Building community — one story at a time.
Typically 6 to 8 weeks from signing to first issue. A week-by-week look at training, the market map, the first partnerships and the debut issue.
Short answer: a City Lifestyle publisher's first issue typically mails 6 to 8 weeks after signing, depending on the market and the publisher's effort. Because design, editorial, printing and distribution run at headquarters, the launch period is spent on the community, not on building a production operation.
Weeks 1 and 2: training and the map. Every new publisher is paired with a dedicated Launch Coach at signing. The first two weeks cover how the business works, how the magazine is produced and how to talk about it with local business owners. Publishers also map their market: the neighborhoods the magazine will mail to, the businesses that serve them and the organizations that hold the community together.
Weeks 3 to 5: the first partnerships. This is where the launch is made. Publishers meet business owners, share the plan for the magazine and build the first annual advertising partnerships. At the same time they send story ideas to the editorial team and line up the people and places for the debut issue.
Weeks 6 to 8: the first issue. Headquarters designs the pages, produces the content, prints the magazine and mails it to homes across the market. The publisher's job in these weeks is to keep meeting people and to be ready for the day the magazine lands.
Training does not stop at the first issue. Publishers keep working with their coach, join a network of a few hundred other publishers and gather each year at RISE, City Lifestyle's national conference.
Market size, the publisher's schedule and how quickly the first partnerships come together. Timing varies by market and effort, and a publisher who treats the launch as full-time work generally reaches the first issue sooner.
Do I have to sell the first issue before it prints? Publishers build partnerships during the launch period so the debut issue launches with local businesses in it. The Launch Coach works alongside the publisher through that process.
Who prints and mails the magazine? Headquarters. Publishers never manage a printer or a mailing list.
Details about the City Lifestyle franchise and current market availability are at future.citylifestyle.com.
