How “Faces of” magazines became revenue winners
For publishers looking for a high-revenue, high-margin initiative, “Faces,” an annual high-end magazine, can deliver both.
The coffee-table-style magazine caught fire a years ago and is now published in multiple cities and regions.
The model evolved from “Who’s Who” style publications such as “People to Know,” “Top Doctors,” “Women in Business,” and “40 Under 40” that are still in play today.
However, “Faces of…” turned this idea into a stronger commercial package: Instead of ranking people or selecting one overall group of winners, the publisher presents one person or company as the exclusive face of a particular category:
- The Face of Commercial Real Estate
- The Face of Cosmetic Dentistry
- The Face of Wealth Management
- The Face of Homebuilding
In short, what distinguishes the commercial “Faces of…” model is that publishers sell only one position in each business category.
That transformed an ordinary profile advertisement into something that felt like recognition:
“You are the Face of your industry in this market.”
The power of the marketing was psychological: “be recognized as the Face of your field” feels like an honor and a competitive position.
It’s still pay-to-play; however, the advertiser is purchasing more than pages:
- Category exclusivity
- Status and implied authority
- Professional photography with usage rights
- A profile or brand story
- Print distribution
- Digital and social promotion
- Reprints or copies for their own marketing
The Spotlight Media Example
Spotlight Media in Fargo is one of the more visible publishers to build a repeatable annual business around the format. It publishes: Faces of Fargo, Faces of Bismarck, Faces of Sioux Falls.
In fact, Mike Dragosovich, CEO of Spotlight Media and national Niche Publisher of the Year, has told conference attendees that every product he sells has an exclusivity component of some kind, even if it is only one advertiser for each of the seven ad units on the website.
Sales materials (download below) play up the industry exclusivity element:
“You will be seen among the area’s prominent leaders and have your business be the face of your industry since only one business per industry will be allowed,” the sales materials note, starting with the element of scarcity in the pitch.
Other benefits include the session with a professional photographer, and rights to all photos taken.
As an annual buy, the magazine “will sit on coffee tables all year.” There are no premium positions, so the categories are listed alphabetically.
Here are his Faces sales flyers, with permission to edit the PDF using Canva and “make it your own.”
Here’s how his model works as a process: Once the client signs up, they book a Zoom call with the photographer, who uses the call to see the space and understand the logistics before the shoot.
Content for the page is similar to the “about us page” of the client’s website; most submit the copy, which can be edited later by the content team.
The promotional flier shows the 5o categories that are up for grabs as well as examples from other Faces magazines.
The Sioux Falls package includes:
* 30,000 books mailed to 25,000 high-income households and 1,500 businesses.
* Digital magazine: 40,000 email blast
*The “Official face of (your category” badge to place on the website can also be turned into a decal.
* All businesses share the magazine on their website
Only full pages are sold, priced at 1 page ($2,885), 2 pages ($4188), and 4 pages ($6,384). Advertisers can pay $219 for an archival plaque.
Spotlight has added a Launch Party.
So, that’s the evolution of a model that today has hugely successful sales and profit margins.
Many thanks to Mike Dragosovich for sharing his sales brochures so other publishers can benefit.
