For readers fed up with the media’s latest salacious listicle of “fattest celebrities” or the like, Nancy Miller believes her magazine, Good, can fill the quality gap.
The former deputy editor of Los Angeles magazine has kept the emphasis on intelligent content since being hired four months ago as editor-in-chief of the quarterly print publication of Miracle Mile social impact media company Good Worldwide Inc.
“I think people are tired of the happy clickbait and the disaster porn. We’re Vice for the nice,” said Miller.
In a highly competitive and volatile modern media marketplace where many companies favor digital versions over their longtime print properties, there might still be a place for magazines that have an emotional connection with their readers.
“From a business perspective, print on the face of it seems crazy, but in many ways – especially for a smaller publication – it makes sense,” said David Sax, a Toronto-based business media commentator and author. “Niche products have a tribal loyalty from their readers, and not only can they sell enough magazines through a high cover price, but they can build a bigger brand around it.”
Good’s co-founders are banking on just that. With a new higher cover price of $11.99 – up from $7.95 two years ago – and a new leader in Miller, it seems the 10-year-old magazine, whose circulation has dropped to 15,000 from 20,000 since its launch, has finally found its key to a sustainable future.
“We hired Nancy to take us to the next level – journalistically, editorially, and creatively,” said Casey Caplowe, co-founder and creative director at Good Worldwide, which had taken a yearlong hiatus from publishing its magazine while having a creative rethink.
Miller now manages an editorial staff of 15; Will Tacy, Good’s general manager, oversees an eight-person branded-content division.
Changing times
“The world has changed – and changed again – in the 10 years since Good launched and it’s been rough at times for this magazine, in particular,” said Robert Hernandez, a professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “But the industry has seen examples of quality, engaging journalism getting people’s attention, and financially succeeding, so I support Good’s focus and return to what made them great.”
The online social network iteration of Good – which lasted for a few brief years from 2012 to 2015 – never seemed to catch on with Good’s constituency.
“The network version was not working,” said Caplowe.
A revamp of the website has gone hand in hand with the relaunch of the magazine and online traffic has grown significantly, to about 7.6 million monthly unique visitors in May, up from 3.6 million a year ago, according to media audience-measuring company comScore.
Now, Caplowe, Miller, and team are looking to recapture the loyalty of a fan base that has largely stood by them through a series of strategy changes in its recent past.
“They’re rooting for us. You can feel it,” said Miller. “Everyone wants to feel like they’re hanging out with a smart friend. That’s the real function of a magazine.”
Ben Goldhirsh, Good co-founder and chief executive, started the magazine with friends in 2006 in an effort to create what he called a “free press for the critical idealist.” Goldhirsh, the son of the late Bernie Goldhirsh, founder of Inc. magazine, lost both of his parents to cancer in close proximity to one another in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
“The entrepreneurial spirit was celebrated every single day, all day, at my house growing up,” he said in an Inc. interview a year after Good magazine was launched.
The senior Goldhirsh left $200 million to his children upon his death, donating a portion of it to cancer research through the Goldhirsh Foundation. Good was funded with $2.5 million of that fortune, and in the first few months, Goldhirsh said the magazine had raised an additional $250,000 in seed funding.
Goldhirsh tried a number of business models over the years after Good’s inception, including everything from a pay-your-own price scheme to a Reddit-like aggregation and social network version of itself. The company (and Goldhirsh) faced especially harsh criticism when it abandoned its editorial altogether in a surprise firing of its staff in 2012.
Having reconstituted the staff, Goldhirsh is no longer involved day to day in the magazine.
Recapturing loyalty
Miller’s focus is centered on creating a print product that goes deeper than competitors in the social impact media space by packaging serious content in a fun and digestible way. But finding a “Good” story that meets the criteria of being a “good story” – and vice versa – can be a challenge. In an effort to appeal to the aspirational nature of Good’s brand and its associated audience, content can end up feeling bland.
“Good is in our name,” she said. “But I think what readers want is a bran muffin … with frosting.”
The bran muffin element – smart, thoughtful essays and articles – is nourishing, she said, but the frosting – the graphics, photography, and creative prose – is meant to make engaging with issues feel like something a reader wants to do rather than an obligation.
“It shouldn’t feel like homework,” Miller said.
The latest issue includes articles about the “cultish dissolve of work-life separation” and “The Good Guide to Money” to help socially minded readers understand how to approach wealth and manage their personal finances.
“People want to know how to lead a better life,” she added.
Competitors such as Vox Media or Upworthy are different in their approach, she said, not just in content but in delivery. The focus on long form in a print product is unique to Good, and so is its holistic approach to culture change.
“We want to help people understand how to feel about the issues they care about,” said Miller. “The reader comes first, that is not negotiable.”
