10 Ways to Make a Great Magazine, by Texas Monthly’s Evan Smith

Mr. Magazine, Samir Husni, reports on a speech from Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith to the Morris Communications Company. Titled “Why Content Drives Our Future as a Business”, the speech included 10 elements that matter in making a great magazine:

1. Better covers
2. Compelling storytelling
3. Public interest journalism
4. Great profiles
5. Provocative essays
6. The very best service journalism
7. Non-traditional narratives
8. Nerve
9. Humor
10. Self-awareness

Those are certainly all qualities you’ll find when you pick up a copy of Texas Monthly. I still fret, however, about the quality of the magazine’s website. And it’s not just putting the magazine content online, either – TM has to find a way to enable their readership to join together online. It’s not a one-way street anymore.