The production activity in newspapers and magazines is a business that has to run on a specific timetable as it is based on the constant series of deadlines and times to keep up with. Where newspapers target daily request and have a shorter work cycle of a few hours, periodicals have deadlines that can be stretched, giving you some respite to be able to decide and create more effective advertisements.

The editorial staff usually works on a yearly summary of the periodical for the whole year, which will include the topics for the cover stories as well as the articles that will feature in each issue. There will also be suggestions for the graphics, photos and art work to use within these periodicals, all this with the objective to define the general outline of the periodicals yearly evolution.

Once these issues are defined, it is the turn of the advertising market staff who will start creating spaces for advertisements within the periodical and whose task it is to find business that wish to be advertise in the periodical. They do this by visiting businesses to show them what kind of periodical they propose and based on how much advertising space they have sold, the editors can determine how many pages the periodical will be composed of.

Once the advertising space has been allotted then the articles start taking shape and are to be finished within a certain date and have to be a specific length, as all the text, graphics and advertising must fit into the allotted number of pages, so that it can be ready for the printing process.

The articles for these periodicals are usually written three months before the magazine goes in for printing, this is to make sure the deadlines are respected. All those who are contributing to a particular issue will have to keep in mind that the article, photos and advertisements will appear during a different month in which they are preparing them. This is why you should plan carefully when advertising in periodicals as you have to consider the time lapse. All articles, photos and ads have to be appropriate to that specific season or month of the year.

When advertising in periodicals you can actually find out in advance what kind of articles will be appearing in three months time, this will give you the advantage of choosing the appropriate issue in which to place your advertisement so it has a greater impact on your potential customers.

Sometimes when there are time-sensitive issues periodicals may decide to add the article at the last minute just before it goes into print. This can be the case when a new restaurant is opening and a food review is needed. These last minute changes can work to your advantage if you are advertising your new business, but you must keep in mind that certain pieces of information may not be included in the article. The production and processing of periodicals is a complex affair but will give you the advantage of being able to plan your advertisement around the various articles and dedicated issues.