How to create a media kit for your magazine in one afternoon
5 min read
Someone emails to ask what it costs to advertise in your magazine. You can reply with three paragraphs and a guess, or you can attach a two-page document that answers every question they were about to ask. That document is a media kit.
It has to be accurate and quick to skim. Nobody expects it to be clever.
Start with who reads you
An advertiser is paying to reach people, so the first thing in your kit is a description of those people.
Write down what you actually know:
- Who they are: job titles, industries, the kind of organisation they work for.
- Where they are: country, state, region.
- What they do with the magazine: read it cover to cover, skim it, forward it to a colleague.
If you run an association, your member database already holds most of this. Pull the numbers from there rather than describing your members from memory. If you have a reader survey, quote it and say when it was run. If you don't, a five-question survey sent to your list will give you enough to fill a paragraph.
Put numbers in, and say where they came from
A media kit with no numbers reads like a brochure, and numbers nobody can check are no better.
Give each figure a label that says what it measures:
- Members or subscribers who receive the magazine.
- Average number of people who open each issue.
- Average time spent in the issue, if your reader reports it.
- Clicks on links inside past issues.
Don't round up. If 1,140 people opened the last issue, write 1,140. An advertiser who later sees a smaller number in their own report will remember that you inflated the first one.
Brand new magazine? Use what you have: the size of your email list, the attendance at your last event, the membership count. Say the magazine is new, and offer to send a results report after the first ad runs. A nervous first-time advertiser will trust that promise more than a vague claim.
List what they can buy
Keep the menu short. Each extra option is another decision for the advertiser, and a long list makes you look unsure of your own product.
A sensible starting set for a member magazine:
- Full page
- Half page
- A sponsored article, written with or by the advertiser and clearly marked as sponsored
- A mention in your email newsletter that goes out with the issue
If your magazine is a flipbook, say so. Clickable ads that take readers straight to the advertiser's page are a real selling point, and you can report on the clicks afterwards.
For each option, give the size or format, the file type you need and the deadline for artwork. Advertisers get irritated when they have to chase these details.
Set your prices
This is the part people put off. Two ways in.
Look at what others charge. Find five magazines or newsletters that reach a similar audience and ask for their media kits. Most publish them. You'll see a range within ten minutes.
Work from your readers. Advertising is often priced per thousand readers. The sum is: readers ÷ 1,000 × your rate per thousand. Here it is with made-up numbers, purely to show the arithmetic:
| Item | Example figure |
|---|---|
| Readers who open an average issue | 1,200 |
| Rate per thousand readers (pick your own) | $40 |
| Price for a full page | 1,200 ÷ 1,000 × $40 = $48 |
That example price is low because the rate is a placeholder. Real rates vary a great deal between industries and audiences, so use your comparison research to choose one, then build the rest of your rate card from the full-page price.
Whichever way you get there, add a discount for booking several issues at once. Four issues at a lower price each is a better deal for them and a more reliable year for you.
Say how to book
End with one name, one email address and the dates that matter: booking deadline, artwork deadline, publication date. Don't make people hunt for them.
A layout that fits on four pages
| Page | What goes on it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Magazine name, a one-sentence description, three headline audience numbers, the date |
| 2 | Who reads you and what they do with it |
| 3 | Ad options, sizes and prices |
| 4 | Deadlines, booking contact, terms |
If you can't fill four pages, make it two.
A template you can copy
Paste this into a document and fill in the brackets.
[Magazine name]: Media kit [year]
[One sentence on what the magazine is and who it is for.]
AUDIENCE
Readers per issue (average opens): [number]
Members / subscribers: [number]
Who they are: [job titles, industries, regions]
Source and date of these figures: [member database, survey, analytics, month/year]
HOW IT'S READ
[Format: print, flipbook, both]. Published [how often].
[One line on what readers do with it.]
AD OPTIONS AND PRICES
Full page: [size] [price]
Half page: [size] [price]
Sponsored article: [word count] [price]
Newsletter mention: [price]
Discount for [number] issues booked together: [percentage]
DEADLINES
Booking: [date] Artwork: [date] Publication: [date]
File types: [PDF, JPG, etc.]
TO BOOK
[Name], [email], [phone]Mistakes worth avoiding
- Numbers with no source or date.
- A price list buried on the last page.
- Claiming a readership you can't back up. One advertiser who checks is enough to hurt you.
- Letting the kit go stale. A 2023 date on the cover in 2026 signals a magazine nobody looks after.
- Leaving out how to book.
What to do after the first ad runs
Go back to the advertiser with a short report: how many people opened the issue, how many saw their ad, how many clicked. It makes the renewal conversation easy, and it gives you real results to put in the next version of your kit. If your magazine is on Zeenly, the advertiser report does this for you; see what Zeenly includes.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a media kit be?
Two to four pages. Advertisers skim, so put your audience and your prices where they can find them in under a minute.
Do I need a designer to make a media kit?
No. A tidy document in Word, Google Docs or Canva is enough. Accurate numbers and clear prices matter far more than fancy layout.
What if my magazine is new and I have no readership numbers yet?
Use what you do have. Member count, email list size and the number of people who opened your last newsletter are all fair numbers. Say what each one is, and promise a results report after the first ad runs.
Should I put prices in the media kit?
Yes, unless you sell almost everything by custom quote. Advertisers who can't see a price often move on rather than ask.
How often should I update my media kit?
Once or twice a year, and whenever your audience numbers or prices change. Put the date on the first page so nobody wonders how old it is.
