Until recently I would have described myself as a magazine addict. My collection of Vogues goes back to the mid nineties and I would buy all the major UK women’s glossies every month, as well as many of their US and Australian counterparts. I loved magazines so much I made them my career, writing for, and subsequently editing, several titles in the women’s market.
Lately I’ve stopped reading them as much and can sometimes go for several weeks without buying one. When I do buy a women’s glossy, like Charlotte and reader Nicola said in the comments section after Charlotte’s Identity Crisis post last week I often spend less time reading it, especially when I’ve bought it on my iPad. All too often I part with my £4, or however much, and end up feeling like I haven’t got my money’s-worth.
Clearly I’m not the only one and falling sales have led to many of my old favourites closing down, with Company magazine being the latest. The current October issue will be the last. I think it’s sad but I can’t say I’m surprised that magazines are struggling to keep readers interested when you can get so much content for free online, often from the magazine’s own websites.
I still buy Vogue almost every month. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break, I feel like I will miss out on, something, I’m not exactly sure what, if I don’t, and I often pick up Glamour or Grazia, especially when they’ve got a discount for a shop I’m considering making a purchase at. And long train journeys, or days at the beach, aren’t complete without a glossy to flip through. However, the magazines that catch my interest these days tend to be more specialist, such as Condé Nast Traveller and Tiny Atlas Quarterly for holiday inspiration, Cherry Bombe, for beautifully designed foodie stories, and Russh, for fashion, beauty, health, art, music and interiors with a cool aesthetic from Australia.
So what’s going on? Are we just too busy for magazines? Are magazines simply unable to keep up with our increasingly fast-paced lives? Are you reading less too? And which magazines are you still buying? Do share in the comments section below!
I have been a subscriber of Glamour magazine for 5 years now. I love getting the mag through my door every month. I did try iPad editions of other magazines but felt that I was missing out on the free gifts etc!
It is so annoying that you miss out on the gifts and the supplements when you subscribe to iPad versions. The best thing about magazines on the iPad is that you can get US and Australian mags a long time before they hit the newsstands here and they’re often a lot cheaper too.
I too used to be a complete magazine addict, often picking up three or four a week… and I’d have stacks of them all over the house. I also trained and started my career out as a journalist, and had a brief stint on a fashion title before moving over to the dark side (!) of PR and comms.
But, being totally honest, personally I think it’s a combination of things that have contributed to the sad decline of magazines.
I really think that the quality of women’s fashion/lifestyle magazines has diminished in recent years which was the main reason why I stopped buying them – too many ads, poor (and sometimes lazy) journalism, and the content just wasn’t as engaging.
As I went through my 20s I also didn’t feel as though I ‘fit’ with a particualr magazine either… too old for a lot of the titles, and too young for the more mature mags.
Working in the media, I like to consume news and updates on a daily basis, so this absolutely is a contributing factor. The rise of blogs, along with Twitter and Instagram has meant that I’m turning to these channels more frequently for fashion, idea, inspiration and breaking news.
Such a good point Katie, I’m not sure there’s a magazine that I really fit with these days either, and yes, I get the majority of my fashion, interiors inspiration and news from blogs, Twitter and Instagram, even weekly magazines can’t keep up with that pace.
I think Grazia is now the only magazine I buy on a regular basis, though I did buy Porter last month. But yes I think you’re right, I have definitely moved away from them and look much more to blogs and other online sites for various content. Magazines just don’t feel very satisfying any more!
I do often pick up Grazia when I’m getting a tube into town, it keeps me entertained for the length of the journey and isn’t as heavy to carry around as the others when I get there…
I have to say I tend to pick my magazines by the freebies (have got some very good brands – Nails Inc, L’occitane, Clinique etc goodies) but I love flicking through Elle Decor, Living etc, Tatler & In Style. I also am partial to a Hello/OK occasionally – ha!
There have been some pretty good freebies over the summer, I’ve bagged a L’Occitane Hand Cream and a bright pink Nails Inc varnish that I love! I tend to get the interiors mags when I’m planning a home decor project and I’m gathering inspiration. I really like Real Living too, an Australian interiors mag that you can pick up in Selfridges.
I work in magazine circulation for a b2b publishers and it’s quite a worrying time…! Although b2b hasn’t seen the same drop in circulation as consumer publishing, I fear we’re only a few years behind. The desire for digital has definitely grown and readers demand far more than a basic app or PDF – they want extra content on a variety of platforms that print just can’t offer. Publishing just feels a few steps behind (b2b especially!) and I don’t know if it will catch up in time. It definitely depends on industry – I can see Company having no problem with keeping a significant audience through digital. For others, it will be harder.
My own experience with glossies – I only buy them at the airport or station before a long journey! Other than that, I use a mish-mash of social media to keep up with the magazines I like.
Magazines have definitely become more of a treat for me to read on train or plane journeys too Jo. I do think B2B, specialist magazines and those magazines that are somewhere between a magazine and a coffee table book have a better chance of survival than the more general lifestyle glossies.
I don’t feel like there are any magazines out there for me.
I’m almost 30 and I have a house, a husband and a small child. I don’t need to be told ways to get around my annoying flatmates (don’t have them), cool places to go in the country/Europe/the world (would need extreme babysitting), and I’m really not trying to meet anyone new – or work out what’s going on inside ‘his’ head (football, work, sleep – in pretty much that order).
I feel like once you get past the early twentysomething ‘sorting your life out’ stage of life, there isn’t much out there for general reading – if you have strong interests then that’s fine, but there isn’t much lifestyle stuff. That’s part of the reason I love Rock My Style so much, it’s FULL of things that I’m interested in, written by people who are in the same sort of stage of life as me, with a similar income so recommend actually achievable things unlike the magazines which cost £4 but advertise £700 trousers.
I also object to spending so much money (more than a Kindle book in a lot of cases) for something which is 1/3rd adverts.
It’s so true, although I enjoy Glamour and Grazia, and very much like their fashion, beauty, health, travel and food features, much of the content is aimed at someone who’s at a very different life stage to me. I’ve always felt that magazines could be more realistic in their approach to fashion, mixing designer with high street, which is how even people who can afford designer clothes actually dress.
I am the daughter of a news agent and so had a weekend job in the shop from 13. ‘Work’ often consisted of flicking through the entire row of magazines over the course of the weekend when not serving customers. This is where I blame my magazine addiction from (mum would also have tons of magazines lying around after getting dad to bring them home for her!). Prior to that at secondary school I would get Sugar, Bliss and Just 17. When I left home and could no longer access my library I used to buy them all – Grazia, Cosmo, Glamour were must haves, with the rest of them being purchased regularly also. I now only buy Grazia. I do still look forward to it on a Tuesday and it keeps me entertained for a couple of bus trips on the commute. I like that you can often get discounts at high street shops too. I will pick up a copy of Stylist magazine for free on Wednesday which is also a good read and the Evening Standard distributes a free lifestyle magazine on a Thursday so I am pretty sorted! I think I stick with Grazia as it doesn’t feel too expensive at £2 (often on offer for £1) and I think it’s a good mix of fashion and current events / interesting articles. I also like it as you can actually carry it around – some of the monthlies are so hefty they would require their own tote bag! Also often when I buy a monthly you have to flick almost to the middle to find the start of the magazine they have that many adverts in them. I will now only buy a monthly either at the airport or if there is an amazing free gift! It makes me feel a little nostalgic for the hay day of the magazine but there really is no way they can compete with the internet but it’s just not the same somehow!
Growing up my dream job was to work in a newsagents Bryony, I imagined spending my days reading magazines and eating sweets, not thinking about the early starts! Yes, we’re lucky in London to get so many magazines for free, I enjoy getting Time Out on a Tuesday morning too. I agree, at £2, or sometimes even £1, Grazia doesn’t feel like a huge outlay (less than a coffee!) and so I’m happy if it keeps me entertained during my commute.
Mmm, I think it’s something to do with age for me. When I was younger, I loved magazines so much more. Whilst at Uni I had a subsrcption to Heat and I LOVED getting it through the door every Tuesday. (I also still sing that song from the advert ‘I’m going to London, to buy Heat magazine’ sometimes..) But, for me, it just got tackier and brasher until I stopped reading it completely about 6 years ago..
Then I moved on to Grazia which I do still like but don’t buy that often. The only magazine I regularly get is Glamour every month which I do really enjoy, especially on train journeys. But, as the poster above has said, there just isn’t a magazine out there that’s 100% for me. Most of the fashion and real life in Glamour I like, but they do tend to lean heavily towards designed clothing in the magazine – due to advertising I suspect -which means it’s not really aimed at me. And the magazine lacks any interior/food/health content which I really enjoy. But, short of spending a fortune on magazines of each genre, I don’t know what to do?? So I don’t buy any and log on here each day instead!
It’s funny, Glamour and Grazia are the two women’s lifestyle magazines I buy most regularly too Jennifer, I think part of it is that at half the price of the other glossies I feel like I’m getting better value for money.
I subscribe Grazia and can’t live without it … well I’m sure I could but I don’t want to! I used to be a total magazine addict and buy loads just like you but I think now it’s more finding the time. Because we have lots of other things to do and look at – Instagram, Twitter etc. I can sometimes be more than a week behind in my Grazia reading. If I’m going on holiday it’s different – give me ALL the magazines please… I found myself reading Spanish In Style while in Sevilla recently …. I just looked at the pics although I did get frustrated as I wanted to read some of the articles!
On another note I notice you have a sponors thing popping up to attract people to advertise. It’s kind of annoying; as I’m typing this the page keeps jumping up and down 🙁
Hi Lynn, that does sound annoying, could you let us know what device and browser you are using? the adverts shouldn’t be jumping and we are unable to replicate this issue our end, thanks!
Hi – I’m on Google Chrome – the box that says “Promote your brand with Rock my Style” expands then contracts every 10 seconds or so which means the screen goes up and down every 10 seconds..
Sorry I sound like I’m moaning, it’s just a bit annoying…. making my eyes go funny.
As well as price I do think that Grazia is great at covering the things everyone’s talking about, I suppose as a weekly magazine it’s easier for it to be more current than it is for the monthly magazines. What device are you looking at the site on Lynn? I’m not getting the popping up thing happening…
Lynn we did have a few gremlins earlier on to do as we were working on the design – they should be all sorted now though 🙂
I can track my life through the phases of buying magazines… Glamour when I was in 6th Form (which back then was a bit aspirational as I think it’s aimed at earlier to mid twenties) and through uni, then nothing for a bit, followed by loads of wedding magazines during my 3 and half year engagement (had a subscription to Perfect Wedding which was my favourite) and now I buy Period Homes & Interiors and similar titles since buying our Victorian semi earlier this year as I’m looking for ideas and inspiration. I agree with a lot of posters above that there’s not really anything aimed for this kind of stage of our lives. I don’t want to do psyche quizzes about what kind of relationship I’m in or look at teenage models wearing £2000 coats… RMS is filling a serious gap I think, rather than taking readers away from printed magazines.
I definitely feel as if the magazines I get the most satisfaction from these days are ones that are specific to where I’m currently at in my life Kitty, interiors magazines when I’m planning to do something around the home, foodie magazines when I’m looking for new recipes and travel mags, well, always to be honest, I’m always dreaming about my next trip, even if there’s not one in my immediate future!
I used to always read Heat / Glamour / OK etc, but I got annoyed with the way they portray women – stop showing people in their bikini’s and analysing all their bad points, they’re on holiday. I felt they got a bit ‘mean’. They also make me feel old and I’m only 27! I don’t recognise half the people they talk about…
So I have moved on to fitness and interior magazines which fit with my current lifestyle. I love, love, love Ideal Homes – it is my treat and I like to dip into it with a glass of red in the evening. I don’t feel like I need to read it all in one go, which I did with heat etc. My auntie got me a subscription to women’s running magazine for my birthday and I really enjoy it arriving each each month. It is full of tips and shows women’s bodies as strong and capable of doing amazing things! Much nicer to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.
I did use to love the Stylist, especially as it’s free at tube stations. But I got annoyed by the ridiculous price of clothes they featured. If I could afford to spend that much on clothes, I would probably not be getting the tube….
x
I agree, I don’t like the mean way some of the weeklies talk about women Sian. I haven’t come across Women’s Running magazine, I’ll look out for it. Haha, good point about the price of clothes featured in Stylist not really tallying up with the fact that it’s handed out at tube stations. I do like Lucy Mangan’s column and the shopping spread at the front though and I thought the recent Lena Dunham edited issue was BRILLIANT!
I agree with the other posters, so hard to find the right mag for “stage of life” I used to buy Cosmo, and Company and then started to feel too old, recently I have been buying Red magazine each month which feels like the closest fit, good mix of articles on relationships, children , recipes etc… – but the thing that lets it down is the slightly frumpy mummy fashions….just because I am now in my 30s and about to start a family it does not mean I want to shop in Boden?! 😉
Red would probably be my go-to mag and it does resonate with me on several levels… it’s the one I pick up in the hairdressers anyway!
I do love the style of their ex-fashion editor (and find inspiration from her instagram account: @witblog) who’s recently just left, so interested to see where they take their fashion pages…
I’m a big fan of Laura from Wearing It Today blog’s style too Kate! As you say it will be interesting to see what happens to Red’s fashion pages now she’s gone…
I agree Laura, Red’s probably the only one that bridges the gap between magazines like Cosmo and Company on the younger end and Good Housekeeping on the older end…
Red is definitely my go to fave as I feel it’s about right for where I am at the moment and I like the fact it’s still aspirational. I struggle to find time to read it though!! I also buy Grazia sometimes but not half as much as I used to! Reading a magazine feels like such a luxury now. I still prefer it to reading on my phone/iPad. It’s much more relaxing. I think its the break from screen time!
Since becoming a mum I don’t feel like there is a glossy monthly magazine specifically aimed at me any more. I tend to read a lot of news and features content online so that base is covered. I used to read Glamour a lot especially in my early 20s, then when I was planning my wedding I bought loads of wedding mags, then when pregnant I bought a Mummy/Baby type magazine – but it didn’t really do it for me I have to say! I have really enjoyed Psychologies when I’ve bought that, I also like Zest every now again but wouldn’t feel the need to buy it every month. The ‘grown up’ womens mags, Red, Womans Own etc are aimed a bit older than me I think (30). I get my magazine kicks these days from gossip mags (I can grab a copy of Heat and get through it in 45 minutes which sort of suits me really!) and interiors mags, 25 Beautiful Homes, Ideal Home etc. I like to buy them in the special packs of 3 and have a good sesh! I do also like Closer, especially the Fridge Raider feature. I feel a bit dirty after reading it though….
I’m not aware of the Fridge Raider feature Kathryn, I’m going to have to pick up a copy of Closer and check it out!
Fridge Raider – they ask a celebrity where they do their food shop and what is usually in their fridge. There is an accompanying photo of the fridge, with all the food in. I don’t know why but it’s fascinating!
By the way the jumpy ad thing is happening to me as well, I’m on Google Chrome.
These days I tend to find its Glamour, freebie Stylist and Home/interior magazines. I don’t buy them very often though – once every six months or if I’m going on holiday!
There is something about holidays that means magazines to me too Emma!
This is really interesting reading for me as I work on one of the weeklies that’s been mentioned 🙂
The problem is that we have an aging audience. As you’ve all described you moved up the kind of chain as you got older as to which mag you read. There are no 16 year old new readers coming in at the bottom now, as they are all using Twitter, blogs and YouTube to get their celeb stories, fashion & beauty immediately and on a daily changing basis. Unfortunately I do recognise that my job won’t exist in a few more years. Maybe we will all go the way of Company and become entirely online. It makes me so sad as obviously I love holding that printed copy in my hand.
It makes me sad too Jenny, I can’t imagine my teenage years without Smash Hits, Just 17 and More magazines
Agree! Such an integral part of my childhood! Remember the song words on the back of smash hits!!
I have to say I love magazines I always have since I was a little girl with my twinkle magazine, then moving on to smash hits, just 17. I have subscribed to Elle and instyle for years, grazia is another favourite. There is nothing like getting a fresh new copy coming through your letter box. I love reading about fashion, beauty, interiors, films, books etc. I read a lot of blogs but I also love magazines I hope that there is room for both in the future.
Ah Twinkle, that was my first magazine too Stacey! I love coming home to my subscription copy of Conde Nast Traveller, I hope there’s room for mags and blogs in the future too.
I’m not sure I’ll ever stop buying mags! I have a subscription to Ideal Home and Good Housekeeping (many of my friends laugh at that last one, but boy do they get into it when they pick it up, haha!). I love sitting down in total silence with a nice brew all on my own for half an hour once one arrives, I love seeing it on my doormat when I get in! They do the the rounds once I’m finished with them – my Mum, Nan and then the dentist/ doctors/whoever else ends up with them.
I’m 35, married, no kids, I don’t own a tablet or a Kindle, doubt I ever will, and I love the feel of turning pages. The only thing I’m not keen on in magazines is pretentiousness, which is why I buy the ones above; they’re nice, normal and down to earth.
I do like a bit of blogging though! Keep it up please, RMS!!
I do love carving out some time in my day and sitting down with a magazine and a cup of tea/glass of wine (depending on the time of day). I don’t tend to keep magazines these days, preferring to rip out useful articles and inspiring images but I do look through my old magazines (mostly Vogues, The Face and early copies of Wallpaper) from time to time. They transport me back in time to the place I was when I first read them…
Magazines need to evolve. I haven’t read a glossy since I was 15 and realised the skinny girls and focus on make-up, clothing and behaviour was contributing to making me feel bad about myself. What I do read, and am happy to spend lots of money on, are artsy, well put-together journals. Like the Wind is my favourite example of these, but there’s also Renegade for travellers, Acid for surfers, etc.
All three are new to me and all sound like the kind of thing I would love Jemma, will be hunting them down in my favourite artsy bookshops!
oooh, i’m a bit late to the party ladies but have really enjoyed this chatter. It’s so interesting to hear about the role mags are playing in our lives – i agree that i hope they do stay around as a train, plane or beach holiday wouldn’t be the same without them.
My fav part of a monthly glossy is hands down the fashion editorial – love the photography and the styling and often the locations – i then like the “splurge or save” type feature that usually follows it. I like to bet myself not to immediately choose the Prada over Primark options (is it just me who plays this game with themselves?!)
What REALLY peeves me about fashion finds in mags is that all the good stuff that the fashion editorial team features are usually always unavailable in the actual shops – that’s one reason i like finding inspiration from online fashion platforms (love instagram and spend far too much money from it) Have you heard of http://liketoknow.it/ – its aces. You sign in with your instagram account and then can shop all your fav fashion bloggers looks straight from their insta feeds…. incredibly tempting!!!!! You’ve been warned!!
OMFG Nicola! That is freaking amazing! I can hear my credit card crying in my purse as I type! x
Do it!! ha ha!!!! x
It’s really hard to get the timing right with magazine fashion spreads as the main fashion editorial is often shot months ahead of the magazine on sale date at which point the fashion PRs don’t know when the items you’re shooting are going to be in the shops and, in some cases, if they’re even going to go into production. I love being able to put a fashion story for Rock My Style together just a couple of days before it goes live knowing that you’ll be able to shop the story. I’d spotted the LIKEtoKNOW.it link on lots of fashion bloggers Instagram pictures but didn’t know anything about it. Sounds dangerous. For my bank balance!!!
I very rarely buy magazines. Only really for train or plane journeys and then it is pretty much always Grazia. I do enjoy reading it when I get it, but not enough to buy it on a regular basis. I’m really into interiors at the moment so I spent a good while flicking through that section at WH Smiths a while ago but I refuse to £4 upwards for a magazine that was mostly ads. It is sad so many well known names are disappearing from the shelves but I don’t feel readers are represented well enough. I now spend my money on audiobooks – great way to pass the time while you are in the gym and doing housework !
Hmm it’s a difficult one, from a reader perspective I used to buy loads, generally as a relaxation/pick-me-up moment that always felt self-indulgent and usually involved chocolate, wine or a bath (or all 3). Nowadays chance Would be a fine thing to have the time for such activities. I still buy some, but decided to subscribe as an Xmas present to myself last year, which saved me more than half the shelf price, I read wedding mags for work, and for myself subscribed to Red, LivingEtc, marieClaire and Instyle. I’d say the only two I’d re subscribe to are red and Living as I find their features to be the most unique.
For me the fashion is less inspiring nowadays as it’s often way too out of reach price-wise and generally a bit bonkers, I’m way more inspired by that fashionable girl on the street with a killer style or personal take on a trend. Mags seem too much driven by commercialisation and brands whereas you don’t get that on the blogs (well you do but they are just totally transparent so I don’t read them). Article topics are becoming samey, but I guess that’s because I’ve been reading mags for the nest part of 20 years, there’s possibly only so many topics out there and different story angles to go with.
One thing I can’t get over though is how great it feels to flick through a mag (or hold a book) the internet, emags etc just cannot replicate that feeling, there’s also been research that’s proven retention is poorer when reading from a digital device so I do try to have a mix of both.
All-in-all I think there is still a place for physical mags, I’ll just be streamlining and focusing on a few really good ones.