Magazine Advertising

What does magazine advertising do? Many things. It can urge people to buy goods and services, but it can also signify a certain vision of the good life; setting the standard for how life should be lived. Who hasn’t seen magazine ads? Almost everyone has seen a magazine of one kind or another and thereby has probably seen magazine ads. Magazine advertising prices are usually determined by the circulation of the magazine; the better the circulation the higher the magazine advertising rates. There is a whole department that handles magazine advertising sales. They are responsible month after month to secure advertisers to fill up the magazine.

Determining the true circulation of a magazine can be very important since magazine advertising can be very expensive. The first thing you need to know is how many people the magazine reaches. After all, you want to make sure you are spending your money with the right magazine. There are two different things to consider; readership numbers and distribution numbers. It isn’t as simple as calling the publisher and asking for the number of readers it will reach. They will most likely quote you the readership number. Let’s say 50,000 readers. Included in this number is their estimated ‘pass along’ rate. They are counting on the magazine being passed on to friends and family or being placed in an office where multiple people will be reading it. This is important but you want the distribution number to give you a better idea of how many households will receive the magazine and thereby read your magazine ads. That could be a number closer to 25,000. Be aware that even this number is not a true reflection of who will be reading it. Many publishers send out complimentary copies to prisons, hospitals etc. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but keep in mind these readers most likely are not your target market.

To get the number of actual subscribers you can check with a publisher to find out if they are ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) audited. This information will give you the magazine sales, including the actual number of paid subscribers. If they are not ABC audited you can ask about their ‘Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation” which all second class mailings must publish. Look for the paid and/or requested subscription number, as you can’t rely on newsstand copies having been read in a timely manner. Unsold copies are usually sold to resellers and then resold at 80% off the cover price months later.

Make sure your ad is actually published. Reputable publishers will send you the whole magazine not just a tear sheet but be sure and ask if they don’t. When you ask for a media kit there usually is a copy of their most current issue included. This along with the kit can be very valuable in deciding when and how to place your ad. The kit will include information and demographics of their average readership. This can help you tailor your ads to target their main reader.

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