First, let’s state the obvious: most schools made dramatic changes during the early weeks of the pandemic that weren’t based on in-depth analysis. This isn’t a criticism! The changes were an immediate response to an unprecedented crisis. Communications teams slashed costs, cut the number of issues in their magazine or trimmed pages. Some went entirely […]
https://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.png00Erin Petersonhttps://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.pngErin Peterson2021-01-08 16:38:432021-01-08 16:38:43The essential question to ask before making big magazine changes
I made my first set of annual predictions last year. Were they good? Were they terrible? I mean, the assumptions didn’t include a pandemic, that’s for sure. Will 2021 bring the same kind of chaos? There’s still plenty of uncertainty, but based on what I’m hearing from clients and newsletter subscribers, here are some of […]
Over the past few months, I’ve been talking to editors who are feeling squeezed like never before — trimmed staff, smaller budgets, more responsibilities. And the last thing that they can afford is a magazine story that goes off the rails for one reason or another. It seemed like a good idea at the time. […]
https://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.png00Erin Petersonhttps://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.pngErin Peterson2020-11-16 20:08:482020-11-16 20:11:29The “no room for error” checklist for your magazine stories
I was delighted to talk to this year’s Sibley-winning editor: Joe Wakelee-Lynch. Joe is editor of LMU Magazine from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The magazine is gorgeous and ambitious and singular. (You can read the report from judges here.) Joe has been with the university since 2006, and the story topics and approaches reflect […]
https://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.png00Erin Petersonhttps://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.pngErin Peterson2020-10-19 18:18:322020-11-16 20:12:18‘Every page should make an attempt to draw attention.’
Recently, I was talking with a client about a major feature project that used a lot of institutional VIPs as sources, and I brought up my source approval process.“Wait,” she said. “You do an approval process for every source? On every story?” via GIPHY Yep. Want to skip straight to the exact source-approval template I use, complete […]
https://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.png00Erin Petersonhttps://getcapstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/capstone-dark.pngErin Peterson2020-09-30 18:11:462020-09-30 18:11:46Why I love source approvals (and a template to do them flawlessly)
The essential question to ask before making big magazine changes
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Erin PetersonFirst, let’s state the obvious: most schools made dramatic changes during the early weeks of the pandemic that weren’t based on in-depth analysis. This isn’t a criticism! The changes were an immediate response to an unprecedented crisis. Communications teams slashed costs, cut the number of issues in their magazine or trimmed pages. Some went entirely […]
4 predictions for alumni magazines in 2021
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Erin PetersonI made my first set of annual predictions last year. Were they good? Were they terrible? I mean, the assumptions didn’t include a pandemic, that’s for sure. Will 2021 bring the same kind of chaos? There’s still plenty of uncertainty, but based on what I’m hearing from clients and newsletter subscribers, here are some of […]
The “no room for error” checklist for your magazine stories
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Erin PetersonOver the past few months, I’ve been talking to editors who are feeling squeezed like never before — trimmed staff, smaller budgets, more responsibilities. And the last thing that they can afford is a magazine story that goes off the rails for one reason or another. It seemed like a good idea at the time. […]
‘Every page should make an attempt to draw attention.’
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Erin PetersonI was delighted to talk to this year’s Sibley-winning editor: Joe Wakelee-Lynch. Joe is editor of LMU Magazine from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The magazine is gorgeous and ambitious and singular. (You can read the report from judges here.) Joe has been with the university since 2006, and the story topics and approaches reflect […]
Why I love source approvals (and a template to do them flawlessly)
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Erin PetersonRecently, I was talking with a client about a major feature project that used a lot of institutional VIPs as sources, and I brought up my source approval process.“Wait,” she said. “You do an approval process for every source? On every story?” via GIPHY Yep. Want to skip straight to the exact source-approval template I use, complete […]