There’s a certain kind of willingness to wander that great marketers tend to have, and it’s not something you learn in a course or pick up from a morning scroll. It’s quieter, slower, and even a little old-fashioned: I’m calling it editorial curiosity. The kind you get from actually reading – books, longform journalism, little niche magazines you grab on a whim because you liked the cover – because you want to see how other people view the world, not just whatever the algorithm decides to spoon-feed you.
Places like Substack have become a goldmine for this. You can step into someone’s brain and read or see how they process culture, creativity, burnout, beauty, grief, business – whatever corner of the world they’re obsessed with. It’s a totally different experience from social platforms, where your feed slowly collapses into a singularly predictable flavor. Substack writers and certain publications like indie magazines, especially, break that pattern. They introduce tone shifts, unexpected angles, and voices you didn’t even know existed. (The best part? By subscribing, you’re inadvertently supporting niche creators and small companies that keep the creative ecosystem interesting.)
There’s also something grounding about reading real pages, even if it’s just flipping through a magazine on your couch for ten minutes before bed. It gives your brain a break from screen fatigue. There’s no infinite scroll, no push notifications, no subtle anxiety humming in the background…it’s just a moment of focus. A little ritual that lets your mind breathe. The mental-health benefits of getting off your phone are reason enough, but the creativity boost is just as real.
Here’s where this matters for marketers: when you’re consuming richer storytelling, more diverse perspectives (through a lens or a keyboard), and more intentional writing, your work gets better. Your campaigns become sharper because your references are broader. Your messaging becomes more intuitive because you’re training your brain to notice nuance, pacing, rhythm, and humanity, not just trend cycles.
Personally, magazines have always been one of my biggest creative fuel sources. I’ve been a loyal subscriber since my American Girl Magazine days…arguably my first introduction to editorial storytelling. Personally, I’ve been especially obsessed with Harper’s Bazaar editorials for the past few years. Something about the direction, the composition, the styling…it’s exhilarating enough to actually feel the difference when I’m flipping through an issue. It genuinely influences my content development for clients and even the way I approach my personal work. (I should probably share more of that.)
For marketers and creators, reading is more than a hobby, it’s cross-training. It keeps you open, curious, and connected to the world in ways algorithms can’t replicate. And that kind of curiosity is one of the most valuable tools you can bring into any creative or marketing role.