Holiday 2020 Kim Reese, Brad Reynolds, Hope Good, Joanne Sanford
By Suzanne Waring
Have you been reading the magazine, Treasure State Lifestyles Montana for twenty years? That’s entirely possible. The magazine is celebrating two decades of publication under the same management and ownership.
Publisher/editor Hope Good, who created the magazine, has had an interest in media since high school. During those first career years, she worked in radio and television sales and production, had an advertising agency, and published an agricultural appreciation magazine for two years.
While managing a radio station in 2005, her coworker Joanne Sanford, upon hearing she had once published a magazine, pushed her to start another one with her help. Thus Treasure State Lifestyles Montana was born. It was a struggle in the first few years but they were determined to make it work. “I couldn’t have done it without her,” said Good.
Both Good and Sanford were very passionate that it would contain stories (past and present) that were written by Montanans, about Montanans, and for Montanans. Lifestyles chose to be true to Montana’s spirit, focusing on the Western lifestyle, as a feel-good magazine with short stories that would appeal to people of all ages. Montanans have a passion for all aspects of their lives such as cherished holidays, the arts, Western traditions, unique seasons, places to see, and agriculture—the region’s major industry. “From the beginning Lifestyles chose to be a free theme-based magazine with an issue coming out ten to twelve times a year,” said Good.
Because every community is unique and has its own charming character, Lifestyles strived to spotlight things within these communities that were hidden gems or that had been overlooked. A bit of nostalgia was added in along with some lighthearted tidbits and fun facts. The stories would not just focus on history or events of each town, but would include the businesses that helped these towns thrive. By including advertisers on the pages with the story, the ads were designed to flow within the content so when people read about an area they also got to read about the businesses in that area. The format has worked well, as readers often remark that they read the magazine cover to cover and the ads too.
Starting a periodical is mind numbing. Sales people need to be hired to find those who choose to advertise. Graphic design has to be created through inspiration without any past creations to fall back on, and the magazine has to be formatted in a pleasing style. Decisions have to be made as to what readers want to see in print, and writers have to be hired and complete articles on time. Money has to be available to cover the cost of printing and labor. Finally, delivery people have to be hired to place the magazine where readers can find them. In order to survive and thrive in the magazine business many hats must been worn as well as grueling hours worked, especially at press time.
During the years that Good has been publishing Lifestyles, she has faced the Great Recession from 2007 to mid-2009, the months of therapy after a breast cancer diagnosis, and the pandemic. “I’m a workaholic, so I worked through cancer therapy, but the pandemic was shattering. Businesses had no need to advertise because they closed their doors. As a result, we were down three issues and had to almost start all over if we were going to survive,” said Good.
Good has recently expressed excitement that she has been able to hire additional staff with specific skills enhancing the magazine. “I’m constantly looking for ways to keep the magazine relevant and making it available for people to enjoy and keep up with the ever-changing times. I do that by looking for fresh talent while holding on to my loyal team who has been with the magazine for years.”
Good and Sanford have endured through many trials and still look forward to more great stories Montanans have to share about the Western way of life. They began writing about and circulating the magazine in Great Falls, Black Eagle, Fort Benton, and Conrad – and now the magazine covers a third of the state. Let’s give a shout out for the team at Treasure State Lifestyles Montana whose thoughts are always on the future.
Publishing a magazine has the same characteristics and survival rate as other businesses.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 20% of new businesses fail within their first year, 50% within five years, and 65% within ten years. Yet Lifestyles has survived and is flourishing.