Almost six years after the title went on hiatus, Cosmopolitan Australia is the latest title to return amid a print renaissance, and publisher Katarina Kroslakova tells Mediaweek she has “not seen a reaction this emotional to anything I’ve ever done in my life.”
The first issue back will be out in August, led by Kroslakova’s publishing house KK Press, and produced in collaboration with Hearst Magazines International.
When asked why now was the time to bring Cosmo back, Kroslakova doesn’t hesitate. Her immediate reply: “Well, why not?”
“I’ve been talking to Hearst about this for a year, so this has been quite some time in the making. I was very, very, very careful about doing it at the right time.
“When I saw that women’s fashion and lifestyle readership were up 36% I thought, wow, we’re on to something. With T Australia [the New York Times‘ style magazine, which Kroslakova also edits], we went from six issues last year up to 10 issues this year in print – so that indicated to me that confidence in print products was massive.”
The new Cosmopolitan Australia magazine will be a digital-first property, with Kroslakova adding that she’s “really, really keen to launch digitally sooner rather than later, and maintain at least those six issues per year across in print.”
Kroslakova says the reaction to the title’s revival “has been out of control”, including people reminiscing on what the title meant to their younger selves.
“I have been in publishing for 20 years, I have not seen a reaction this emotional to anything I’ve ever done in my life, honestly. I’ve had people I haven’t spoken to in years and people on socials saying thank you for bringing it back.
“To actually say thank you to a magazine publisher for bringing a brand back is so heartwarming, and it goes to show that when a magazine and a brand like Cosmo connects with the reader, that connection never goes away.”
For brands looking to make the most of the title’s connections with its readers, Kroslakova says the team is working to bring the product to life across multiple platforms, giving advertisers access to readers no matter where they find Cosmo.
“We will have six print issues per year, and we will launch digitally just prior to launch, in July. We will be on TikTok, we will be on Instagram, all the socials, and we will also be producing some of the trademark Cosmo events – we will be working on a Cosmo sleepover and we will also be working on a Cosmo podcast.
“There will be a bit of Cosmo for readers and advertisers at every step along the way.”
The search has begun to build the editorial team, including finding an editor.
“We’ve already submitted some of my preferred candidates to Hearst Global, there is a very thorough, very detailed questionnaire that needs to be filled in and some of the candidates have come back to me with the most extraordinary proposals.
“That’s been really exciting, and quite invigorating.”
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Top Image: Katarina Kroslakov