I don’t know how you react when looking at a tea industry magazine but I know how I feel: frustrated. Why? To answer that, one must understand what is really a magazine and what is not one.
“Magazines, periodicals, glossies, or serials are publications that are printed with ink on paper, and generally published on a regular schedule and containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine)
Know that we all agree on what a magazine is or isn’t, I can keep on telling you why I am bothered by these publications.
The ads do not disturb me at all, after all if I get them for free, someone has to pay for it.
What is more “annoying” is the content as sometimes:
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it is free ads under disguise while they mainly speak about their products,
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it is mixed quite often with coffee/spice/other drinks news,
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the topics are sometimes too industry oriented and focusing on some obscure tools/techniques…
What would I want to see in such a magazine?
I don’t think tea reviews as nowadays with Internet and so many people doing that, it is not really worth it and could be easily skipped.
Articles focusing on explaining the industry in its complexity and organisation (all along the value chain) could be really interesting and could provide useful insights on how things work for the tea-lovers and also what works or doesn’t.
Another important point would be articles on countries and their specifics, be it in the way they see or produce tea.
Reports on new and actual trends would also be interesting and could foster some debate.
I know that what I describes makes this hypothetical magazine something between a generalist or for the general public magazine and a trade journal (one focusing only on the industry as its target), something that would make it difficult for it to find its target.
I know I am a bit partial here but I think it could be useful to allow all of us to better understand tea.
A lot of other things could be added and since this is just my opinion, I open the debate here on what you would like to see in a tea industry magazine but one focusing on you and me.
Are you planning on publishing such a magazine, Xavier?
No. I just happened to read a couple of them and I thought a little about it.
What I like in such a magazine: background stories, cultural stories, perhaps some event highlights. A “fantasy” story can also be nice. Perhaps an incidental tea or tea ware review.
But basically more depth, something I sit down for and read carefully instead of quickly going over it and continue with the next article. Articles to read and reread. Articles that stimulates the mind and make me think.
And of course a clear separation between ads and content.
More depth is needed.
It that sense I love the “art of tea” magazine. Unfortunately it is not easy to get, but essence of tea has it regularly but not directly after a new issue is published.
I will try to look at them.
The magazie I like is National Geographic with big nice pictures, also along with professional texts.
The point is to be interesting that can lead you to discover soemthing.
And a general public approach?
Your point about “it is free ads under disguise while they mainly speak about their products” is a really good one. That’s something I don’t like at all either.
I think one problem is that the kind of magazine you describe doesn’t appeal to the masses, popular articles are ones that remain fairly superficial, and are tied in with products that can then be marketed to consumers reading the magazine.
Look at Tea Trade. Most of us here are serious tea lovers who are neither newbies, nor tea industrialists, so that narrows down our audience. I think for the same reasons we’re (sadly) not likely to attract all tea lovers, a magazine with similar focussed interests won’t either.
I never said such a magasine could attract all tea lovers.
I just wanted to know what could be in it.
What I really meant Xavier was; look at us. We’re not profitable and we’ll remain not profitable because we don’t conquer the mass market. We won’t ever make money, and neither will a magazine that attracts a similar audience.
It is hard to earn money in the case of:
a) A nice market, i.e. small public
b) A product that is expected to be cheap for the customer (i.e. website, but for a magazine there is a price limit too)
To get more money from it (either to reach just the break even point or to go as far as becoming filthy rich) you need someone to pay for it (instead of you). This could be done by broadening the audience, more ads (if they are willing), a side product that generates the money etc.
This is why the magazines have three incomes:
– direct sales,
– ads,
– prepaid sales.
And don’t worry, I know it is a niche market but I have seen so many niche magazines that I had to ask myself “what if”
You can’t please everyone with the same magazine. (or it becomes very fat and heavy and mostly uninteresting and not navigable) So choices have to be made. There are people that are interested in superficial stories (yes there are) and these are an easy target for advertisers. (superficial stories are cheaper to write).
So there is room for different magazines (or tea lovers sites). Lets just hope that all information on those sites is honest.
I do agree with you @bram there is room for everybody until you need to pay the bills.
A magazine is a printed media with all the costs that go with it.
True. That means there needs to be a balance between public-width and specialicing to pay for it. Which means that you can’t give every person his/her perfect magazine and that some groups have to be combined in the same magazine. And even that some groups stay behind without a fitting magazine. But still there is room for multiple magazines.
If and only if the market is large enough (which it might not be here).
I feel there can be a market for just any type of magazine as long as the content within is of interest to someone. I suppose what I mean is that the content is of interest to enough people that it is worthwhile to produce. As long as the content is interesting to me I will read it be it superficial or not. However, I had noticed a trend to have more advertising than content and I do believe that is something that should be reevaluated. Content should outweigh ads. Of course that’s just my opinion.
I do agree with you @iheartteas but someone has to pay for what you are reading…
Can’t say I’ve delved into many tea magazines. The ones I’ve come across have been…flaky? But that’s just my cursory opinion.
Here is your chance to think of the best non flaky tea industry magazine you can think of.