3 Keys to Keeping Readers Engaged

Recently, I spent two days attending the 2008 Folio Show in Chicago with fellow Hammock editors Jamie Roberts and Megan Pacella. It was my first visit to the Windy City, and as you might imagine, I learned a lot during my 48 hours there. (Like always give an address to cab drivers, so they’ll take you to the right place and ignore people who approach you on the street—lest you find yourself part of a product demonstration.) But, seriously, attending the show gave me new insight into the ever-changing magazine industry and new strategies to help our clients produce publications that can compete in an interactive world.

My favorite session focused on how to make your stories (or issues, for that matter) must-reads. With most readers going online to get instantaneous news and information on topics that interest them, magazines must do more to stand out to audiences with high expectations and shorter attention spans. Even newsstand staples like National Geographic and The Scientist grapple with this issue. If your publication covers stories that are covered elsewhere, you can distinguish yourself by going beyond the facts to provide context, point of view and a guiding voice.

National Geographic’s executive editor Tim Appenzeller and The Scientist’s editor and publisher Richard Gallagher keep their magazine compelling and relevant to readers with these three tips:

Recently a few of us Hammockites traveled to Chicago to attend the Folio: 2008 Show. In addition to gaining valuable knowledge about the magazine industry, we also got to check out some of Chi-Town's most interesting sights. Here are a few snapshots from our trip.