Welcome ⚡️ 

If you’re new to HYPER or missed the last email, we broke down our favorite stuff from 2023 here, and Oren highlights some of the collaborations we mention in a video here.

Today, we’re gonna talk about magazines today and explore some of the interesting print applications brands and independents are releasing in the world.

There’s something for everyone.

The secret sauce to making great UGC 🥣 

Influencer marketing is too saturated these days.

But you need content, and sourcing great UGC on your own sucks.

Sourcing people manually is tedious. Reach out, Send the briefs, handle comms, contracts, feedback. On and on it goes.

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Pricing starts at $2,000, and in exchange, you’ll get 25 edited videos. No long-term commitments.

HYPER readers get their first 25 UGC videos for $1,700!

Check out what they do ✅ 

“PRINT IS DEAD”

Or so they said.

Everyone wants to tell you that short-form video content is the only way to go right now (hell, even Oren does!), and no one seems to understand that print, something you can physically hold, is equally a beautiful way to build brand equity and deeper connection with your people.

We’ve never covered ‘zines in-depth before, but we’re constantly fascinated with how brands and creators use them as a medium for brand building and self-expression.

So here’s a rundown of how magazines are used in the consumer space, and some of the many angles creatives take to make print content around their respective niches.

Power to the micro brands!

Brands 🤝 ‘zines

One way we’re seeing print show up (no, we’re not talking about direct mailers) is by brands creating their own magazines.

When you’re building a world around your brand, there many different touch points to access your customers be. Some are transactional (paid spend with a CTA to purchase something), and others are relational.

You’re inviting people into that world with print.

ON Running is a perfect example of this, with their new-ish publication called OFF. It’s a magazine about running, obviously, and it covers run culture from all angles. They’ve already made 4 issues and are going strong.

Then there’s the Local Optimist from Madhappy, a quarterly magazine about community, mindfulness, and mental health — an adjacent topic that’s core to what they talk about as a brand.

For brands, this approach is awesome for a few reasons:

1. It’s unsuspecting — few brands actually do it

2. It creates a unique touchpoint to connect with your audience

We’re all a little tired of digesting your content on Instagram, email campaigns, or landing pages.

We want to touch paper. If you’re worrying about what to talk about, the options are endless. Stories, interviews, good photos, guides, you name it.

Community-first —> Brand follows

The reverse approach is equally interesting. Build a community around a shared interest, then create a magazine based on that, as opposed to making products first and then pivoting to print.

There are countless independent creators doing this right now, and it’s awesome to see.

One of our favorites is Hard Pack, a magazine about ski culture, from the perspective of fashion. Started by Zach Seely, who’s a Creative Director by trade, making the magazine a natural extension of the work he already does.

Cool Cool Cool

If you want to go the route of the curator, Where is the Cool is possibly the best example in the game right now. Based in Paris, WITC easily has the most aspirational content, sharing stories of cool shit and how it all came to be. The content is so sexy.

Oh, and their merch is fire.

Product reviews

We’ve posted about Thingtesting before, and they’ve done a good job playing into the DTC space from a content perspective, reviewing countless brands and products for you so you don’t have to.

So they made a magazine about it.

For the foodies

Meet Slop, a magazine about… produce. It’s based in the UK, so the content is accented towards British products and food.

But we love how tight the focus is, and it proves that there’s always a small community of people willing to rally around shared interests, even if it’s produce.

Publisher meets curator

Friend Editions is an awesome facilitator of print content. Started by Oliver Shaw, Shaw focuses on producing work with his friends, fellow creative types, and photographers alike, then couples each drop by hosting an event or activation.

What a lovely hybrid.

Listen to Oren drop wisdom

I hopped on the Sweat Equity pod this week to talk about what it takes to build with social media and launching a modern brand. A must-listen if you’re looking at social and marketing strategy for 2024.

Where else to listen–

• Apple

• Spotify

HYPER Reports

Check out our market reports. We spend many, many hours researching markets, categories, and brands & products within the consumer space–all so that you don’t have to.

How to Source Blanks 101 — HERE​ 
A guide to finding and producing your own merch

Market reports on Running, Golf and Tennis — HERE
A guide to each sport, the market opportunities, and how to launch your own brand

Looking for brand strategy, research, or merchandise support?

Shoot us a note here: [email protected]

We’d love to chat!

Oren ​& Clayton ❤️ you