Trade shows, subway buttons, and sparkling wine: the unexpected reality of running magazines today
The evening begins in a cheery reception room. Lined with appetizers and sparkling wine, and framed by tall ceilings, it seems much too formal and well-orchestrated for a magazine event. It’s December 2, 2024, and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is welcoming attendees to The Walrus Talks, a national event series hosted by The Walrus.
Tonight’s topic is the nation’s readiness to face future crises, from pandemics to natural disasters and even war. The night features a diverse cast of speakers and an even more diverse crowd, as students, corporate executives, medical professionals, and curious retirees fill the conference hall. At the far side of the room stands The Walrus’s subscription table. Run by a lively group of young people, it serves as a beacon, centring the diverse crowd around the publication that had brought them all together.
As everyone files into the seminar room, the atmosphere is filled with purpose, and an empty seat can hardly be found. Nearly 150 people from a variety of backgrounds intently listen as Jennifer Hollett, executive director of The Walrus, opens the evening. The hour-long presentation is thorough, sparking conversation between the guests as they file into the reception room for refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.
Not unlike TED Talks, these events are funded by corporate sponsors. The lead sponsor tonight is Johnson & Johnson, alongside the magazine’s regular sponsors, Air Canada, Bullfrog Power, and Rogers. Since its inception in 2003, The Walrus has hosted more than 170 events and featured over 1,000 speakers.
These events are about more than just important conversations. The reality is, print magazines are an industry in decline. The number of magazine readers in Canada fell from 17.2 million to 14.8 million between 2014 and 2018 alone. The financial situation is also grim—Statistics Canada data indicates that the operational revenue for the magazine industry dropped by more than half from 2013 to 2021.
Events like The Walrus Talks are designed to facilitate important conversations and allow magazine staff opportunities to interact with subscribers face-to-face. “It’s a great way to meet our readers,” says Bryan Maloney, director of audience and engagement (A&E) for The Walrus. “We get to invite them out, we get to build community. We get to go to different places across the country with the events. It checks a lot of boxes for us.”
Maloney has seen this shift from print to digital media firsthand. “I’ve been in magazines for almost 15 years, publishing for about 20,” he says, “and the death of print has been the theme throughout my entire career.” He says the industry’s reliance on advertising has, in large part, been its downfall.
The introduction of Canada’s Online News Act in 2023 changed how A&E promoted its print magazines. Gone were the advertising dollars from established platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Magazines had to reorient their approach if they were going to survive. According to Maloney, this contributed to a shift away from traditional advertising to a focus on subscriptions and donations.
Yet, securing those donations, sponsorships, and subscriptions isn’t easy. In the past, maximizing the output of your engagement was key. The success of the publication’s A&E depended on the volume of content it disseminated. Podcasts, social media, giveaways, events, special member exclusives, and the like became the standard for every magazine looking to cement itself as a staple in its own chosen cultural zeitgeist. But in an increasingly fragmented digital media landscape, people have an endless array of companies and creators after their wallets. “It’s not an easy time in the industry,” says Arik Ligeti, director of audience at The Narwhal. “The organizations that are going to be able to find a path forward will show a willingness to adapt, listen to their readers, and have a really clear idea of what kind of work they want to produce and what their focus is.”
That’s why a successful magazine today must tailor its strategy to its identity and who its audience is. Creativity and eccentricity are essential. In-person initiatives such as retail stores, live shows, and seminars are all in play. It comes down to a magazine’s ability to know who they are, and more importantly, who their readers are. “Find what you’re good at and do that,” says Michelle Kelly, editor in chief of Cottage Life. “Don’t do everything else—there’s a million things that you can do.”
These initiatives come as newsstands, once commonplace two decades ago, are now increasingly rare. Declining print sales, shifting advertising revenue, and fierce competition for readers’ attention are rattling the magazine industry. In response, Canadian magazines are innovating through inventive A&E strategies—investing in live events, niche retail stores, and tailored content. They hope to build stronger connections with readers and ensure their survival in an ever-changing media landscape.
Buttons and Businesses
Cottage Life is a good example of a publication that is in tune with its readership and fosters engagement accordingly. Kelly and her team know what their audience of cottage-goers and owners want to see in a magazine and are committed to looking for ways to serve them. A cottage-goer herself, Kelly is hyper-aware of the ever-changing nature of both their industry and its people. Understanding what they want to read is something she takes seriously. “You’ve got to be ruthless about prioritizing,” says Kelly, “and be laser-focused on who your audience is and what they need.”
The cottage lifestyle magazine focuses on topics such as how to winterize a cottage, what kind of trees to plant, and local bylaws on renting a cottage. Still, the crown jewel of audience engagement is the magazine’s semi-annual trade show—the Spring Cottage Life Show and the Fall Cottage Life Show—both of which happen at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. These shows are described as a chance to “explore cottage country, all under one roof,” featuring a variety of vendors tailored specifically to the needs of a cottage owner. Vendors are often cottage-country locals who wouldn’t be able to garner as much exposure without these shows. Kelly says these live shows are an essential part of their business. “They were a success right out of the gate and are now a huge part of our business.”
Conversely, Spacing magazine found its answer in something that fits in the palm of your hand: a button. The pins, which feature the names of Toronto neighbourhoods and subway stations, were an immediate success. “Our button sales kept our magazine alive for the first two or three years,” says Matthew Blackett, publisher and creative director of the urban issues magazine. “It was more than our news channel, more than our subscriptions.”
Spacing has been around for over 20 years specializing in covering Toronto’s urban development, community planning, public art, and sustainability. Over the last two decades, it’s been able to hone in on what is successful and how to serve its readers most effectively. Blackett believes that targeted diversification is crucial when building readership and keeping print going. “We sucked at advertising right off the bat,” he says. Instead, the team took a multifaceted approach that included being heavily invested in book publishing and creating a few podcasts. Most importantly, it’s one of the only magazines to launch a physical retail store, which is located in Toronto’s downtown core on Richmond Street. Inside, Spacing’s dedication to and reverence for the city it calls home is evident. The compact space is lined with wooden shelves on brick walls loaded with everything from model TTC vehicles to local honey and, yes, subway station pins. Every shelf brims with local flair, leaving the impression that it’s not just merchandise Spacing is selling—it’s Toronto itself.
According to Blackett, Spacing’s retail store makes up around 60 percent of its business. “Our store shows people that we’re more than just a magazine.”
Interactives and Intimacy
Other magazines have accelerated on the digital path. Given the industry’s trends, many believe print magazines will inevitably become outdated and irrelevant. For some publications, the digital realm offers advantages that print issues cannot match. Jeanette Ageson, publisher of The Tyee, says print “both complicates the process and greatly increases the cost.” After its attempt at a more traditional newspaper format fell through, the Vancouver-based publication caught traction online. “We’re very much set up to create articles that go on a website. You have to be extremely disciplined, and completely clear on what you’re about and how best to serve your audience. For us, that’s online.”
The Local represents this new breed of magazines that fully embrace digital evolution. Launched in 2017, it’s been digital-first from the outset. The non-profit magazine’s publisher and founding editor in chief, Tai Huynh, says The Local has leaned into the advantages of this approach. “We do a ton of data journalism, and there’s so much visualization that we do that’s interactive,” he says. “We do intimate human stories with scrollers and things like that—a lot of which you simply can’t do in print.”
For The Local, the complexities of print hold little appeal. Instead, it has carved out its niche online. Take, for instance, a recent piece from January, “The Death of an Asylum Seeker and the Shelter Crisis in Peel.” The story chronicles the housing struggles that led to the death of Delphina Ngigi, an asylum seeker from Kenya. One of its featured elements was a video of Ngigi shortly after she arrived in Canada, where she can be seen and heard walking down a Mississauga street. Seeing Ngigi alive and active in the video is a powerful statement, one that could not have been accomplished in print. “We build our loyalty with our readers by staying consistent with our editorial direction, which is an in-depth exploration of issues that are hyper-local to Toronto,” says Huynh. “That’s what people come to expect of us.”
Not all print magazines were throttled by the Online News Act. Unlike most publications, Broadview, a legacy, faith-based publication, was not categorized as a news page under the act, says digital editor Emma Prestwich. This means Broadview can continue to provide for its long-existing readership on social media. Being an established alternative media publication means having a reliable readership base. Prestwich says while this is certainly invaluable, keeping those subscribers happy while finding new ones requires constant experimentation and a willingness to adapt. “Everyone’s fighting for the same eyeballs,” she says. “Being a brand helps a lot—people have a sense of who you are and what to expect from you.”
Branding is one piece of the readership puzzle. Asking for support is another. “If you’re trying to raise money from readers, you need to become indispensable to people’s lives,” says Ageson. “You need your readers to agree that the world needs you to exist.”
Primacy of Print
Regardless of how revenue is generated or audiences are engaged, the physical manifestation remains a critical part of what magazine publishers and editors do. To many, the tangible, physical experience of holding a magazine continues to resonate with readers. “It’s about staying true to your mission,” says Blackett. Despite its growth into retail and publishing, Blackett maintains a staunch commitment to producing print editions every quarter. “I see our magazine as the heart of our business,” says Blackett. “It’s our moral compass—what guides us as a business. Everything grows from the magazine.”
For Broadview, which was known as The United Church Observer from 1939 to 2019, print has been a part of their business for nearly a century. While it may not face quite the same challenges as standard publications such as The Walrus and Cottage Life, Prestwich and her team see the beauty in print all the same. “Print is still too lucrative a medium right now,” she says. “It’s something that a huge portion of our readers expect and care about.”
Innovating approaches to print have become crucial to the survival of the Literary Review of Canada (The Lit). “There used to just be a lot more resources,” says editor in chief Kyle Wyatt. “There was a different sentiment—magazines used to be arbiters of taste and culture.” Six years at the helm, Wyatt has seen firsthand how the print landscape has changed. He knows that the so-called “golden age” of magazines is behind us. Gone are the days when companies flocked to advertise in the top magazines whose teams were larger and whose pay cheques were higher. With a team of just five, Wyatt has managed to stabilize The Lit as a staple in the Canadian magazine scene. “It’s not just a job, it’s a labour of love,” says Wyatt. “People who work in magazines do it because they feel it’s a calling of sorts.”
The Lit’s cover art has become part of its identity, which attracts readership and boosts subscriptions. “Our covers are quite distinctive, somewhat lighthearted, or quite striking,” says Wyatt. The strategy is turning heads—the magazine has been recognized with National Magazine Awards for the last three years. And it’s worked, circulation-wise. Despite it being hard to find on newsstands, The Lit’s sales have increased.
At Cottage Life, Kelly employs a similar approach to artwork. For her, the effort put into top-notch photography ensures the magazine’s identity is distinct and, therefore, irreplaceable. “We take a lot of time to make sure that it looks great in print,” Kelly says. “You cannot get that experience from looking at a computer versus opening up a double-page spread and seeing this spectacular image.”
Maloney is also confident in the longevity of the print issue, for upholding Canadian magazines’ legacy of valuable reporting. “There are always going to be people who want to read good quality journalism.” He’s seen this manifest in the dozens of attendees who pore through and pick up print copies of The Walrus at every event. “That keeps me hopeful.”
Stories That Won’t Fade
A nostalgia exists for holding a magazine in your hands. When people feel assaulted by torrents of news rushing from their smartphones, laptops, and watches, magazines are a welcome refuge. They force the reader to slow down, turn off their devices, and find a cozy spot to read.
At the crossroads of newspapers and books lies the magazine. While industry decline looms large, the survivors demonstrate that success lies in individuality, focus, and a deep understanding of the audience. The magazine will never disappear altogether so long as there is a healthy cast of characters fighting for its survival.
From in-person events like The Walrus Talks to Spacing’s niche retail store, publications are creatively engaging with audiences to stay relevant and sustainable. These efforts aren’t just about keeping a publication afloat—they’re about building authentic connections with the reader and crafting meaningful experiences that go beyond traditional content. “Think about what your audience needs,” says Kelly. “Then think about how you can best serve those needs. Forget about the rest.”
About the author
Owen is in the final year of his Bachelor of Journalism. He has previously written album reviews for Met Radio and is a social media coordinator for Oliver and Bonacini Hospitality. Interested in the business side of the masthead, he is looking forward to the challenges that come with stirring up engagement as well as revenue for The Review of Journalism. Outside of this, he works as a waiter and enjoys watching sports, hiking and playing soccer.
