Guidelines

GUIDELINES TO JOIN

The Parenting Media Association provides opportunities for member networking and professional development. To maintain the association’s reputation for quality and integrity, all existing and prospective PMA members are expected to exhibit high levels of journalistic excellence and ethical business practices. Once approved for membership, each member publication is expected to comply with PMA’s standards and criteria on an ongoing basis as follows:

Business Practices

Members must have been publishing local parenting content for at least six (6) months in the form of a parenting publication, parenting website, and/or a parenting e-newsletter.

Applicants that are part of a larger media company must apply together at the same time, with all of its qualifying parenting media members joining. This applies to franchise models as well. The membership dues will be calculated with the highest revenue parenting media asset (or parent company if a franchise model) as the first member and each additional parenting media asset (or franchisee) will be charged as an add-on member.Applicants that are part of a larger media company must apply together at the same time, with all of its qualifying parenting media members joining. This applies to franchise models as well. The membership dues will be calculated with the highest revenue parenting media asset (or parent company if a franchise model) as the first member and each additional parenting media asset (or franchisee) will be charged as an add-on member.

Editorial

The editorial content of members must be dedicated to topics and subjects directed at the local parenting community in their regional markets. Members must maintain a minimum of 30% editorial content overall; maximum of 70% advertising overall, at least 75% of editorial content must relate directly to parenting/families and at least 60% of editorial content must be locally generated and/or locally focused or be of specific local interest to the member’s readership.

Editorial and Advertising Mix

Members must exhibit a clear distinction between advertising and editorial content.
  • Layout, design and typeface of all kinds of advertising pages should be distinctly different than editorial copy. The main typeface of the magazine’s or website’s editorial content should not be used in advertisements or special advertising sections.
  • As publishers incorporate more options for advertisers to tell their stories in print, digitally and via social media, keep in mind our interest in being transparent with readers. When an advertising message has the feel of editorial content, it is important to alert readers. Content marketing or native advertising stories can be sold to advertisers in print, digitally or via social media, but they must be labeled as such using the words such such as “Advertising” or “Sponsored Content” “Brought to you by…” be attached to any print ad, online copy, and/or social media post/story/video reel that is tied to paid advertising.
  • Editorial space should not be sold or bartered in exchange for advertising.
  • Print advertising should not be placed adjacent to editorial as the result of improper involvement or to imply editorial endorsement of particular advertisers.

Cover Guidelines

Members with print publications and/or digital editions must exhibit a clear distinction between advertising and editorial content. While the cover is editorial space, in today’s business, there may be times when an ad might appear on the publication cover. Members must maintain the requirement that editorial space not be sold or bartered in exchange for advertising and the cover ad should comply with these requirements:
  • Position: Ads on covers must be positioned on the bottom half, well away from the magazine logo.
  • Size: Ads must be limited to no more than 1/16 size of the page
  • Font must be different from the editorial font
  • Ad message and language should not integrate with editorial (for example, if the edit blurb reads “Five Must-See Family Movies,” the ad copy cannot read “Chipmunks: The Must-See Movie of the Summer”)
  • Art should be contained in a border or clearly separated by its own color
  • False covers and the front side of cover flaps used for advertising should always be labeled as advertising.

Additional requirements of membership

In addition to the standards and criteria above, members of PMA agree to abide by the bylaws of the association and the policies of the association established by vote the vote of the members. Members agree to abide by the following:

  • Submit annual dues renewal payments on a timely basis, including any supporting documents such as printer invoices and magazine copies for review if required.
  • Donate up to three (3) full page color ads during each membership year (July to June) and up to 6 months of run of site (ROS) digital ad space to be used by the association in a national donated space group ad buy program. The revenue from these ad sales goes to the association to help fund programming and keep the costs of membership and meetings as low as possible. Members are encouraged to present the group ad buy program to regional/national advertising prospects and will earn a sales commission in return for helping the association sell these important ads. See the member area on how to sell the donated space buy program.

Testimonials

I think of the PMA as my trusted advisors who truly understand all the challenges of our particular niche business. I love that I can email or call anyone in this organization with any questions and they will get back to me with their honest feedback. How do you set up your compensation structure? What’s your distribution cost? What do you think of your CRM software? No question is off limits. I don’t know any other organization like this.
Elena Epstein
Creative Director, L.A. Parent
We've thoroughly enjoyed our membership over the past 9 years and have walked away with countless great ideas from the interactions with members and outside experts. Whether you are a brand new startup or have done this for decades, the interaction with peers is invaluable as we navigate the new media landscape. PMA membership is the best investment we make every year!
-Brad Mitchell
Publisher of Northeast Ohio Parent
My team and I are very grateful for the many benefits that the Parenting Media Association has provided us through the years. Our media company is more profitable, reaches a bigger audience and is overall more successful because of all the training and “best ideas” that PMA offers. We highly recommend membership and active participation because it’s more than worth the effort, time and expense.
-Sarah Taylor
Publisher/President, MetroFamily, Oklahoma City
Joining the Parenting Media Association has truly been a game-changer for me and my company. Having a network of professionals who understand the parenting publishing business and provide a wealth of resources, support, and inspiration is something I could never have found without PMA. It pays for itself multiple times over and I’m grateful to have been a part of the group for many years.
-Brad Mitchell
Publisher of Northeast Ohio Parent
I have been a member of the Parenting Media Association (PMA) for many years, and it's been an invaluable part of our professional journey. The PMA provides a unique blend of networking, professional development, and resources that are specifically tailored to those of us in the parenting media field. Through the association, I've formed meaningful connections with peers, enhanced my skills through targeted workshops and webinars, and gained access to cutting-edge insights into parenting trends and challenges. What stands out the most, however, is the sense of community and shared purpose among members, all dedicated to improving the lives of families through quality media. Joining PMA has been one of the best decisions for my career and personal growth.
-Brandon Foreman
CEO of Family Resource Group, Inc.