South Sound Magazine

What South Sound Magazine does

South Sound Magazine is a bi-monthly, full-color lifestyle publication serving the South Puget Sound region, published by Premier Media Group, a privately held media company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tacoma, Washington. The magazine targets affluent, influential, and educated readers with editorial content covering local personality profiles, homes and gardens, dining, entertainment, fashion, travel, and community events. The publication is distributed through newsstand retail (bookstores, grocery stores, drugstores, fine garden centers, and hotels) across the region and via direct subscriptions sold online and by phone, with multi-year terms priced at $16 (1 year / 6 issues), $20 (2 years / 12 issues), and $35 (3 years / 18 issues) — representing up to 75% off the newsstand cover price.

The company operates a multi-channel content and revenue model. Print subscriptions provide a recurring consumer revenue stream, while advertising sold to local and regional businesses constitutes the second core revenue stream. The digital product surface includes a website built on the BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital, four weekly themed e-newsletters (Design + Life, Out + About, Sip + Savor, Feel Good Friday), and an online local events calendar. Editorial franchises include annual special sections and live events such as Women to Watch, Best of the South Sound, Northwest Idea House (a custom home showcase built in partnership with luxury homebuilder Zetterberg Custom Homes), and Faces of South Sound.

South Sound Magazine operates as part of Premier Media Group, which also publishes 425, 425 Business, South Sound Business, and Northwest Travel & Life from the same Tacoma headquarters. The organization has 11-50 employees, produces all content in-house, and is led by founder and CEO Josh Dunn. There is no evidence of external private equity or institutional investment, and the company does not disclose revenue. Marketing and distribution are supported by an active social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Name

South Sound Magazine

Legal name

South Sound Magazine

Website

https://southsoundmag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Sound Magazine is a bi-monthly lifestyle print and digital publication serving affluent residents of the South Puget Sound region, published by privately held Premier Media Group from Tacoma, Washington. It monetizes through consumer subscriptions, local advertising, weekly e-newsletters, and signature community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Lifestyle magazine publishing
• Regional print media
• Magazine subscription services
• Local advertising media
• Community content publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print magazine subscriptions sold directly to consumers with 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year options. Subscribers receive 6, 12, or 18 issues respectively at significant discounts off newsstand price.
2. Advertising: Advertising revenue from local and regional businesses targeting the magazine's affluent, educated readership. The publication offers online media kit and advertising contact options for potential advertisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

South Sound Magazine is a bi-monthly, full-color lifestyle publication exclusively serving the South Puget Sound region, covering local personalities, homes, gardens, dining, entertainment, fashion, and community events. The company distributes this content through newsstand sales, paid multi-tier print subscriptions, a website, four weekly themed email newsletters, and signature community events such as Women to Watch and Best of the South Sound. It also sells advertising placements to local and regional businesses targeting its affluent, educated readership.

Product overview

South Sound Magazine is a bi-monthly lifestyle publication serving the South Puget Sound region, offering a main print magazine alongside digital products including four weekly e-newsletters (Design + Life, Out + About, Sip + Savor, and Feel Good Friday), special annual sections (Women to Watch, Best of the South Sound, Northwest Idea House, and Faces of South Sound), subscription services, and advertising opportunities. The publication covers local personality profiles, homes, gardens, dining, entertainment, travel, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Best of the South Sound: Annual awards program recognizing top local businesses and citizens in the South Sound region
• Women to Watch
• Northwest Idea House
• Faces of South Sound

Products and services

• South Sound Magazine A bi-monthly, high-quality, full-color lifestyle publication covering local personality profiles, beautiful homes, gorgeous gardens, unique dining experiences, creative ideas for entertaining, and local getaways exclusively for the South Puget Sound region.
• Magazine Subscription Service Paid subscription service offering 1 year (6 issues) for $16, 2 years (12 issues) for $20, or 3 years (18 issues) for $35, representing 75% off newsstand cover price. Sold directly online and via phone.
• Advertising Services Advertising placements sold to local and regional businesses targeting the magazine's affluent, influential, and educated readership, with information available in an online media kit and dedicated advertising sales contacts.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Zetterberg Custom HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership with luxury homebuilding company to showcase the regions finest home design through the Northwest Idea House program. Built by Zetterberg Custom Homes, the 2026 NW Idea House featured a stunning five-bedroom house reminiscent of a mountain-vacation getaway.
• Premier Media Group Sister PublicationscoreOthersPart of Premier Media Group which also publishes 425, 425 Business, South Sound Business, and Northwest Travel & Life. Publications are written, designed, created, and published in-house in Tacoma, Washington.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ParentMap: Pacific Northwest regional parenting and family lifestyle publication with a print magazine and digital ecosystem. Comparable in business model (subscription + advertising + events) and Pacific Northwest geography, though focused on family audiences.
• Edible Seattle: Regional food/lifestyle magazine focused on the Seattle-area culinary scene. Comparable in product format (local lifestyle magazine) and target advertisers (restaurants, food brands), though narrower in editorial focus to food and drink.

Direct peers

• 425 Magazine: Sister publication under Premier Media Group covering the Eastside (Bellevue/Redmond) region of the Puget Sound with an identical lifestyle magazine model. Directly comparable in audience, content mix, and business model, differing only in geographic coverage.
• Seattle Magazine: Long-running regional lifestyle magazine covering the greater Seattle metropolitan area. Closely comparable in product format (monthly/bi-monthly lifestyle magazine), revenue model (subscriptions + advertising), and target audience (affluent, educated urban readers).
• Seattle Met: Pacific Northwest city/regional lifestyle magazine covering dining, culture, home, and local personalities. Comparable to South Sound in audience profile and content categories, but serving the broader Seattle metro rather than South Puget Sound.

Broad incumbents

• Better Homes & Gardens: National lifestyle magazine with strong home, garden, and food coverage. Comparable in content pillars and audience (affluent, home-focused consumers), but operates at national scale rather than regional.
• Sound Publishing: Large Pacific Northwest newspaper chain publishing dozens of local community papers. Comparable as a regional/local publisher targeting advertisers in the Pacific Northwest, though operating in news rather than lifestyle.
• Sunset Magazine: Iconic Western U.S. lifestyle magazine covering home, garden, food, and travel. Comparable in editorial focus (especially home + garden + food) and content pillars, though operating at a national Western-region scale rather than a single metro.
• Tacoma News Tribune: Established regional newspaper serving the Tacoma/South Puget Sound market. While broader in coverage (general news, sports, business), it competes for the same local advertising dollars and audience attention as South Sound in the same geography.

Others

• Visit Tacoma: Official destination marketing organization for Tacoma and Pierce County. Indirectly comparable as a channel covering South Sound events, dining, and attractions — competing for the same local discovery audience as the magazine's digital content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SouthSoundMag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SouthSoundmag
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthSoundMagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-sound-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/southsoundmagazine
• Pinterestpinterest.com/southsoundmag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 South Sound Magazine