You don’t get to become a 233-year-old New England-based publishing company without learning that some of the best spots to visit are off the beaten path, and often out of cell-tower range. When it’s time to explore a new destination or hobby, niche magazines are there. Yankee Custom Marketing brings that same tangible, portable and engaging storytelling to niche magazines for our clients.
This year, Yankee Custom Marketing helped launch several original publications for organizations. These clients recognize print is a strategic, high-value and lasting medium for their stories.
Niche magazines work because they can serve as storytelling vehicles, even when your customers’ phones are searching for signals.
Despite the internet’s popularity, print remains a relevant format. It is a medium perceived as more factual, reliable and permanent. Print can cut the digital noise – no comment section here – and creates a lasting impression that signals importance.
YCM’s hybrid omnichannel approach provides the best of both realms. You can use print publications as a foundation of expert storytelling and then reformat it for digital reach and amplification.
Snapshots of new niche magazines
This year, YCM led the creation of several new publications: Elevate and Discover Sugar River Region. In both cases, the magazine helped introduce a brand identity while providing entertaining, informative stories. These new publications were also able to leverage the reach of Yankee’s in-house brands with inserts delivered with New Hampshire Magazine and NH Business Review.
YCM produced Elevate for Scouting New Hampshire. Amid a national name change of Boy Scouts of America to Scouting USA, the state council decided to shift its name. This magazine balances the changes against the organization’s commitment to providing young people with its traditional programs. Modern Scouts still have access to the outdoors, leadership opportunities and activities that promote fun and learning.
Discover Sugar River Region, an emerging destination marketing nonprofit, was seeking a publication to serve as a guide to Sullivan County. This would be something the organization could hand out at travel trade shows, at visitors’ centers and to area businesses. The magazine pairs storytelling with travel resources, so visitors can explore even if their phone is offline. A printed guidebook elevates the profile of a lesser-known area and showcases it as a place worthy of print.
Strategic benefits of custom magazines
Niche magazines provide brands with a beautiful product that delivers measurable strategic benefits.
A tangible takeaway: A custom magazine serves as a physical reminder of your brand, open to in-depth reading or casual browsing. Whether handed out at trade shows, displayed in a lobby or shared in community spaces, your story is within arm’s reach.
Credibility builder: Polished niche magazines, printed on paper with literal and perceived weight, give readers something that they see as more trustworthy and valuable. A magazine signals permanence and authority, elevating your message and distinguishing it from fleeting online updates.
Evergreen content hub: A single print issue can become the backbone of a year’s worth of storytelling. Feature articles and interviews can be reformatted into blog posts, social campaigns, email newsletters and even podcasts or webinars. Or, if the idea of a magazine seems too daunting, you can work in reverse; a magazine can be curated through the blogs, Q&As, case studies and social media you create over a year. Either way, you maximize your investment and reach.
Audience engagement: While print engagement can be harder to track compared to digital views and clicks, research shows that magazines encourage longer, deeper and more thoughtful engagement. Readers say they often set them aside to return later, spend more time with the stories and share them with others, which can extend your reach organically.
The future integrated print and digital strategy
Print isn’t an either-or choice; it’s a foundation on which you can build a larger omnichannel marketing plan. Publications can translate to digital media with e-editions, QR codes and interactive tools that extend the story to the web. A magazine acts as a gateway to your story, building deeper engagement as it moves to other formats.
Smart organizations are using custom magazines as a flagship storytelling platform and repurposing that content across channels. A feature profile can become a LinkedIn post, an infographic for Instagram or a script for a podcast. This integrated approach ensures a single investment in high-quality storytelling continues to work across formats and audiences.
Far from fading, print magazines thrive when approached as part of a larger strategy. At YCM, we see how customers can elevate their message with this format. Each client success underscores how print delivers results amid an omnichannel plan.
Yankee Custom Marketing, with its history of publishing, is uniquely positioned to help you turn your stories into impactful publications. These magazines hold a place on a coffee table and keep the stories top of mind.