The Land Report

Questions with Publisher Reid Slaughter

1. What do you consider the single most important achievement your magazine has accomplished in today’s marketplace?

We are the very first national consumer magazine for real estate. We have aggregated an extraordinary amount of information for the American landowner and put it in that easy, readable format that only magazines can do.

2. Looking back, what was the most important hurdle you were able to overcome?

Our first direct mail campaign was a disaster. We had photos of four very prominent landowners — Ted Turner, Robert Redford, Tom Brokaw, and Oprah Winfrey — on the cover with the tag line, “What do you have in common with these people?”

And the answer was a resounding, “Nothing!” Our first target list of landowners was evidently very conservative, and they reacted quite negatively to the package. We learned a good lesson there.

3. What was the biggest pleasant surprise?

The overwhelming response from both readers and advertisers who were hungry for this forum. Any time you break ground with a new concept — and The Land Report opens a whole new category! — you worry whether or not it will be understood and accepted.

4. What is the biggest challenge you are facing today?

Distribution. Getting the magazine into the hands of the right people in a cost-effective way.

5. Imagine you have a magic wand and you can strike the magazine and make it human? Describe that human being.

Mr. Land Report is a rugged outdoorsman. Yes, he lives in the city but he relishes his time in the country. He is a dreamer who is more comfortable in jeans and a denim workshirt than a coat and tie. He owns a Lexus but prefers his Jeep. His land is his respite from the urban maelstrom. He finds comfort in hunting, fishing, and caring for the wildlife on his property. He is environmentally conscious and a steward of the land. He and his family love their rural, recreational real estate and constantly talk about ways to improve it.

6. The number of new magazine launches has been on a steady increase. What advice do you offer to someone wanting to start a new magazine?

1) Get a lot of money!  2) Research your market. So many people start magazines because they think a topic is interesting, not because there is a sizable market for it. 3) A magazine is only as good as the staff that produces it. If you don’t have smart, experienced magazine people at every position, you will fail. 4) Get a lot of money!

7. Finish this sentence: In 2011, your magazine will be…

The established authority for rural, recreational real estate in the United States with a loyal paid circulation base of 150,000+ for the print product and a much larger audience for its online sister, landreport.com.