Making the Most of Your Alumni Magazine

Anyone who has ever worked on a magazine knows how much work goes into each issue: developing the story plan, assigning dozens of stories, coordinating multiple photo shoots, editing copy, art directing photography and illustration, curating imagery, designing a multipage document (often more than 48 pages), getting stakeholder approval, proofing, printing, and finally sharing the content through digital channels. The magnitude of the work isn’t what the budget folks look at, however. Their primary concern is the cost to produce a magazine. For all of these reasons, it is crucial to maximize return. 

How can your magazine, specifically the print version, reach a broader audience? (Hint: A magazine can be an excellent recruitment piece.) How can it help to build the school’s reputation? What are the compelling stories and how can they appeal to a broad readership while remaining unique to your institution?

Maximize the Effort

As you create the story plan for the print issue and work with your team to develop the copy and visuals, think about how to share the stories beyond the printed magazine. All the work put into the issue does not have to be just for print—consider the printed version your premium communication, complemented with digital and social media. 

Also consider repackaging stories for a longer shelf-life and broader reach. Connect with campus partners to discuss repurposing the stories for advertisements, fundraising campaigns, and brochures. Positioning the magazine as the story hub for your institution makes it an even more valuable tool for your school.

Bring People into “The Club”

A successful alumni magazine brings people back to campus, reminding them about their experiences, people, and traditions. The alumni stories are proof of concept. How was the experience part of someone’s life journey? What classes did they take that changed their trajectory? Who were the professors who opened their minds to different perspectives? What about the classmates who are now members of their lifelong network? 

These are all aspects that are not only engaging to people who went to the school but also to those considering attending. These stories are windows into the club.

As print viewbooks are created less frequently now, our clients are strategizing to use the print magazine as an admissions communication. Holderness School, an independent boarding school in New Hampshire is known for its connection to the outdoors. Previously producing two issues of Holderness School Today, the team made the brilliant decision to change their publishing model to create a spring adventure journal paired with a more traditional alumni magazine in the fall. The adventure journal, Base Camp, captures the outdoor curriculum throughout the school year and beyond, highlighting alumni who have gone on to professional careers. Not only is it stunning visually, thanks to the beautiful photography, it is also the perfect piece to share with a prospective family to show them what life at Holderness is all about—and beyond. Pair it with a personal letter and done.

Another client, Berkeley Carroll School, based in Brooklyn, NY, is publishing an annual print magazine with the goal to communicate what differentiates the school in a highly competitive market. Their focused story plan not only connects with a prospective audience, it also keeps alumni informed on ways that the school has grown and changed.

As print budgets are scrutinized, considering how to broaden the magazine’s reach is an important factor.

Build Reputation

We hear two goals when redesigning a magazine: Engage the alumni and build reputation. Communications teams understand the magazine not only keeps your community connected, it is key to informing people outside of the community on how the institute makes an impact through research, community engagement, and the workforce.

When we redesigned Iowa Stater, the flagship magazine for the university, state legislatures were an audience segment and an important aspect of the reputation strategy. Keeping this essential audience in mind is crucial for state funded institutions.

Another important role for the magazine is rankings. Peer assessment accounts for 20 percent of the score for the US News & World Report rankings. While we might like to think rankings don’t matter, in a highly competitive market they impact enrollment. A well-considered magazine grabs the attention of the busy reviewer and educates them on why the school and its programs stand out.

Engage and Entertain

But at the end of the day, the magazine has to be engaging and fun to read. I love to hear from people who read one of our clients’ magazines even though they are not alumni. That is a sign of a magazine with great storytelling. 

I still remember a story from more than 10 years ago in Tufts magazine that changed my way of thinking about water as a resource. More recently, the wonderful story by Catherine O’Neill Grace in Wellesley magazine, The Third Phase, about life after retirement resonated with me. And, I can’t stop thinking about Bloom, in the recent issue of Bowdoin, on the role that flowers play in our lives. You don’t have to be an alum to be interested and affected by these stories. Schools are rich with diverse and compelling stories and the magazine is still the best tool for longform narrative.

Reading, art directing, and designing these stories is why I love magazines—and creating ways to maximize their ROI.