Template Teaser 1: Pre-launch Research

In this first of many "Template Teaser" blog posts to come, I've pulled a quote from the Business Planning chapter of AMPA's Template Magazine resource. In his article "Know Your Reader," Derek Sankey explores the need for strong reader research:

"Knowing who you are writing and producing a magazine for may seem obvious to any new publisher, but it's a trick that fools many. Insufficient market research upon launch is one of the main reasons that half of all magazines fail within five years [...] For smaller publishers, who typically plan their publication launch much less formally (if at all), making the effort to conduct consumer research sounds costly and exhausting. Truth be told, it can be. But that research is often what sets successful magazines apart from their competitors--they know their purpose...

You can learn more about reader research, and gain other valuable information about magazine publishing, in Template Magazine: The Definitive How-to Guide to Magazine Publishing in Alberta