Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating
As Soldier of Fortune marks its 50th year, I often am asked, Who reads your magazine? It’s a fair question; one that is rooted in the publication’s history.
Created in 1975, Soldier of Fortune sprang up from the aftermath of Vietnam. It began as a critical source for the unfiltered truth about conflict and adventure around the world. In the pages of SOF, founder Robert K. Brown, a former Green Beret, brought readers downrange to gritty conflicts in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere.
The magazine filled an unmet need. It was a place where Americans who fought in Vietnam could be proud of their service; where men could stay up to speed on warfare and weapons; where they could indulge their love of adventure. Yes, they primarily were men. Myself and a few others excepted, the readers overwhelmingly were men.
Over the years, as I devoured the magazine myself and then began to write for it, I saw that readers were a mix of veterans, fighters, thinkers, patriots, outlaws, and truth-seekers. At gatherings in Boulder, Colorado and elsewhere, there was a mood of spirited hijinks. But that wasn’t all.
In Washington, D.C., powerful people sought counsel from Soldier of Fortune. We mingled with senators, policymakers, and members of Washington’s elite insider network. We met with rebel leaders who came to Washington looking for guidance and support. I’ll never forget an encounter at the waterfront with leaders of a Miskito faction from Nicaragua. Or the heavily accented men who followed me after one gathering, and then were disoriented when I spun around to face them, and asked in Russian where they were from.
Clearly, the magazine had a broad array of readers. Some who picked it up off the newsstand; some who subscribed; and others who studied it and its writers intensely.
When I bought the publication in 2022, I wanted to know who, exactly, the audience is. When I delved into the data, I was surprised by what I found.
Yes, we continue to reach the loyal and steadfast followers who have been with us from the beginning. I always am heartened when they write me to say they have read every issue since the first SOF appeared on the stands. One man told me he used to roll pennies as a youngster, in order to buy new copies. In today’s digital world, who is our fastest-growing audience?
Young readers.
Hungry for grit, truth, and adventure, these men and women aren’t interested in clickbait nor sanitized news. They want stories with insight and backbone. They’re finding it with us. They’re seeing it in our reports from the U.S. southern border; from war zones around the world; and from Washington, D.C.
Our audience primarily is aged 25 to 44, with a fiercely engaged group aged 45 and older. The majority are U.S.-based, with strong numbers in the UK, Canada, and beyond. These people are sharp, worldly, and unafraid to go deep into the weeds of real-world conflict, survival, and strategy. They have marvelous senses of humor, but they also take seriously the world of security.
Nowhere is this more evident than on our Soldier of Fortune Facebook page. With more than 900,000 followers, it’s not just a digital platform—it’s a bonded tribe. We routinely rack up millions of views on a single reel. The readers joke, banter, and also offer serious, thoughtful commentary. Some of them created an “action figure” doll of me on AI. It was hilarious.
A gift from a reader
The vast majority of followers have remained consistent: 91 percent are male. The “9-percenters,” the women, are actively engaged.
Overall, nearly half have served in the military, and another one-quarter are currently serving. This is a community of warriors – past, present, and future.
It’s a smart, accomplished group, with college degrees and solid careers. About one-quarter earn more than $100,000 per year.
Our renewed public presence has elevated Soldier of Fortune to new heights. One contributor got a book contract. Another was able to partner with a major news outlet in order to produce a joint report from cartel country. I was the subject of a profile in the New Yorker magazine. Major media outlets like the Daily Mail, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Fox News, TMZ, and others have cited our reporting. We’ve broken stories that were later echoed by broadcast personalities and global publications. And we’re just getting started.
Fifty years ago, this magazine was born out of the fire and fallout of Vietnam, and treasured by men who walked the depths of war and the outer bounds of society. Today, that spirit endures – with new blood, new technology, and a new generation of readers and contributors who are ready to carry the flag forward.
Who reads Soldier of Fortune?
Fighters, thinkers, patriots, outlaws, truth-seekers… the list goes on.
And it includes you.
Susan Katz Keating is the publisher and editor in chief at Soldier of Fortune.
