People of Media: Max Pittman | The Scrappy Visionary | San Antonio Magazine (Hearst)
Creative and Tenacious!
Max Pittman, Director of Marketing Revenue for San Antonio Magazine under Hearst, embodies scrappiness and creativity in her role. Responsible for the magazine’s P&L, Max’s superpower lies in her relentless tenacity. When she hits a wall, she pivots. Her role encompasses big account strategy, creative new initiatives, and supporting the sales staff. A big dreamer at heart, she continuously finds unorthodox ways to monetize, keeping the publication thriving.
FACES Success
One of her standout successes is monetizing their “Faces” feature. While many publishers simply sell ad placements, Max’s team takes it further, creating an event and mixer for Faces participants. This approach has yielded demonstrable results and generated excitement, reinforcing the value of the program for advertisers and participants alike. Check out the interview for more of her creative playbook.
Email Marketing: A Strong Revenue Driver
Max sees strong performance in email marketing, leveraging creative campaigns to drive engagement and revenue. As the magazine’s revenue leader, she continues to innovate in the digital space, expanding on proven tactics while exploring new opportunities.
Future Looking: The Rise of Sponsored Content
Max is especially excited about the growth of sponsored content revenue. Her flair for creativity allows her to push beyond traditional “long-winded ads” to find angles that create market excitement and engagement. This evolution is set to positioning San Antonio Magazine as a leader in creative, effective sponsored content, offering brands a unique platform to connect authentically with readers.
Breaking Ground with “Top Mental Health Professionals”
Max is also at the forefront of innovation with the magazine’s first-ever “Top Mental Health Professionals” list. Partnering with DataJoe for this product, San Antonio Magazine is blazing a trail that will serve as a model for others. The decision was inspired by their immense success with the “Top Doctors” list, a well-oiled machine that consistently delivers ad revenue and high-value profiles.
Max believes this new list will resonate with large clinics and notable therapists, offering templated individual profiles alongside high-value clinic badges. Her confidence stems from having a repeatable system in place, ensuring successful conceptualization, research execution, and sales execution—the three factors that determine list success.
A Visionary Leader with a System for Success
Max Pittman exemplifies what it means to be both scrappy and visionary. Whether creating buzzworthy events, crafting engaging sponsored content, or launching groundbreaking products like the “Top Mental Health Professionals” list, she’s leading the charge for revenue innovation in publishing. Her ability to pivot, dream big, and execute consistently is shaping the future of San Antonio Magazine.