Minnesota Monthly

What Minnesota Monthly does

Minnesota Monthly is a regional lifestyle magazine focused on the life and culture of Minnesota, published by Greenspring Media, LLC, a private limited liability company headquartered in Minneapolis with operations in Bloomington. The publication serves Minnesota consumers through a bimonthly print magazine, a digital subscription product on the simplecirc.com platform, and a website at minnesotamonthly.com covering arts, entertainment, food, dining, culture, travel, health, and style. Signature editorial franchises include the annual Top 75 Restaurants feature and professional directories (Top Doctors, Best Dentists, Best Chiropractors, Top Lawyers). The core technology is a standard digital publishing platform and content management system enabling multi-format content delivery across print, web, and email newsletter channels; the company has no mobile app and no public API.

The business model is a diversified lifestyle media revenue stack: subscription-based recurring revenue from print and digital subscriptions starting at $14.95 per year, unit-priced single issue and specialty guide sales at $4.50-$5.95, advertising and sponsored content sold to local and regional businesses (including tourism bureaus, healthcare providers such as MNGI Digestive Health, and associations such as the Minnesota Pork Board), and event-driven revenue from six signature consumer events — Food & Wine Experience, GrillFest, CannaFest, Fine Spirits Classic, Rhythm & Brews, and Midwest Design Awards. Distribution spans direct mail subscriptions, self-serve digital subscription management, newsstand retail, e-newsletter delivery, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, WhatsApp), and live event attendance.

Greenspring Media publishes over 50 publications including the Midwest Design and Meetings + Events sub-brands in addition to Minnesota Monthly, and operates a full suite of digital advertising services including Google Display, programmatic advertising, paid social media, SEO, SEM, website remarketing, and video/OTT advertising. The company has 11-50 employees, no disclosed external funding or institutional ownership, and no M&A history in the source data; editorial leadership is held by Editor-in-Chief Alesha Taylor, who also serves as Group Editor of Custom Publications at Greenspring Media. Operating status is active, with content production dated through at least June 2026.

Name

Minnesota Monthly

Legal name

Greenspring Media, LLC

Website

https://minnesotamonthly.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Minnesota Monthly, published by Greenspring Media, LLC, is a regional lifestyle magazine and multi-platform media brand serving Minnesota consumers via a bimonthly print magazine, digital subscriptions, e-newsletters, professional directories (Top Doctors, Best Dentists), and signature consumer events such as the Food & Wine Experience and GrillFest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH), Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Regional lifestyle media
• Magazine publishing
• Consumer subscriptions
• Specialty visitor guides
• Local events

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions with recurring revenue model. Subscriptions available through simplecirc.com platform.
2. Single Issue Sales: Individual magazine issues and guides sold at fixed price points ($4.50-$5.95)
3. Advertising: Advertising space sold to local and regional businesses targeting Minnesota consumers
4. Sponsored Content: Paid sponsored content from tourism bureaus, healthcare providers, restaurants, and local businesses (e.g., MNGI Digestive Health, Minnesota Pork Board, various tourism boards)
5. Events: Large-scale consumer events including Food & Wine Experience, GrillFest, Fine Spirits Classic, Rhythm & Brews, CannaFest, and Midwest Design Awards

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Minnesota Monthly publishes a regional lifestyle magazine covering Minnesota arts, entertainment, food, dining, culture, travel, health, and style, available in print and digital. The company also sells specialty guides and visitor publications, runs curated professional directories (Top Doctors, Best Dentists, Best Chiropractors, Top Lawyers), produces signature consumer events (Food & Wine Experience, GrillFest, CannaFest, Fine Spirits Classic, Rhythm & Brews, Midwest Design Awards), and operates a sub-brand (Midwest Design). Revenue is generated primarily through consumer subscriptions, single-issue sales, and advertising sold to local Minnesota businesses.

Product overview

Minnesota Monthly is a multi-platform lifestyle media company offering the flagship Minnesota Monthly Magazine (covering arts, entertainment, food, culture, and travel), the Midwest Design Magazine sub-brand, and numerous events including Food & Wine Experience, GrillFest, CannaFest, Fine Spirits Classic, Rhythm & Brews, and Midwest Design Awards. The company also publishes specialty guides, directories, and hosts contests like the Burger Bracket Challenge. Greenspring Media publishes over 50 publications and produces the region’s most targeted consumer-facing events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Midwest Design: A regional design and home décor publication
• Meetings + Events

Products and services

• Minnesota Monthly Magazine The flagship bimonthly regional lifestyle publication of the company, covering Minnesota arts, entertainment, food, dining, culture, travel, health, style, and events; delivered in both print and digital editions.
• Minnesota Monthly Subscription Annual or multi-year print and/or digital subscription to Minnesota Monthly magazine, priced from $14.95 per year and fulfilled through the simplecirc.com subscription platform.
• Midwest Design Magazine A quarterly regional design publication covering interior design, architecture, and creative professionals across the Midwest, sold via the simplecirc.com shop.
• Food & Wine Experience A signature Minnesota consumer event featuring food and wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and culinary experiences.
• GrillFest An outdoor grilling and barbecue festival serving Minnesota consumers.
• CannaFest A cannabis-themed festival and consumer event in Minnesota.
• Fine Spirits Classic A spirits tasting event featuring craft cocktails and premium spirits for Minnesota consumers.
• Rhythm & Brews A music and craft beer festival event for Minnesota consumers.
• Midwest Design Awards A regional design competition and awards program recognizing excellence in Midwest interior design and architecture.
• Burger Bracket Challenge An annual bracket-style consumer contest that pits Minnesota's best burgers against each other through reader voting.
• Top Doctors Directory An annual Minnesota directory of top physicians selected through peer review, used by consumers seeking trusted healthcare providers.
• Best Dentists Directory A directory of top-rated dentists in Minnesota, used by consumers seeking dental care providers.
• Best Chiropractors Directory A directory of top-rated chiropractors in Minnesota, used by consumers seeking chiropractic care providers.
• Top Lawyers Directory A directory of leading legal professionals in Minnesota, used by consumers seeking attorneys and legal services.
• Bike Minnesota Guide An annual Minnesota cycling guide covering bike routes and trails across the state, sold as a single print publication for $4.50.
• Official Visitors Guide to the Twin Cities A comprehensive visitor's guide to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area for travelers and tourists.
• Minnesota Monthly Ultimate Travel Guide A comprehensive Minnesota travel guide covering destinations throughout the state, sold as a single print publication for $4.50.
• Experience Rochester Visitors Guide A visitor's guide focused on Rochester, Minnesota for travelers to that market.
• Twin Cities Living Relocation Guide A relocation guide for individuals and families moving to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.
• Mall of America/Bloomington Visitors Guide A visitor's guide focused on the Mall of America and Bloomington, Minnesota for tourists and visitors to that area.
• Minneapolis Meeting & Event Planner's Guide A professional event planner's guide covering Minneapolis venues and services for meeting and event planning professionals, sold as a single print publication for $4.50.

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 highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Eater: Vox Media-owned digital food/dining media brand running food events and restaurant guides nationally. Competes for restaurant advertisers and dining-content audience attention within the same food-vertical Minnesota Monthly monetizes.

Broad incumbents

• Time Out Group: Global city-focused media and events company that pairs curated local content with paid consumer experiences. Comparable in combining dining/arts/entertainment editorial with monetized ticketed events.
• Atlanta Magazine: Emmis-owned metro lifestyle magazine with dining guides, Top Doctors directories, and large consumer events. Operates the same magazine-events-directories monetization stack at a larger metro scale.
• Texas Monthly: Long-established large-scale regional lifestyle magazine with dining guides, events, and a strong print-subscription and advertising model. Demonstrates the regional lifestyle media playbook that Minnesota Monthly operates within, but at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Midwest Living: Time Inc./Meredith regional lifestyle magazine focused on the Midwest, covering travel, food, and home across the same geography as Minnesota Monthly. Competes for cross-regional lifestyle advertisers and reader attention.
• Indianapolis Monthly: Emmis Communications city-level lifestyle magazine covering dining, events, top doctors directories, and local culture in Indianapolis. Mirrors the magazine-plus-events-plus-directories product mix and audience model.
• Mpls.St.Paul Magazine: Direct Twin Cities regional lifestyle magazine covering dining, arts, culture, and home. Shares the same Minnesota geography, audience, and advertising categories as Minnesota Monthly, making it a head-to-head competitor for reader attention and local ad spend.
• Hour Detroit: Detroit-based regional lifestyle magazine focusing on dining, arts, and metro culture with similar events and directories model. Comparable audience monetization via subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content.
• St. Louis Magazine: Regional city lifestyle magazine with restaurant reviews, Top Docs directories, and signature events. Closely comparable product mix (dining, doctors, custom publications, events) serving a single metro audience.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Trails: Wisconsin-based regional magazine focused on travel, recreation, and lifestyle across the Upper Midwest. Comparable editorial niche, regional event programming, and lifestyle category focus, though geographically focused on a neighboring state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mnmomag
• Facebookfacebook.com/MinnesotaMonthly

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 Minnesota Monthly