1.0 Brand Summary

 

1.1 Vision Statement

SALTY is a Christian contemporary magazine and lifestyle brand helping young adults live in, but not of the culture. We see vibrant young adults communicating a clear Gospel, providing creative solutions, while executing their purpose with conviction.

 

1.2 Mission Statement

Our publication, apparel, and videos help stir young disciples to live bold and unapologetic in their beliefs for such a time as this. Each issue features passionate articles, art and artists at the intersection of Christ, Culture, & Creativity – to inspire our readers to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

 

1.3 Values

• Christ-centered
• Culturally relevant
• Creatively executed

 

1.4 Ideal Reader

Young adult doers and dreamers aged 16-36, or young at heart professionals. We are drawn to all things bold, beautiful, and Biblical. Though unashamed for Christ, we are hungry to see the church engage our culture without compromising the clarity and power of the Gospel. We are talented, but crave guidance and education on how to maximize our skills for social impact and business profit.

 

 

1.5 Brand Culture

We believe the Gospel is not just truth, but creative genius. Therefore, it is done a disservice when shared in less than creative ways. Our community of “saltshakers” understand that young believers have an essential role of preserving timeless beauty & truth among our own generation.

 

We refuse to be bullied by the culture of compromise, but instead hear the call to infiltrate it with the excellence & wisdom of Christ. After all, if we – the salt – lose our flavor/influence we are no longer good for anything but to be trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13)

 

 

2.0 Brand Goals

 

 

2.1 Objectives (One Year)

(1) Build email subscription to 5000 readers

(2) Build Instagram to 10,000 followers

(3) Find 8 parallel brands to purchase website and/or magazine AD space

 

 

2.2 Keys to Success (For Above Objectives)

(1) Publish free monthly digital magazine, & 3x weekly blog posts

(2) Post striking art and powerful quotes to Instagram 3x daily

(3) Email media kit to 100 “urban Christian” brands when subscription hits 3000 emails

 

 

2.3 Platform + Expansion Goals

Use website to build extensive curation of quality Christian art and creative media, to establish SALTY as the go-to platform for all things edgy and edifying. As a community of youthful believers is built around this platform, we will increase the advertising spaces on our website and digital magazine. Eventually, we will also offer paid resources to help our creative audience execute their own passions effectively.

Examples:

• Virtual Summits of successful individuals intersecting Christ, Culture, & Creativity
• Workshops to practically serve the needs of new entrepreneurs & independent artists
• Workbooks on identifying and executing one’s purpose with passion & clarity
• Conferences to inspire & challenge creatives to collaborate on large-scale productions

 

 

3.0 Brand Guidelines + Best Practices

 

3.1 Blog Categories

• Christ – devotional posts to inspire passion and spiritual discipline
• Culture – hot topics to discuss current events with a Biblical perspective
• Creativity – features & interviews of artists & media producers that catch our eye

 

3.2 Blog Schedule

• Christ-centered articles – posted to website each Monday
• Culture Reviews – posted to website each Wednesday
• Creative Highlights – various feature posted each Friday
• Week 1 – song/album of the month
• Week 2 – visual piece of the month
• Week 3 – video/event review of the month
• Week 4 – written or live interview chat with one of the artists/content creators

 

3.3 The Magazine Content

*The digital magazine will be a monthly compilation of above blog posts, with edgy, interactive design pushed out to SALTY email subscribers only, (and eventually, our app users). The digital publication will have additional content such as book recommendations, exclusive interviews, giveaways, and additional resources for creatives.

 

3.4 Business Tasks + Schedule

• Mondays – Write blog posts & delegate article topics to writers
• Tuesdays – Design & schedule social media marketing
• Wednesdays – Interviews/Interact with social media following to build community
• Thursdays – Review products, sales & accounting tasks
• Fridays – Refine & schedule all website features
• Saturdays – Networking events and miscellaneous
• Sundays – Relax & Rejuvenate

 

 

3.5 Guest Posting Guidelines

“If you have an article or art submission that challenges or redefines what it means to be young and unashamed in the culture, email it to editor[@]saltymagazine.com. We prioritize passion over experience, so no professional qualifications are necessary. There is no monetary compensation but writers and photographers retain the copyright to any submissions, unless otherwise agreed upon.

 

Ready to publish submissions will be used in the month that best fits our editorial calendar themes, and will be notified one week before the release date if selected. Content that speaks from the intersection of Christ, Culture, & Creativity will be prioritized – so please review our manifesto before submitting.”

 

4.0 Brand Offerings + Monetization

 

4.1 Brand Offerings

• The magazine – free to readers with paid ads implemented eventually for profit
• The media – free videos and podcasts to readers with paid advertisement spots
• The merchandise – various priced items such as tshirts, entrepreneurial workbooks, etc.
• The masterminds/workshops – priced events to train, coach and equip young entrepreneurs (this will be a later offering once demand grows to a profitable number)

 

MAGAZINE	MEDIA	MERCHANDISE

 

 

 

 

4.2 Ad Space

Advertisements will be the primary monetization method for SALTY Magazine, which is why a high email subscription rate and website traffic will be key to attracting paying brands.

 

SALTY’s monthly costs will be estimated at $4000 monthly (see section 7 below for details) so we will start offering advertising to break even when our email list achieves 2000 readers:

 

• PHASE I (2000 subscribers)

6 Magazine Pages x $500 each = $3000 income

4 Website Spaces x $250 each = $1000 income

____________

$4000 per month (to break even)

 

• PHASE II (5000 subscribers)

6 Magazine Pages x $1000 each = $6000 income

6 Website Spaces x $500 each    = $3000 income

____________

$9000 monthly revenue ($5000 profit to start re-investing)

 

 

4.3 Affiliates + Partnerships

• AFFILIATES

We will offer affiliate links to gain added income and share resources that would benefit our entrepreneurial audience (ie. Bluehost.com for website hositing or LeadPages.com for email list building).

• PARTNERSHIPS

To consistently produce quality posts, SALTY will partner with credible bloggers as needed, to increase our exposure to their audiences and promote the writer’s posts on our website when it fits our brand themes (Christ-centered devotionals, Cultural Hot Topics, Creative Highlights/ reviews).

• SPONSORSHIPS

Conference and concert sponsorships will also be utilized to gain new followers

 

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5.0 Market + Reader Analysis

 

5.1 Leading Brands in My Genre

www.RelevantMagazine.com – God. Life. Progressive Culture.

www.FoundrMag.com – For Young Entrepreneurs

 

 

5.2 Comparable Brands in My Genre

www.ShifterMagazine.com – empowers young creative influencers to impact their world for better.

www.P4CM.com – creates youthful media and blogs to inspire a passion for Christ across the globe.

www.RepDaKingMag.com – documents the entire lifestyle of the Urban Christian artist, on & off stage.

 

 

 

5.3 Brand Benefits + Reader Use

The benefit of SALTY magazine is that we curate the highlights of the above 5 websites in one place. Our goal is to produce content that is irresistible and edifying to the young urban Christian creative or entrepreneur. We combine the inspiration of Relevant Magazine with the practical entrepreneurial tools of Foundr Magazine. So our readers are not just encouraged by the “why” society must change, but also empowered with the “how” to do so.

 

 

5.4 Brand Traffic Goals

To establish 100,000 views per month on our website by posting 12 monthly posts averaging 9000 views each: 12 posts x 9000 views = 108,000 total

 

Facebook and Instagram ADs targeting our niche audience will be heavily utilized to reach that benchmark. Based on past experience and research, that goal should be attainable in one year with consistent blog and magazine releases.

 

 

 

6.0 Social Promotion Strategy

 

6.1 Instagram Plan

Instagram will be our main social media focus, since art and quotes draw a faithful following of Christian creatives and hopeful entrepreneurs on this platform. All art features and photos designed for Facebook and Pinterest will be marketed on Instagram heavily – with a posting minimum of 3x daily.

 

 

6.2 Facebook plan

Our Facebook page will release daily promo links to the article, art, and artist interview features on our website. Potent or polarizing quotes from our articles will also be converted into images, since those get shared frequently on the Facebook platform and will draw readers to our website source. We will also promote attractive and new magazine covers heavily on Facebook, and will utilize Facebook Ads to market the covers to readers who follow similar magazines.

 

 

6.3 Pinterest Plan

All blog posts will feature quality photos with blog titles that reveal an easy-share Pinterest button when readers hover. SALTY will also have its own Pinterest page with well-designed images of Bible verses, art features, and entrepreneurial quotes to draw a following to our website.

 

 

6.4 Email List Plan

To rapidly grow our email list, website visitors will not be able to access the digital magazine until they subscribe via email. In addition to the monthly magazine release, email subscribers will be notified of apparel releases and giveaway contests going on first.

 

 

 

7.0 Blog Financials

 

 

7.1 Startup Budget

• $5000 – to re-design website and lockdown digital magazine to email subscribers only
• $7000 – to develop custom app for releasing digital magazine issues & other media

_______

$12,000 startup costs

 

 

7.2 Lean Monthly Expenses

• $1000 – Digital Magazine Design (for 40 pages)
• $200 – Stock Photo Subscription
• $300 – SEO Setup and Optimization
• $1000 – FB & Instagram Marketing
• $400 – Social Media Content Design
• $100 – Social Media Tools (ie. Schedugram, CoSchedule, Issuu, ConvertKit, Dropbox, etc)
• $500 – Social Media Manager
• $500 – Content Editor/ Manager

______

$4000 monthly costs

 

 

 

7.3 Monthly Revenue Streams

Advertisements will be the primary revenue stream for SALTY Magazine once we hit 2000 subscribers. In phase II (5000 subscribers), we will add apparel and product sales, as well as affiliate links, and workshops/ workbooks to help young entrepreneurs.

 

 

• PHASE I (2000 subscribers)
• 6 Magazine Pages x $500 each = $3000 income
• 4 Website Spaces x $250 each = $1000 income

______________

$4000 per month (to break even)

 

• PHASE II (5000 subscribers/ one year later)
• 6 Magazine Pages x $1000 each = $6000 income
• 6 Website Spaces x $500 each  = $3000 income
• “In But Not Of” tees & products = $1000 income
• Affiliate Links and Resources   = $ 500 income

______________

$9000 monthly revenue ($5000 profit to start re-investing)

 

 

 

 

8.0 Brand Style Guide

 

 

8.1 SALTY Color Theme

• teal : C 77  Y 42
• red: M 100  Y 100
• yellow/gold: C 5  M 2  Y 100

 

8.2 HTML Codes (for above colors)

• Teal   #00b7aa
• Red   #ed1c24
• Yellow  #f3c31a

 

8.3 SALTY Fonts

• Not yet confirmed, waiting on designer reply.

 

 

8.4 SALTY Logos

 

MAGAZINE LOGO	MEDIA LOGO	MERCHANDISE LOGO