For Premier Guitar’s CEO Peter Sprague and managing directors Jon Levy and Gary Ciocci, digital is just one piece of their user engagement puzzle. While many publishers have jumped the print publishing ship in favor of online, Gearhead Communications LLC’s publication, Premier Guitar, uses a different set of tactics. By putting the reader first and giving them content in every format, they can appeal to all types of consumers and broaden their reach. “To assume that the reader consumes information in one format is a very arrogant presumption. What we try to do is deliver high quality content in a timely fashion when they want it and how they want it,” says Ciocci.

Through its four media components, a monthly print magazine, a weekly e-newsletter (pushing 50,000 opt-ins), a web presence (approaching 9 million page views from about 350-400,000 unique users) and events platforms, both actual and virtual, it’s clear that Premier Guitar is all about integration and the brand. “What differentiates us is that online is an essential part of what we do, not an adjunct. Readers and subscribers of the online magazine will eclipse print readers probably within the next 60 days (early December 2008) at the rate things are going,” says Sprague.

Despite digital’s unquestionable growth factor, the company’s focus is on brand as opposed to product. “We’re building an audience for memberships, subscriptions, and concerts,” says Sprague. It helps being privately owned, he adds, since the brand doesn’t need to see financial results immediately. In this way, they can take steps like making their current archival content available on the website. While there was initial trepidation that this would depress paid print subscriptions, Premier Guitar has found the contrary to be true. “Our paid print subscriber rate is up 60 percent, and regional right now is covering more than 80 percent,” says Sprague. “We’re probably not going to make a nickel for a few more years. But if you do it right, things will take care of themselves.”

While the business may eventually take care of itself, that doesn’t mean that it’s all smooth sailing. “While the end consumer (guitar player/collector) is very forward thinking,” says Levy. The challenge is for the Premier Guitar brand to not outpace the manufacturing and advertising client market, which are not as progressive as its readers.

“The economic times are going to be a benefit,” predicts Ciocci. “Companies are looking for cost efficient, measurable alternatives to tradition of buying legacy print ad. What defines market leading today is different from ten years ago, and our integrated approach is more affordable, efficient and we can be held accountable.”

Through this forward-thinking integration, Premier Guitar has also enticed an international audience, with over 28 countries engage in the brand, the largest percentage of any guitar publication. Due to this need for multiple languages, PG has added a translation function to its site, and has been working with Texterity on this function for the digital magazine on the software side. The partnership with Texterity has also furthered PG’s success, since they “found them to be people that could get inside the head of print publishers and had a good understanding of SEO strategies,” says Sprague.

Ultimately, Sprague believes that the reader comes first: “So much consumer publishing and b-to-b publishing is dictated by advertisers. We don’t play that game. At the end of the day, if you don’t win the hearts and minds of your consumer, you’ve got nothing.”