What a time to be alive
Britain right now is in chaos. Our government is a shambles. The chancellor has just been sacked and the new guy is an old guy most famous for aptronymic mispronunciations of his surname. Our current Prime Minister has achieved the impossible and managed to make our former Prime Minister look vaguely competent.
And if you’re in the US… commiserations on the mid-terms. I hope the final run up passes painlessly for you.
I’m a silver linings kind of guy though and, in times of unprecedented turmoil, people turn to magazines to help them a) understand what’s going on b) deal with what’s going on c) forget what’s going on.
That’s a pretty cool position to be in and just one more reason why we should try to remember (through all the crap) that being a magazine pro is a privilege not a chore.
If you’re not feeling that right now, I get it, but maybe read this from a student writing about how they felt after being at Magazine Street last week. It gave me hope for the future of what we do. I hope it does the same for you.
This is genius!
The Daily Star is not what I’d describe as a quality newspaper; it’s as tabloid as a tabloid can get. But over the last couple of years it has been fearless in calling out the dire state of British politics.
The paper’s latest stunt represents God-tier trolling of a beleaguered Prime Minister, placing her portrait next to a fresh lettuce and asking if the PM will outlast the 10-day shelf life of the lettuce.
Why is this an idea worth stealing? Have a look at the YouTube live feed and wonder at the engagement. As I write there are more than 1,200 people watching and hundreds commenting.
No we don’t all have national politics as our beat, but this is a smart, funny and timely way to engage people with an issue. And it’s costing next to nothing. Find quirky ways to represent the big issues you cover.
Show lunchtimes some love
Lunchtimes can be dull. A sandwich at your desk, catching up on the socials? Where’s the fun in that?
Sophie Cross at Freelancer magazine is hosting a lunchtime ‘cook along’ session where magazine readers are invited to join fellow-freelancer and food obsessive Susane Wakefield in making aubergine bahn mi for lunch.
This is such a good idea in tapping into a universal need (lunch) and universal lack (boring lunches) with a positive, social solution. Even better, the money attendees pay to join the Zoom session will be donated to the Trussell Trust Food Bank Charity.
If your readers hate lunchtime, find a way to fill it with something better.
Tools
No I’m not still banging on about the government. These are real, useful tools to help you do stuff with all types of digital files for free.
This website - TinyWow - site can help you with all sorts of computer conundrums, converting file types, cutting up, cropping and compression. There’s even a lorem ipsum generator.
Less an idea worth stealing, more a way to avoid paying (which is kind of the same thing) TinyWow is well worth a visit
This week’s magazine song is Bree Sharp’s ‘Dirty Magazine’. I’m not sure it’s the most politically correct tune on the playlist, but in a weird way, I like the nostalgia and it is a proper toe tapper. What do you think?
Thanks for reading
Please remember to send me any magazine publishing ideas that you think are worth stealing for future issues. And remember, if you would like any help finding ideas for your business, let's arrange a chat.