Choosing the Cover Six Steps Toward COOL COVERS

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Choosing the Cover Six Steps Toward COOL COVERS
How to Extend the Life of Your Magazine (or at
least have more fun in its final days)
Presentation by Frank Stephenson
The University Research Magazine Association
Texas AM University - May 27, 2009
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THE MAGAZINE ZOO

• It's a Wild World Out There!

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THE FOUR MAJOR GENERA OF MAGAZINES

• scholarly semi-scholarly magazines
• professional trade magazines
• associational magazines
• consumer magazines

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Taking Stock of Our Covers

• Are our covers boring?

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Better Covers Better Readership More

• A Proven Equation in the Real Magazine World

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• In the URMA World
• Better Covers Better Readership
• Greater Job Security?

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Reasons for Improving our Covers

• Increase Readership
• Enhance the Image of Your U
• Stimulate Interdisciplinary Interest on Campus
• Its Fun!

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COVER POWER!

• HEY, YOU!
• LOOK HERE!

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Magazine Covers Are Our

• Billboards
• Curb Appeal
• No. 1 Sales Tool
• Most Powerful Sales Pitch
• The Window To Our Content

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COVER SCHEMES?

• What the heck are those?
• A cover scheme is your plan for using your cover
  to sell your magazine to readers.

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The Two Basic Elements of Cover Schemes

• Design
• A Specific Editorial Idea or Concept

FORMULA
Design Editorial Idea Cover Scheme
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THE TWO SPECIES OF COVER SCHEMES
Art
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THE TWO SPECIES OF COVER SCHEMES
Service Journalism
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CHOOSING YOUR COVER MOTIF
Step NO. 1

• Whatll It Be?
• Art or Service Journalism?

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The Gospel According to SJ

• Whats Service Journalism?

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THE ESSENCE OF SERVICE JOURNALISM

• WIIFM?
• Whats in it for me?

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how to lists

• numbers deadlines
• compelling blurbs

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COVERS WITH MUSCLE!

• Service journalism is simply the act of putting
  words and images to work
• They catch readers eyeballs
• They sell our product
• The provoke feelings emotions

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In the Service of Service Journalism PART 1

• The Seven Most Common Weapons for Spearing
  Readers

FOOD
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In the Service of Service Journalism PART II

• Whats in the URMA Bullpen?

Celebrity?
Sex?
Entertainment?
Fashion?
Lifestyle Leisure?
Food?
News?
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Step NO. 2
WHO IS READING US?
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Whats The Difference Between Advertising
MagsVS. The Rest of Us?
Good Readership Demographics
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THE URMA READER

• Largely local/regional
• College-educated
• ERGO
• They share common interest in the affairs of our
  state or region and they are
• engaged and curious

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Step NO. 3

• COOKING UP YOUR COVER SCHEME
• THREE KEY INGREDIENTS
• 3 COLOR
• 2 IMAGES
• 1 COVER LINES

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In the Service of Service Journalism PART III
Fair Balanced? On WHAT Planet?
How to Lower Your Taxes!
All You Need to Know About Sex Money Love
The Surprising Truth about God!
Kill Your TV Tonight!
Terrorism, Travel, You

• COVER LINES ARE KING!

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WWRD?
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Step NO. 4

• Mining the Field of Campus News
• Our campuses are mother lodes!

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Step No. 5

• Narrowing Your Cover Choices
• Which Story
• Has the biggest wow factor?
• Best fits the interests of my readers right
  now?
• Best fits the interests of most of my readers
• right now?
• Is the easiest to illustrate? The hardest?
• Holds the most promise for a great cover line?

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In the Service of Service Journalism PART III

• THE BEAUTY OF BAD NEWS
• Bad or scary news outsells good news every time
• Sets up tension in the reader
• Provokes an emotion
• Bad News Helps Sell Good News!

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Step No. 6

• WRITE EM RIGHT!
• Give orders
• Be specific
• Ask questions
• Pose What Ifs
• Get Edgy
• Have Fun!

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FUN WITH COVER LINES
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REVIEW

• Preliminary Step
• TAKE STOCK OF YOUR COVER!
• The Six Steps to a
• GREAT COVER SCHEME
• and thus a
• COOL COVER
• ..

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The Six Steps

• STEP 1 - Art or Service Journalism?
• STEP 2 - Find Out Who Your Readers Are
• STEP 3 - Mind the Three Ingredients of a Good
  Cover Scheme
• STEP 4 - Mine The Field
• STEP 5 - Find the Best Cover Candidate
• STEP 6 - COVER LINES - WRITE EM RIGHT!

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Choosing the Cover Six Steps Toward COOL COVERS
How to Extend the Life of Your Magazine (or at
least have more fun in its final days)
Presentation by Frank Stephenson PowerPoint by
Elizabeth Aker
The University Research Magazine Association
Texas AM University - May 27, 2009