4 Magazine Success Stories During Covid-19

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Going into 2020, you likely had high hopes of revenue and database goals you planned to achieve throughout the year. Then came Covid-19 and your goals likely took a significant hit.

Your company can’t afford to sit and wait for things to get back to normal. You need a strategy to keep delivering revenue and growing your email database throughout this pandemic. And the answer is promotions.

Promotions (like quizzes, best of ballots, sweepstakes) are the perfect tool to bolster a sense of community for your audience and your advertisers. They deliver actionable, qualified leads your advertisers need more than ever. On top of that, promotions grow your engaged email database, lifting the value of all your digital offerings.

Here are a few great examples of promotions wins during Covid-19:

 

1. Healthcare: Draw Your Heart Out (Photo Contest)

Campaigns around healthcare providers have always been a win – but in light of Covid-19, they have seen a surge of activity. Sponsored by Oklahoma Heart Hospital, this photo contest by MetroFamily Magazine asked for readers to send in their heart-shaped artwork to encourage the staff, patients, and families in the hospital. This brought in tons of engagement from readers and $800 in sponsorship revenue for the magazine.

 

2. 2020 Family Favorites (Best Of Ballot)

While many publishers postponed their annual Best Ofs, Baton Rouge Parents Magazine pushed forward and took this as an opportunity to drive engagement and support within their community. And the community responded. More than 25,000 nominations submitted, over 125,000 votes cast, more than 2,700 NEW opt-ins for the magazine – and on top of all that – over $45,000 in revenue.

 

3. Something to SMILE About (Sweepstakes)

With the economy taking a dip, many advertisers like Porter Orthodontics, have opted to cancel existing advertising campaigns. However, when Baton Rouge Parents Magazine got the call, they decided to pitch a promotion. This contest for a chance to win 50% off braces or Invisalign services was a big success. The contest brought in $8,000 in revenue, uncovered more than 400 quality leads, and the magazine started a follow-up nurturing campaign at $2 per lead.

 

4. Incredible Kids (Monthly Photo Contest)

While this campaign may have started pre-pandemic, it’s campaigns like this that help the St. Louis Magazine bring in significant and consistent revenue month after month. This 15-month contest with the local children’s hospital brings in an annual $37,000 in revenue ($2,500 a month.) With new lead-gen questions each month, multiple email opt-ins, and a monthly winner’s announcement email featuring content about children’s health, this campaign delivers value for the hospital all year long. Read the full story here.

 

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”3.8″ show_divider=”off” /][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.8″ src=”https://www.nichemediahq.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/magazine-ideas-banner-ad-2.png” url=”https://info.secondstreet.com/download-contest-ideas-magazines?utm_campaign=playbook-contest-ideas-magazines&utm_source=niche-site&utm_medium=article” module_alignment=”center” animation_style=”zoom” max_width=”80%” /][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”3.8″ show_divider=”off” /][et_pb_team_member _builder_version=”3.8″ name=”Ryan Kulage” position=”Account Executive, Second Street” text_orientation=”left” header_text_align=”left” body_text_align=”left” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”|600|||||||” body_font=”|300|||||||” image_url=”https://www.nichemediahq.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ryan-kulage.png”]

Ryan is an Account Executive at Second Street. Ryan is dedicated to helping magazines deliver measurable results through promotions and interactive content to achieve their revenue and database goals.

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