Peter Houston, co-host of Media Voices podcast and publisher of The Grub Street Journal looks at why consumers give magazine publishers their money (and you should too).

In February my soon-to-be wife and I walked down the aisle to Kermit singing ‘The Rainbow Connection’.

The frog has heard ‘rainbows are visions… only illusions’, but he’s having none of it. Along with the lovers and the dreamers, he knows that someday he’ll find the connection between reality and his vision.

For magazine publishers, the connections between the commercial reality of print and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow are many and varied, but finding them is essential if they want to keep readers buying their titles.

I’m sure choosing where to advertise is more science than emotion these days, but magazines that people pay for, that deliver real value, should be on the shortlist.

Here are some of the things publishers do to keep their readers paying and that brands should look out for when they are thinking about advertising.

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A version of this post was first published in The Magazine Diaries on Substack, a weekly newsletter about how publishers are making print magazines work in a digital world.

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Clear value propositions

Utility is not a sexy word, but it’s a huge reason people pay for magazines.

It’s easier to define utility in a B2B context. Content that makes people better at their jobs is clearly useful. But the same can also be true in the consumer space. Make me better at knitting, carp fishing, or playing the guitar and I’ll buy your magazine.

However, there’s also subjective utility: help me have better opinions about politics, fashion or music. Deepen my understanding of the world, whether that’s the current affairs or the Soaps. Introduce me to things I didn’t know existed, but that you suspect I’ll love.

Advertise in magazines that readers think are really, really useful.

Specialist communities

When we think about showing off these days we think of social media, but people have been using magazines to show off forever.

Does anyone ever carry a magazine with the cover facing in? Maybe if they’ve grabbed it from the top shelf, but if it’s Vogue, Men’s Health, Empire, or Dazed… absolutely not. People want other people to know what magazines they read because they want them to know what gang they belong to.

Personal identity is a complex thing, but a clear way to flag the gang you’re in is to buy that gang’s magazine. Much easier to decipher than coloured bandanas or tattoos, a magazine masthead is an instant identifier.

This magazine I’m reading, carrying under my arm, laying on my coffee table, says I’m a foodie, a crafter, a classic car enthusiast.

Advertise in magazines that readers carry like a badge of honour.

Shared passions

Passion lies at the heart of the magazine business.

Back in the day, Future publishing’s corporate strapline was ‘Media with passion’. From magazines about Amstrad computers to crafts, wine and guitars, Future embraced the hobbyist’s single-minded quest to master their chosen obsession to become one of the biggest magazine publishers in the UK. And so has every other profitable publication.

That passion doesn’t just rest with special interest magazines. Think about the persistence and dedication it took from writers and editors at Computer Weekly to run down the story of the Post Office scandal. Or the absolute joy in Dan Green’s post about fueling one his young reader’s passion for aviation.

Advertise in magazines made with the same passion as they are read.

Collectibles

Collecting precious things might just be hard-wired into our genes.

People love their collections, whether that’s autographs, Barbie dolls or “Do not Disturb” signs. One of the most satisfying things I own is the full set of 13 Hot Rum Cow issues; the complete collection of what was once the world’s best booze magazine, a magazine I loved for its design, its words and its attitude.

The worst thing in the world is an incomplete collection. Although it’s hard to say exactly what makes a magazine collectible, there’s probably a Venn diagram of collectability where utility, gang membership, and shared passions all intersect with FOMO. Home and health and wellbeing magazines are the perfect examples.

Advertise in magazines that readers collect.

Habits

If humans are collectors, they are also creatures of habit.

For The Grub Street Journal’s third issue, Delayed Gratification publisher, Rob Orchard told me that print magazines ‘wriggle’ themselves into peoples’ schedules. Once they are there, they are something to look forward to – an opportunity, a welcome ‘me-time’ break, a moment to laugh at the world.

In a world deluged by digital distractions, print magazines are a self-contained space. The regular rhythm of print publishing – weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual – sets up a relatively fixed point in time when readers know they can make an appointment to ditch the distractions.

Advertise in magazines that are a habitual ritual.

Goodwill

People buy people, but maybe just the once.

How many Kickstarter projects have you pledged to because you know the person launching it? Communities of interest can be pretty tight. We love hearing about people that share our passions and we’ll contribute whenever we can. Working within a community, making yourself ‘famous to the family’, is the perfect start to getting people to pay you for what you do.

However, goodwill is a fragile resource; it’s finite and it’s easy to waste. You can pretty much sell anything to anyone once. The clever part is repaying their initial trust with something of real value, then doing it again and again and again, issue after issue.

Advertise in magazines that deliver on the goodwill they have earned.

The colour of money

At the risk of beating the rainbow metaphor to death, the connection to every magazine’s pot of gold will be a unique mix of colours. Exactly what gets people to pay – and keep paying – will depend on who the publisher is, where they are, who and where their readers are, and what their magazine is about.

I’m not sure exactly what your rainbow will look like. One thing I’m absolutely certain of… be BOLD… no one, especially not the lovers and the dreamers Kermit is singing about, ever bought a beige rainbow.

You can find out more about The Grub Street Journal here.