Family Tree Magazine

What Family Tree Magazine does

Family Tree Magazine is a consumer media brand dedicated to genealogy and family history research, operating as a division of Yankee Publishing Inc., a 100% employee-owned publishing company headquartered in Dublin, New Hampshire. Its product surface spans a flagship print magazine (6 issues per year via buymags.com), a digital membership ($59.97/year or a $7/7-day pass) unlocking 8,000+ premium articles and a 20+ year archive, Family Tree University online courses, the Family Tree Podcast distributed on iTunes and Spotify, a portfolio of daily and weekly email newsletters, and an e-commerce store selling forms, templates, past issues, and print books. The editorial franchise also includes an annual "101 Best Genealogy Websites" feature and sub-brands such as Family Tree Kids.

The business model blends subscription recurring revenue (print and digital memberships), one-time purchases (courses, store products, back issues), and advertising income via podcast sponsorships with VoiceGift, Goldie May, Newspapers.com, and MyHeritage. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on free content and downloadable resources as lead magnets, multi-variant newsletters, and active social media presence across Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. The primary customer segments are amateur genealogists (beginner to intermediate hobbyists tracing family history and interpreting DNA results) and heritage enthusiasts exploring ethnic and cultural ancestry across US, Caribbean, European, and Native American lines. Operating geographies span the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and Scandinavia.

Name

Family Tree Magazine

Legal name

Yankee Publishing Inc.

Website

https://familytreemagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Family Tree Magazine is a consumer genealogy media brand and division of employee-owned Yankee Publishing Inc., offering a print magazine, digital membership, online courses, podcast, newsletters, and an online store for amateur genealogists and heritage enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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. Digital Subscriptions and Memberships: Full membership provides 1 year of digital magazine (6 issues) plus access to the membership archive of 20+ years of issues. Premium content requires subscription or per-article purchase.
2. Print Subscriptions: Print magazine subscriptions available through buymags.com (W1.buysub.com), providing 6 print issues annually.
3. Courses and Educational Products: Family Tree University and online courses available for purchase through the store, covering genealogy research techniques for specific regions and topics.
4. Podcast Sponsorships: The Family Tree Magazine podcast features sponsors including VoiceGift, Goldie May, Newspapers.com, and MyHeritage, generating advertising revenue.
5. Store Products: Sale of forms, templates, past issues, digital products, and print books through the online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Family Tree Magazine publishes a print and digital genealogy and family history magazine (6 issues per year) and operates a multi-channel content platform built around it. The core offering is supplemented by a paid Plus Membership that unlocks 8,000+ premium articles and a 20+ year archive, Family Tree University online courses, the Family Tree Podcast, daily and weekly email newsletters, and an online store selling research forms, templates, past issues, and print books.

Product overview

Family Tree Magazine is a comprehensive genealogy and family history publication from Yankee Publishing Inc., offering a multi-channel content platform. The core product includes the print and digital Family Tree Magazine with both free and premium (subscription-gated) articles. The Plus Membership provides full access to 8,000+ premium articles and digital magazine issues. Family Tree University offers structured online genealogy courses. The Family Tree Podcast delivers expert interviews and research tips. Free resources include forms, templates, ebooks, and quick reference guides. The Shop provides additional paid products including courses, forms, templates, and past issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Family Tree University: An online education platform offering genealogy courses and webinars
• Family Tree Podcast
• Family Tree Newsletter
• Family Tree Kids

Products and services

• Family Tree Magazine (print and digital edition) The flagship print and digital genealogy and family history publication offering articles, research guides, and premium content for genealogists of all skill levels, distributed as 6 print or digital issues per year.
• Plus Membership / Digital Membership

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• VoiceGiftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVoiceGift sponsors the Family Tree Magazine podcast. The company offers VoiceGift PLAY, an audio time capsule product that helps preserve family voices and stories linked to photos and heirlooms.
• Goldie MayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoldie May is featured as a sponsor on the Family Tree Magazine podcast. The product is genealogy research software that helps organize family trees and automate research logs.
• Newspapers.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNewspapers.com sponsors the Family Tree Magazine podcast. The service provides historical newspaper archives for genealogy research. Podcast mentions use of promo code 'FamilyTreeMagazine' for 20% discount.
• Yankee Publishing Inc.coreOthersFamily Tree Magazine is a division of Yankee Publishing Inc., an employee-owned publishing company based in Dublin, New Hampshire. Yankee Publishing also publishes Yankee Magazine, The Old Farmer's Almanac, NH Magazine, and NH Business Review.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• AncestryProGenealogists: Professional genealogy research service affiliated with Ancestry. Targets the same amateur genealogist audience but offers paid professional research services rather than educational content; relevant peer for understanding the broader genealogy services ecosystem.

Others

• Yankee Magazine: Sibling publication under Yankee Publishing Inc. covering New England lifestyle. Shares the same parent company ownership, print + digital subscription model, and editorial infrastructure, providing an internal benchmark for the publishing business model Family Tree Magazine operates within.

Broad incumbents

• Ancestry: Operates the dominant consumer genealogy platform with massive record databases, family tree tools, and AncestryDNA. Overlaps with Family Tree Magazine on genealogy education and DNA interpretation content, but at vastly larger scale and with a different (record-database) business model.
• MyHeritage: Global genealogy platform offering family trees, historical records, and DNA testing. Competes directly with Family Tree Magazine's DNA interpretation and heritage-specific research content, and even sponsors its podcast.

Emerging players

• WikiTree: Free collaborative family tree platform with a community of genealogists. Comparable in audience (active amateur genealogists) and partially in content type (heritage, DNA, and research strategy discussions), though operating as a free community rather than paid publication.
• FamilySearch: Free genealogy service operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the world's largest shared family tree. Provides a free alternative for basic genealogy research that Family Tree Magazine's audience uses, and is referenced as a key resource in the magazine's editorial content.
• Your DNA Guide: Specialist educational resource focused on genetic genealogy and DNA interpretation for hobbyists. Directly comparable to Family Tree Magazine's DNA content vertical and Family Tree University course offerings on genetic genealogy.

Direct peers

• GenealogyBank: Historical newspaper archive subscription service for genealogy research. Comparable as a subscription-based niche resource serving the same amateur genealogist persona that Family Tree Magazine targets.
• Findmypast: Subscription-based genealogy service with strong UK and Irish record coverage. Closely comparable to Family Tree Magazine in serving amateur genealogists through subscription models and curated research content.
• Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter: Long-running subscription newsletter covering genealogy news, records, and research strategies. Closely comparable format (editorial-led newsletter serving hobbyist genealogists) and serves the same enthusiast customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FamilyTreeMag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/familytreemagazine/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/familytreemagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/familytreemag
• Pinterestpinterest.com/familytreemagazine

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 Family Tree Magazine