University Link Magazine (ULM), a new monthly catering to college students, is slated to launch in Southern California April 10.
The 12,000-circulation magazine will be first distributed only to subscribers at schools in Southern California, although its publisher, University Link Inc., has plans to expand to another major market within two years, with the goal of eventually reaching 10 US markets. Students in colleges native to each market will be in charge of writing and guest-editing each edition.
“During these changing times, young Americans have increasingly shown their presence, and as they begin to discover themselves, we find it important to allow their ideas to be displayed,” wrote Ali Salomi, co-publisher of ULM, in an e-mail to DMNews. “Furthermore, we also noticed that college students are a strong demographic group in which they remain a huge target audience of many companies. By launching this magazine, which is strictly for college students, we found a way to bring these two factors together. A magazine that is strictly devoted to college students, while providing companies and mom-and-pop shops a platform to advertise strictly to college students.”
Subscriptions, which can be ordered online or through a phone hotline, were free during a trial period, but are now going for $20 for an annual 10 issues. ULM’s subscription push, which started in January, included online marketing, in-person campus visits and viral marketing. The magazine also is leveraging organic search techniques and is depending on a PR boost from school newspapers. The goal is to reach 50,000 subscribers by the fourth quarter of 2010, Salomi said.
Blogs and video blogs are planned for the site. When ULM’s college guest editor program launches in September, student guest editors will be tasked with creating blogs and video blogs of their experiences.
