IPC’s Practical Parenting has redesigned in a bid to revive sales by broadening its content.
The magazine’s circulation figures have declined since 1999 when circulation was at a high of 81,215. It now stands at 47,216. BBC Parenting magazine recently folded.
Editor Mara Lee hopes the redesign will address the sales drop while making the magazine “less prescriptive”.
There will be more lifestyle features with more readers’ stories as well as letters, photos and funny faces section.
There is also a new logo with bold colours and a new cover format with the strap line “Pregnancy, Birth, Baby, Toddler, Pre-Schooler”, highlighting the new range of advice available.
Although themagazine always covered pregnancy to pre-school children, the sections in the new magazine will not necessarily be separated in to age categories.
Lee, formerly the editor of the title’s Australian counterpart, explained: “We have reworked the magazine to make it less prescriptive and less sectioned off.
“To say a section is for mothers of 3-5 year olds is closing others off from the rest of the magazine.
“It has more general lifestyle features relevant from pregnancy to pre-school asking questions such as ‘when should I have another baby?’ or ‘what should I do with my whinging child?'” The expert sections of the magazine have been “sexed up” and there is a new health and nutrition section and a monthly expert column from Channel 4’s Super nanny Jo Frost.
Breaking with the sector’s usual tradition of having a mother and her baby on the front cover, Practical Parenting will now have the baby on its own.
Lee added that it is now more than a “how to” manual which considers readers’ emotions, hopes and fears as parents.
“The content is designed especially for today’s mum, tackling the subjects they want to read about and encouraging their input into their magazine.”
The new January issue will be on sale in December
By Sarah Lagan
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
