Magazines I Like: Women's Health

Nothing is new under the sun in our magazine world. Ideas come and go, sometimes flourishing and sometimes failing. Rodale's new venture into the women's health market is nothing new. Years ago they tested Women's Health as a Prevention special, and before that they launched Spring, a women's magazine that had no summer to celebrate. So what changed now? I had a chance to chat with Kate Kelly Smith, publisher of Women's Health, and asked her why she thinks the magazine will work this time around. Her answer? Simply put: better timing, different health issues and a new generation of women, with a new definition of health,
who grew up with Title IX.

Aimed at 25-39 year-old women, Women's Health is targeting a much younger audience than its contemporaries, such as big sister Prevention (She should know. Smith was Prevention's publisher before taking the helm at Women's Health). The other sibling, Men's Health (the big brother of Women's Health and the largest men's magazine in the world - currently published in 34 countries) had, by far, a tremendous impact on the launch of Women's Health. In the past, female readers of Men's Health were saying, "I am reading his, where is mine?" Ask no more ladies, now you have a title of your own. In addition, "Advertisers jumped in, giving us a wider bucket, instead of limiting ourselves to certain categories," said Smith. "Newsstands (sales) are great and our premise was, is and still will be, know your reader.

Initial research for Women's Health was started in June 2004, culminating in a test issue published in October 2004 with two different covers (both combined garnering a 45 percent single copy sell through rate). After five test issues, Women's Health was launched in November/December of 2005 and is seeing continuous growth. Circulation started with 400,000, is currently increasing to 600,000 and, by January 2007, will reach 750,000. Its frequency increased as well, moving from six times a year to 10.

On the marketing side, Smith told me they are embarking on this new "Are You Game" marketing event, in which they are challenging their advertisers and staffers to do things out of the ordinary, such as jumping from a trapeze to exotic dancing. It's a true reflection of the nature of their audience: Active women who go the gym at least twice a week. Now, those women can go to the gym with a little extra in their gym bag: a copy of the latest issue of Women's Health.