Letter from the Editor
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In 2016, when we first conceived of publishing an “educational, but entertaining” magazine for the 12% of the general population who cope with migraine, our focus was on producing a conventional print magazine and simultaneously to begin developing an electronic version of that magazine which progressively would expand our readership and eventually come to dwarf its print twin in accessibility and readership.
For the first 3+ years of Migraineur’s existence this strategy worked quite well. A pharmaceutical company, Supernus, sponsored production of the magazine, purchased many tens of thousands of copies and mailed those copies to their representatives to provide to the doctors they called upon… who in turn distributed the magazine to their headache patients. It was the essence of a “direct to consumer” distribution model. While we also published an electronic version on the Migraineur website, the print version was the large rock we tossed into the pool of water, with the electronic version representing the early ripples that eventually would reach the farthest shore.
And then came Covid. Traditional clinic-based in-person care of patients drastically declined, and along with it so did the direct interactions between the representatives of pharmaceutical companies and medical providers. The one-source sponsorship of the magazine we had enjoyed during those early years abruptly ceased.
To contend with this new set of circumstances we pivoted quickly to shift our focus to the electronic version of the magazine and our website. To fund continued production of the magazine we were left with no immediate option but to solicit advertisers to replace the sponsorship that had vanished in lockstep with the pandemic.
And so it has remained for the ensuing 4 years. We have taken pains to maintain a clear distinction between the magazine’s content and the promotional material provided by our advertisers, publishing only unbiased articles that are meticulously peer-reviewed by physician headache experts who have no financial ties to the magazine. The boundary between promotional advertising and educational content is strictly maintained.
That said, the stark fact remains that within this brave new world of electronic medical publishing, advertisers favor educational resources which reach a wide audience, yield a high volume of “click- throughs” and downloads and, particularly in the case of Migraineur, maintain a large volume of electronic subscribers. While with our shift of focus to electronic publishing the number of those who read our magazine has increased immensely, with our readership now extending to be international in scope, the magazine’s financial viability is intimately linked to to its electronic subscribership. Regular and frequent use of our website and magazine by many thousands of non-subscribers ultimately may raise the standard of care for migraine, but this does little to enhance that viability.
If you enjoy this magazine – if you have found it to be helpful in understanding and managing your headache disorder (and hopefully entertaining as well) – please go a step beyond simply recommending the magazine to others and encourage them to become electronic subscribers. If you are not currently a subscriber…join up!
To subscribe is both easy and free. On the magazine’s webpage at migraineurmagazine.com is a “subscribe” option. Click on that option, and it will take no more than 15 seconds for you to become an electronic subscriber. You subsequently will receive emails advising you when a new issue of the magazine is published and providing a direct link to that issue. You also will receive notifications of and links to any blogs posted on our website which will provide access to important new information involving migraine that may arise during the intervals between publication of our quarterly issues, as well as news of interesting conferences, symposia, and other educational initiatives intended for those with migraine or related headache disorders.
Migraineur has come a long way in its 7 years of existence, and the magazine is now considered by many to be the premier educational resource for those seeking to learn more about their headache disorder. Help us continue to help you by subscribing.
