100 Best Service Companies, etc.”
   Why is it important?: The list article is easy to read, adds a ton of value to any blog, and never gets old. Sure, there’s a lot of research involved on the front end, but it’s smooth sailing once you start putting it together.
6. Create a Resources Page – Source: Entrepreneur Magazine
   Strategy: This one is a good one. Share information, tools, links, and other info that helps your blogging community.
   Why is it important?: It’s a sign that you’re a part of the community too and that you don’t have all the answers. Your visitors will appreciate, care, and respect you more for sharing.
7. “Ask the Expert” (Reader Q&A) – Source: Leadership Magazine
   Strategy: This was a great technique that utilized an expert in a specific field to answer reader questions in the magazine. The expert can be yourself or you can reach out to someone else (there’s the advisors board idea). Either way it goes don’t just write useful articles, share tips, and resources with your readers . . . become a problem solver. Darren Rowse from Problogger uses his twitter account to connect with his readers and answers their questions on his blog. Great use of social networking!
   Why is it important?: It’ll increase your expert status a hundred fold, encourage community participation, and adds value to your reader’s lives and not just the blog.
8. Make Subscribing Easy! – Source: All Major Magazines
   Strategy: In every magazine that I flipped through at least 5 or more “subscription” cards fell out around me. The pages were literally littered with them! It dawned on me that they made subscribing to the magazine easy. As a blogger you have to make sure that you’re giving readers and first time visitors the opportunity to stay informed and connected with your site. Do it by offering subscription links after your posts, in your sidebar, on your about page, and even on your contact page. Make it easy.
   Why is it important?: It’s a no brainer! The more subscribers you have the greater impact your content is making in the online community.

And there you have it. I hope this list was useful to you as it has been for me. Looking over it again, it’s kind of dawned on me that I have a lot of work to do. The best way to maximize this list is to print it out and check things off as you implement them on your blog. I made it a personal goal to tackle at least half of the items on the list this week. You should see my results over the next couple of days. This list is, of course, not everything you can learn from a magazine so please feel free to add to it in the comments below. What are some of your favorite magazines and how do they engage, connect, or add value to their readers?

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About the Author Rod is the editor-in-chief of The Success Center, Producer of "Inside the Success," and a Success Coach. For more information, tips, and advice on being a successful Christian-preneur subscribe to Rod's "Success Tips!" weekly newsletter.

Further Reading

• 3 Magazine Advertising Strategies for Blogging Success
• How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog
• What Can You Learn from a 16yr Old Entrepreneur?
• How to Grow Your Blog’s Community in 3 Easy Steps
• HOW TO: Build a Web Presence for Your Business