When I was first tasked with the assignment of researching print publications in the Los Angeles area, I thought to myself, “Hell yea, I’m an LA native. I got this, boom snickety all done 2 days whoop whoop!”
How cute of me, right?
What Does “Being From LA” Really Mean?
I grew up in the suburbs 20 minutes from Downtown LA (depending on traffic…it all depends on traffic, ha) and I went to school in Orange County, about 45 minutes away, depending on…well you get it.
Thing is, the Los Angeles area is comprised of over 470 regions, cities and neighborhoods. Of those 470, there are 88 official cities within the County of Los Angeles. Also included are CDPs (census-designated places) and unincorporated communities. ALL of these places are covered by a regional or local publication in one way or another. Add to that the different industries and niche topics and yeaahhh this ain’t getting done in 2 days haha! Especially when you realize that being “from LA” can sometimes mean as far south as Orange County and as far north as Ventura County, depending on who you talk to. It’s just easier to say you’re “from LA” than explaining what the exact proximity of your hometown is from downtown.
Media Researching Tips From Yvonne
I started with a broad search on Google with the keywords “Los Angeles print publications.” The usual suspects popped up: The LA Times, LA Weekly, Time Out Los Angeles, etc. Then I decided to expand my search to the suburbs to get an idea of how narrow of a niche we could go. I found a list of cities within 30 miles of Los Angeles and started searching for their local publications and newspapers (ie “Commerce, CA newspapers) and found that a LOT of the smaller cities are linked through the Los Angeles WAVE Newspapers in addition to having their own dedicated paper.
Then, I decided to look for niche publications, starting with “Los Angeles music scene magazines” and expanded towards art with great results. I haven’t even begun to list the Spanish language and other foreign language publications. With a population of 3.9 million, the majority of Los Angelenos speak a language other than English at home.
If you are looking for an easy way to find a specific niche publication in the Los Angeles area, just begin broad and narrow down. For example, you could do a search on “Los Angeles Spanish Food Magazines” and see what comes up! While you might not find a publication dedicated towards JUST Spanish food, you will find publications in Los Angeles who regularly feature Spanish or Mexican food.
My goal for you, is to start with the big name publications, then whittle down to the different cities/regions and niches within. I haven’t been back to LA for a long time, so this project is allowing me to reconnect with where I grew up. Did you know Elysian Valley is now called Frogtown?! I sure didn’t!
Meanwhile, you can do this searching, or you can find it via your Tin Shingle Media Kit Membership when you tap into the Media Contact Idea Center!
Stay tuned!
Yvonne de Salle