1. A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Editorial Content JOUR 500 The Contemporary Magazine

2. Step 1: Define Your Reader  Create profiles of 2-3 target readers  If possible, use real people you know who would be ideal readers for your publication  List demographics (age, socioeconomics, race if relevant, geography) of your target readers  List psychographics (likes, hobbies, interest, habits) of your target readers

3. STEP 2: Define Your Readers’ Needs List problems, challenges & needs these readers are likely to have These may include:  Financial challenges (living on a budget, how to afford college, saving for retirement)  Personal challenges (finding a place to live, taking care of an elderly parent, how to lose weight or eat more healthy foods)  Decision challenges (deciding what to do Saturday night, choosing the right college)  Cultural challenges (how to stay up to date on news, celebrities, music, restaurants, fashion)

4. STEP 3: Address Your Readers’ Problems with Solutions  How can your magazine help solve your readers’ problems and challenges?  What solutions or advice can you offer?  How can you get readers to trust your magazine?

5. STEP 4: Define Readers’ Product Needs/Desires  What products or services will your readers want information about (fashion, food, home décor, entertainment, etc.)  List products and specific brands your readers are likely to buy

6. STEP 5: List Subject Areas Considering your readers’: Demographics Psychographics Needs/challenges Types of products/services they need/want List subject areas you plan to cover (food, beauty, film, politics, sports, health, money, etc.)

7. STEP 6: Plan Specific Departments Departments can include: How-to Column/essay by a particular columnist or about a particular topic Reviews Short to medium-length articles on a particular topic Recipes Puzzles, games Information that ties to products or services (beauty, fashion, etc.)

8. STEP 7: Create Story Budget  Use your worksheet to create a story budget for 3 issues.

9. STEP 8: Create a TOC  Once you have a story budget, create a table of contents with catchy headlines and teasers for each of your three issues  Remember the TOC should capture the mood and tone you want to set

10. Step 9: Check Refer back to your target readers  Does your magazine serve your target readers?  Do you provide a useful service to readers?  Do your TOCs align with your mission statement?  Anything missing?