Our State Magazine

What Our State Magazine does

Our State Magazine is a Greensboro, North Carolina-based publishing company founded in 1933 by Carl Goerch under the name 'The State' and rebranded to 'Our State: Celebrating North Carolina' following its 1996 acquisition by Mann Media. The company publishes a monthly print lifestyle magazine focused on North Carolina travel, food, history, culture, and nostalgia, reaching 162,000+ paid subscribers and 1,124,000+ monthly readers across all 50 US states and approximately 20 foreign countries. Its core technology stack consists of a WordPress-based CMS, email newsletter infrastructure, a digital edition platform, and an e-commerce storefront, with no proprietary AI/ML systems described.

The business operates a diversified revenue model anchored by tiered multi-year print and digital subscriptions (12 issues at $34.99, 24 issues at $62.99, 36 issues at $82.99) that include free digital access, supplemented by print and web display advertising, the Our State Store e-commerce platform for NC-themed merchandise, the Our State Travel Club for curated experiential travel, sponsored native content, and à la carte sample and back-issue sales at $8 per issue. Distribution spans direct mail, digital, and newsstand placement at major national and regional retailers including Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter.

In 2018 owner Bernie Mann sold the company into a 100% employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), making staff the new owners. The publication extends its reach through a multi-platform ecosystem including the 'This is NC' weekly newsletter, the Storytellers Podcast, a video series broadcast in partnership with PBS North Carolina, sponsored content partnerships with regional tourism boards, and an interactive games suite (crossword, word search, jigsaw, quiz). Reported renewal rates exceed 60% against an industry average of 21-24%, signaling strong reader retention.

Name

Our State Magazine

Legal name

Our State Magazine

Website

https://ourstate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Our State Magazine is a Greensboro, NC-based lifestyle publisher founded in 1933 that produces a monthly print and digital magazine celebrating North Carolina travel, food, history, and culture for 162,000+ paid subscribers, operating as a 100% employee-owned ESOP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH), Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Regional lifestyle publishing
• Magazine subscription services
• North Carolina travel content
• Digital content publishing
• Branded merchandise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Magazine subscription revenue with tiered pricing (12-36 issues) and various discount offers; print subscriptions begin within 6-8 weeks with free digital access included
2. Print Magazine Advertising: Display advertising sold across multiple platforms including print magazine with various ad sizes (Full Page, 1/2 Page, 1/3 Page, 1/6 Page); reaches over 1.124 million readers monthly
3. Digital/Web Display Advertising: Website display advertising campaigns with image size of 300x250 pixels displayed twice on article pages; includes exclusivity on single article pages
4. Our State Store E-commerce: Retail merchandise sales through dedicated e-commerce platform offering NC-themed products
5. Our State Travel Club: Travel experiences and events generating revenue through curated trips
6. Sample Issues and Back Issues: Sale of individual magazine copies at $8 per issue; bulk donations available for events, schools, organizations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Our State Magazine publishes a monthly lifestyle magazine celebrating North Carolina travel, food, history, culture, and nostalgia, distributed through print subscriptions, digital subscriptions, and newsstand retail. Supporting revenue lines include a branded merchandise e-commerce store, a curated travel club, a podcast, video series, and topic-based email newsletters.

Product overview

Our State Magazine is a single-award-winning print publication focused on celebrating North Carolina since 1933. The company offers a print magazine distributed via subscription and retail channels (over 162,000 subscribers), a companion digital edition included with print subscriptions, and the Our State website featuring articles, recipes, videos, podcasts, and interactive games. Supporting brands include the Our State Store (e-commerce for NC-themed products), the Our State Travel Club (curated trips), the Storytellers Podcast, video series, and newsletter subscriptions including the flagship weekly 'This is NC' newsletter. The company reaches over 1,124,000 readers monthly across print and digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Our State Magazine (Print Subscription) Award-winning monthly print magazine celebrating North Carolina travel, food, history, culture, and nostalgia, distributed via subscription and retail to over 162,000 subscribers.
• Our State Digital Edition

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PBS NCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PBS North Carolina to produce 'Best of Our State' television content, bringing magazine stories to broadcast audience
• Digital Archives Partnership (NC Department of Cultural Resources)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur State Archives maintained through digital.ncdcr.gov spotlights preserving historical magazine content for public access
• Visit WilliamsburgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership featuring travel content about Williamsburg and surrounding areas for NC readers interested in regional travel
• Discover Jackson CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored travel content partnership showcasing Jackson County NC destinations, restaurants, and experiences
• Visit GreensborominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership featuring Greensboro beer trail and local brewery experiences
• Old Dominion UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership featuring Hampton Roads Virginia small businesses targeting NC readers interested in regional travel

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coastal Living: Regional lifestyle magazine focused on coastal U.S. communities, covering food, travel, homes, and culture. Comparable to Our State as a geography-driven lifestyle title with multi-platform distribution and loyal subscriber base.
• Midwest Living: Regional lifestyle magazine covering travel, food, and culture of the American Midwest. Directly comparable to Our State as a state/region-focused consumer magazine with subscription and advertising revenue.
• Garden & Gun: Southern lifestyle magazine with strong emphasis on culture, food, travel, and outdoor pursuits. Comparable in tone, audience, and content mix to Our State's celebration of Southern identity, places, and storytelling.
• Country Living: National lifestyle magazine with strong regional affinity covering homes, food, travel, and crafts. Comparable to Our State in editorial style and audience engagement around regional lifestyle and home/garden content.
• Sunset Magazine: Western U.S. regional lifestyle magazine covering travel, food, gardening, and home. Comparable as a long-established regional lifestyle title with a loyal subscriber base and multi-platform content strategy.
• Southern Living: Premier Southern U.S. lifestyle magazine covering food, travel, homes, and culture. Closest comparable to Our State given similar regional lifestyle positioning, multi-platform content strategy, and subscription-based business model.
• Yankee Magazine: New England's regional lifestyle magazine covering travel, food, and culture. Highly comparable business model to Our State as a state/region-focused title with subscription, advertising, and e-commerce revenue streams.

Broad incumbents

• Travel + Leisure: Major national travel magazine with broader scope and larger audience than Our State. Comparable on the travel content pillar and Travel Club/experiential monetization model, but operates nationally and at greater scale.

Regional players

• Blue Ridge Country: Regional magazine covering the Blue Ridge/Appalachian region, including parts of western North Carolina. Comparable to Our State as a regional lifestyle publication, though focused on a sub-region of the South.

Emerging players

• Taste of Home: Multi-platform food and lifestyle brand with a regional sensibility and strong subscriber base. Comparable to Our State in audience demographic and subscription model, though more food-focused than culture/travel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ourstatemag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/ourstatemag
• Xx.com/ourstatemag
• Facebookfacebook.com/ourstatemagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/our-state-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Our State Magazine