Magazine Content Checklist

Putting together a digital magazine, no matter what your niche might be, is a process that brings together several workflows to create the final product. With so many priorities to juggle, things can slip through the cracks if you’re not careful. With that in mind, we’re here to help. Here’s a handy checklist to go through before you hit the presses.

Cover: First impressions matter

We touched on most of this in Magazine Cover 101, but here’s a quick refresher just in case.

• Is your cover an accurate representation of the content inside?

• If your masthead changes every issue, does it flow well with the rest of the cover?

• Is your cover image creating the first impression you’re looking for?

• Have you included hooks to articles inside?

• Have you included the date, edition, or whatever system you use to sort each issue?

Content: The main event

What’s what you’re here for, right? Content is king, so make sure yours is worthy of the throne.

• Reread your content; does it actually say what you mean?

• Is your content written in a voice that is appropriate to your subject matter?

• Does everything inside come together cohesively?

• If your magazine has a theme, does everything fit?

• Is it aimed at your target audience?

• Does every article have a hook? A thesis?

• Is your content easy to understand?

• Do articles flow into one another?

• Does it all fit your editorial style guide?

Visuals: Because seeing is believing

Whether your visuals are supporting your writing or vice versa, they have to be just as perfectly polished as your written content.

• Do your images support the content?

• Or, if your publication is image-centric, is it supported by text?

• If you’re using images that need to be attributed, have you done so? (If you’re looking for images that you can use for free, check out

• Is your color palette appropriate?

• Is your typography appropriate?

• Have you properly attributed your images?

• How well integrated are your illustrations, if you have any?

• Does it all fit your design style guide?

Organization: Get it together

No matter how great your content might be, your readers need to be able to find what they’re looking for.

• Have you included a table of contents?

• If your publication has sections, is all your content appropriately sorted?

• Are your page numbers accurate?

Final Details: Cross your t’s and dot your i’s

These may seem like minor details, but they can be major distractions. Make sure that none of these little hiccups distract from your content.

• Have you spell checked? Do it again, just in case.

• Is everything fact checked?

• Do all of your links go to pages that still exist?

• Are all of your features like embedded videos and galleries working appropriately?