How Digital Trends are Benefiting Female-led Publications

During the UK’s lockdown, the majority of the magazines we’ve enjoyed reading on our commute to work have had to adjust to a new working environment as over the past six months some of the most empowering stories have been written by journalists at home.

Grazia recently shared in an insightful talk led by media database platform, Roxhill about their struggles since the coronavirus has impacted the world and how their magazine has survived during this pandemic as they’ve had to evolve their content. 

Like many, we’ve been overwhelmed by how Covid-19 has changed peoples lives and how we absorb our news. Most of our go-to news outlets have had to scrap ideas they schedule to print or post online and start from scratch. Similarly to how we generate successful Digital PR campaigns, magazines and newspapers have had to be super creative and build content which is focused around the new norm.

Assistant Editor at Grazia, Harriet Brett advised that their main focal point was their readership and that their first issue during lockdown featured NHS frontline workers as it featured four medics who are treating patients and battling this virus. Changing the front cover and posting a strong female figure in the medical field helped the publication exceed engagement opportunities as this became the most read, shared and commented magazine on social media.

While analysing consumer purchases and Google trends data during lockdown, we’ve seen how customer behaviour has changed since 2019 and how publications have to use this data to create stories which relate to their target audience. Some of the most significant purchases made since March 2020 have been based around home, gardening, loungewear, hair dye, beauty treatments and fitness which reveals that Brits are looking for authoritative sources to help them with their at home makeovers. 

Alongside looking for some handy hacks, Grazia shared that using YouTube and Twitter has increased their visibility online and has allowed them to debut hair, make up and skin product launches and clothing in creative ways on their social platforms. They’ve found that producing video content once a week has helped increase product sales compared to in print beauty guides as the tutorial style helped viewers see how to use the products correctly.

Instagram has also been to maximise reach and engagement online as they decided to collaborate with experts in the beauty, health, fitness and fashion industry to help connect with a bigger audience. Creating low-cost special content like IGTV videos allowed Grazia to test out influencer lead content strategies and use this as a tool to communicate with women who fit their magazine’s profile.