Magazine
Situation
On the Verge Magazine is in dire need of submissions. So far, a number of writers from FSC have submitted work, but there are not nearly enough entries for what I had hoped the magazine would be. Also, the magazine, which I had hoped would be very image heavy, feels bland and text based, uninteresting. Along these lines, most of the submissions are from students at Fitchburg State. This defeats the purpose of the magazine. I wanted a sample of students from across the state, not a sampling of my friends and peers. Lastly, On the Verge is in dire need of income. Advertisers have not been responsive in the slightest to my numerous inquiries. In order to get off of the ground, On the Verge is going to funding from somewhere.
Objectives
1. To double the number of submissions currently in On the Verge.
2. To make at least half of those students from other colleges.
3. Acquire 10 advertisements.
4. Find 2 distribution sites near every college.
5. To have one submission from every state college in Massachusetts.
6. To distribute 1000 copies of the first issue of On the Verge
7. To have 100 people leave feedback on a survey online
8. To distribute copies in every campus bookstore in Massachusetts state colleges
Audience
The primary target audience for this magazine is college students, specifically liberal arts, art, music, and creative majors. This is the audience that I will be drawing most of the submissions from, and the audience that will do most of the reading of this magazine. These will be the people most interested in working creatively, and most interested in seeing what creative work their peers are doing.
Another target audience I would like to reach with this magazine is the creative professionals of Massachusetts. This would be publishers, agents, galleries, and record labels. The appeal to them will be that this magazine is a place where the up and coming creative artists are put on display.
The general college population of Massachusetts is a larger, more general audience that I wish to tap into, but they will not be targeted directly. The magazines will be distributed in locations that they would frequent, but beyond that there will me no direct attempt to gain their readership.
Strategy
Creating an unruled sense of community was only mildly successful. I received a number of replies this way, but there was very little follow through. With this plan, I need to find a way to keep that same level of community feel, but still come off as official and something that needs to be followed through with. A lot of the problem I had with submissions was the not following through. Giving the campaign a more urgent, deadline driven feel should help with this problem. Remaining open and carefree did not produce results; the world is a deadline driven place and people only get things done when they are working under pressure.
As far as advertisers go, my entire approach to them has to change. Apparently my previous letters to them did not get across just what an amazing opportunity this is for them to reach their target audiences. All communications with them need to stress this point even more. The point that I am a free publication that their customers will actually see is one that they have to understand. On the Verge will be touching the creative communities on college campuses all across Massachusetts.
Generally, I need to be persistent, far more so that I was during the semester. If a student tells me that he will submit something, I need to keep bothering them until they finally do. None of this “I’ll have it to you by the end of the week.” I need to establish firm deadlines and make people abide by them. All of the general strategies I used for my first campaign still hold true and can be used in some form. They just need to be combined with the new of idea of being a hardass.
Tactics
1. Include with every communication I send a deadline, specific guidelines, and a minor threat of non-publication for not meeting the deadline. People submitting to the magazine have to realize that it will not be successful unless they actually submit. Their work will never be seen if they do not submit it, because On the Verge will never be published. An example of this deadline is in the myspace message. “If you’re interested in joining this print community of college artists, send your work to otvmagazine@gmail.com by June 31.” This is straightforward, to the point, and yet still manages to create a community, this time a community of artists who meet deadlines.
2. Include with every e-mail to potential advertisers samples of both writing and images that will be appearing in the first issue of On the Verge. This way, not only will they be enticed by the idea of a publication that reaches college students, they will see the kind of work they would be supporting. This would make the experience more personal for the advertisers, and make them more likely to give me their money.
3. Continue sending e-mails to these advertisers until a response is received. Not responding is not the same as a no. They’ll respond if they get an e-mail once a week, and once they say no, I can keep at them until they say yes. Just getting that initial response is the important thing.
4. Include in all e-mails to advertisers the connection On the Verge will have with their customer group, harping on that point over and over again. From the sample letter to advertisers: “There is no reason for them not to pick up a copy of On the Verge because they don’t have to pay a dime and because it is the work of their friends and peers, published by their friends and peers. There is no outside influence from “The Man,” which will appeal to the naturally rebellious, independent nature of college students.”
5. Go to the Java Hut and other such coffee houses with fliers and business cards, searching for more submissions. The creative crowd who might have work to submit tends to hang out in places like this. Not only that, but coffee houses and other such establishments would be wonderful places to request advertisements from and distribute from. Places like this would allow me to kill all three birds with one stone.
6. E-mail potential distribution sites, including in this e-mail copies of the writing and images that will appear in On the Verge. This would be for the same reason as the advertising. Distributors should be easier, because they would have to do almost no work. The magazine is free, so there should be no issue with collecting money or any of those complications.
7. Send press releases to every local newspaper in the state that I can find, asking for people to submit to the magazine. This press release should appeal to parents as well as students, because parents tend to be the ones who read these newspapers. Because the college kids have gone home for the summer, I have to find them there, instead of in the isolated college towns.
8. Send a slightly different press release to the major newspapers, with a focus on the entrepreneurship of me as a student from a small state school. This will be a story for them, a success story of a student struggling up from the bottom, etc. etc. etc.
9. Submit posts on craigslist and other such website calling for submissions from college students, and also looking for advertisers. A lot of people check the craigslist listing, especially college students looking to make a bit of extra money in their fields, the motivated ones at least.
10. Submit radio news release to the popular radio station in the areas around Worcester, Springfield, and Boston, including 104.5, 107.9, 98.5 and 94.5. These are the most popular radio stations east of the Connecticut River as far as I can tell, especially among the college age students. This news release could reach a huge number of them because of the amount of time they spend driving.
Timetable
May 20, 21: Contact all of the college students once again through myspace
May 22: Release of press release to at least 50 newspapers, local
Compile a list of 50 potential advertisers
May 23-28: Send e-mails to 50 potential advertisers
May 29-June 2: Send Follow up e-mails to all advertisers
June 12-19: Send e-mails to 15 distribution sites
June 31: Established deadline for submissions
August 1: Established deadline for advertisements
September 4: Magazine to printer
September 22: Printing complete
September 18: Magazine Release
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