Over the past few months the team at H2Open magazine have been working hard behind the scenes on two big changes: a new name, Outdoor Swimmer, and an increase in publication frequency to monthly circulation.
The company announced the change to its magazine subscribers in the latest issue of H2Open, which should have arrived over the weekend or early this week. As of this week, H2Open is rebranding its newsletter, website and social media accounts to the new title of Outdoor Swimmer. In March, the company will publish the first issue of Outdoor Swimmer. As the specialist title points out, this gives it an ‘opportunity to refresh and improve our content for outdoor swimmers of all levels of experience’.
Simon Griffiths, Founder and Publisher said, “We’re the same team and we’ve got the same mission: to provide inspiration and information for people to swim outdoors.
“Our first issue of Outdoor Swimmer will include a special introduction to outdoor swimming, so if you’re looking to get started, now would be the perfect opportunity to sign up for a subscription. With our direct debit introductory offer you can get the first three issues of Outdoor Swimmer for just £5.”
Simon expanded on why the team decided to change name, “Unfortunately, the name H2Open does present a few issues. Even though we’ve been around a good few years, we are often referred to as ‘H2O Magazine’, ‘H2O Open’, ‘H2O Swimming’ and various other combinations. For people who don’t know us, we often have to explain we’re a magazine about open water swimming, which either triggers a flash of understanding or a blank look.
“This lack of immediate recognition is one of our motivations for changing our name to Outdoor Swimmer. The label on the cover immediately tells you what’s inside – inspirational stories and advice for people who swim outside. This is particularly important for us in 2017 as we’re investing in expanding our presence on the newsstand and independent newsagents.
“On a crowded shelf, it’s important that potential readers immediately know what to expect. While it’s said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, people do make snap buying decisions on magazines based on what they see on the front.”
