Harrisburg Magazine

What Harrisburg Magazine does

Harrisburg Magazine is a privately held, Central Pennsylvania–focused lifestyle publication founded in 1990, operating monthly print and digital magazine issues covering community news, dining, weddings, health, home and garden, recreation, and local business features across the Harrisburg, Hershey, Camp Hill, and Mechanicsburg markets. The publication is built on a standard WordPress CMS with a digital magazine viewing platform optimized for tablets and mobile, and distributes through both physical drop locations throughout the region and a website that serves as the primary hub for digital issues and the Simply the Best online ballot.

The company's product portfolio centers on three assets: (1) monthly Digital Magazine Issues with evergreen lifestyle content, (2) the Simply the Best Readers' Poll — an annual two-sided platform recognizing local businesses across 200+ categories (with 18 new categories added for 2026), and (3) the Simply the Best Gala, a ticketed awards event held at the Penn Harris Hotel. Ancillary products include gift cards and branded merchandise via a promotional partner.

Harrisburg Magazine monetizes through four streams: advertising and sponsored content (including branded financial advice columns), recurring digital subscriptions, paid enhanced business listings on the Simply the Best ballot at $99 per category, and event ticket sales. The primary customer segments are local SMBs in Central Pennsylvania seeking regional advertising and community recognition, and regional readers seeking trusted local content. The company employs 101–250 staff and operates from Harrisburg, PA, with ownership and financial details undisclosed.

Name

Harrisburg Magazine

Legal name

Harrisburg Magazine

Website

https://harrisburgmagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Harrisburg Magazine is a privately held Central Pennsylvania lifestyle publication founded in 1990, producing monthly print and digital issues and operating the Simply the Best Readers' Poll and Gala for local businesses and regional readers across the Harrisburg–Hershey market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Regional lifestyle magazine
• Local business awards
• Community news publishing
• Monthly digital issues
• Local advertising platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising & Sponsored Content: The magazine generates revenue through sponsored articles and branded content partnerships, including financial advice columns sponsored by Fort Pitt Capital Group and other advertisers.
2. Subscription Revenue: Digital magazine subscriptions providing access to monthly issues including lifestyle, community, and entertainment content.
3. Enhanced Business Listings: Local businesses pay $99 per listing/category on the Simply the Best ballot to enhance their visibility with photos, logos, contact info, and social media links.
4. Event Tickets: The annual Simply the Best Gala generates revenue through ticket sales, with tickets available at stbvote.com/tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harrisburg Magazine is a Central Pennsylvania lifestyle publication that produces monthly digital and print magazine issues covering community news, dining, health, weddings, recreation, and local business features. It also operates the annual Simply the Best Readers' Poll, which recognizes local businesses across 200+ categories, alongside the Simply the Best Gala, enhanced listing advertising, gift cards, and branded merchandise. Revenue is generated from digital subscriptions, advertising, sponsored content, paid enhanced business listings, and event tickets.

Product overview

Harrisburg Magazine is a Central Pennsylvania lifestyle publication offering monthly print and digital magazine issues covering community news, dining, health, weddings, recreation, and local business features. The magazine operates primarily as a traditional publication with its core products being monthly digital issues and the annual Simply the Best Readers' Poll — a local business awards program spanning over 200 categories. Related offerings include the Simply the Best Gala event, gift cards, and merchandise. Enhanced listing advertising is available for Simply the Best nominees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simply the Best: Annual readers' poll and gala event recognizing best local businesses in Central Pennsylvania

Products and services

• Digital Magazine Issues Monthly digital issues of Harrisburg Magazine available for online viewing, featuring lifestyle content including community news, dining, health, weddings, and local features for Central Pennsylvania readers.
• Simply the Best Readers' Poll Annual readers' poll voting program recognizing the best local businesses across Central Pennsylvania in categories including automotive, dining, health, home services, and more (200+ categories total).
• Simply the Best Gala Annual black-tie event celebrating winners of the Simply the Best readers' poll, featuring dinner, awards ceremony, and entertainment, with tickets sold through a dedicated ticketing site.
• Gift Cards Gift cards for Harrisburg Magazine available for purchase on the website.
• Simply the Best Merchandise Branded merchandise for the Simply the Best awards program, available through a promotional partner.
• Enhanced Listing Advertising Paid advertising option allowing businesses to enhance their Simply the Best ballot listing with photos, logos, business summaries, contact info, and social media links for $99 per listing.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cincinnati Magazine: City-level lifestyle magazine with monthly issues, dining, arts, and a Best of Cincinnati awards program and event. Directly analogous regional lifestyle publication with same advertising + subscriptions + listings + gala mix.
• Washingtonian: DC-area lifestyle magazine with monthly issues, dining guides, and a long-running Best of Washington readers' poll. Same content categories (community, lifestyle, recreation) and parallel advertising + listings + events revenue model.
• Pittsburgh Magazine: Pennsylvania-based regional lifestyle publication covering Pittsburgh and surrounding areas with monthly issues, dining, community profiles, and Best of Pittsburgh readers' poll. Same magazine-plus-community-awards business model as Harrisburg Magazine within the same state.
• Baltimore Magazine: City/regional lifestyle magazine covering Baltimore with monthly issues, lifestyle content, dining guides, and a Best of Baltimore readers' poll and event. Directly comparable Mid-Atlantic regional lifestyle publication with parallel monetization mix of ads, subscriptions, listings, and awards.
• Boston Magazine: City lifestyle magazine with monthly issues, dining, weddings, and Best of Boston franchise. Closely aligned editorial mix (community, lifestyle, recreation) and parallel reader-poll + enhanced-listing monetization.
• Philadelphia Magazine: Metro lifestyle magazine serving the Philadelphia region with dining, community, lifestyle, and a Best of Philly awards franchise. Closely comparable city/regional lifestyle publication model with monthly issues, sponsored content, and a signature "Best Of" awards program.
• Cleveland Magazine: Ohio-based regional lifestyle publication with monthly issues, dining, community features, and a Best of Cleveland readers' poll. Same content verticals and event-driven monetization parallels Harrisburg's Central PA footprint.
• Indianapolis Monthly: Mid-size market lifestyle magazine covering Indianapolis with monthly issues, dining guides, and a Best of Indianapolis franchise. Comparable mid-market regional lifestyle publication operating on the same advertiser-and-awards business model.

Others

• Yelp: Free online local business discovery and reviews platform. Not a direct publishing competitor but erodes the recommendation monopoly that Harrisburg Magazine's Simply the Best franchise depends on, and competes for the same local advertising and SMB marketing budgets.

Regional players

• Lancaster County Magazine: Regional lifestyle publication covering Lancaster County, PA with adjacent geographic footprint and similar small-business advertiser base. Comparable Central PA community magazine model focused on local businesses, dining, and reader engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HarrisburgMag
• Facebookfacebook.com/harrisburgmagazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Harrisburg Magazine