SAVE ON MAGAZINES
September 11th 2009 20:53
Are you one of those old school folks who still enjoy printed,
hard copy magazines? Nothing wrong with that, some of them
are excellent, while others well...... The fact remains magazines
are hurting these days for dollars. Here's a way to save.
Traditional print magazines have to have readers in order to sell
advertising. Without an audience, what idiot would pay money
to advertise in them ?
That said,the magazine corporate conglomerate publishers
know that they only way to convince potential advertisers to part
with big bucks for their full page glossy ad pages is to convince them
that their magazines actually have a high number of PAID, not
give away, freebie, subscribers.
So these days the business equation works this way. Magazines
need subscribers to sell advertising to pay their costs and hopefully
make a profit. The more paid subscriptions they claim they have,
the more they can charge for advertising.
However, if they charge say US$19.95 for a marginal magazine
with half the pages chock full of advertising, very few people
are willing to subscribe.
So what to do? They can't give it away. Postage and printing costs
keep rising.
Hmmm, magazine "A"s marketing director says to herself, "I
know, I'll offer my current subscribers a free gift subscription
for a friend if they cough up the bucks to renew their own subscription.
Yeah, tempting around the holiday season, but the rest of the year
it's not going to work.
Magazine "B's" brain trust marketing director thinks to himself,
"i have the answer to all our problems: direct mailings to every
name we can rent. Some of the postal customers will surely buy
our zine, especially if I discount the subscription.
Yeah, you might sell a few subscriptions but a lot of people hate junk
mail and toss it directly away.
Magazine "C's" desperate marketing director knows she is in dire
jeopardy of losing her job, unless she delivers new subscribers.
So she says, "okay what if I offer potential subscribers a
cheapo $US10 annual subscription, bill-me-later deal?"
"They will surely go for that right? And once they get to like our
publication they will surely renew at a higher rate."
For those of us who still like subscribing to magazines, Magazine C's
marketing director is a step in right direction. These days, with
magazine publishing empires crumbling,
the best strategy for consumers is:
1. Take the low cost teaser "bill-me-later" rate.
2. If you don't like the magazine, write "no thanks, see
you later bye," on the invoice when it comes.
3. If you do like the magazine, many times the invoice will
offer you a really low-ball multiyear subscription rate if
you check the box on the invoice and mail a check in.
Recently, "Popular Mechanics" magazine had a scenario like
the above going. As I recall I locked in a three year subscription
for about US$7.97 per year---about what it costs to mail the magazine.
If you don't receive a great multiyear subscription offer when your
invoice arrives, call the 800 number and ask the drone on the phone,
"hey, what's the best deal you can give me today."
If it's not a great deal, hang up and cancel the trial subscription.
hard copy magazines? Nothing wrong with that, some of them
are excellent, while others well...... The fact remains magazines
are hurting these days for dollars. Here's a way to save.
Traditional print magazines have to have readers in order to sell
advertising. Without an audience, what idiot would pay money
to advertise in them ?
That said,the magazine corporate conglomerate publishers
know that they only way to convince potential advertisers to part
with big bucks for their full page glossy ad pages is to convince them
give away, freebie, subscribers.
So these days the business equation works this way. Magazines
need subscribers to sell advertising to pay their costs and hopefully
make a profit. The more paid subscriptions they claim they have,
the more they can charge for advertising.
However, if they charge say US$19.95 for a marginal magazine
with half the pages chock full of advertising, very few people
are willing to subscribe.
So what to do? They can't give it away. Postage and printing costs
keep rising.
Hmmm, magazine "A"s marketing director says to herself, "I
know, I'll offer my current subscribers a free gift subscription
for a friend if they cough up the bucks to renew their own subscription.
Yeah, tempting around the holiday season, but the rest of the year
it's not going to work.
Magazine "B's" brain trust marketing director thinks to himself,
"i have the answer to all our problems: direct mailings to every
name we can rent. Some of the postal customers will surely buy
Yeah, you might sell a few subscriptions but a lot of people hate junk
mail and toss it directly away.
Magazine "C's" desperate marketing director knows she is in dire
jeopardy of losing her job, unless she delivers new subscribers.
So she says, "okay what if I offer potential subscribers a
cheapo $US10 annual subscription, bill-me-later deal?"
"They will surely go for that right? And once they get to like our
publication they will surely renew at a higher rate."
For those of us who still like subscribing to magazines, Magazine C's
marketing director is a step in right direction. These days, with
magazine publishing empires crumbling,
the best strategy for consumers is:
1. Take the low cost teaser "bill-me-later" rate.
2. If you don't like the magazine, write "no thanks, see
you later bye," on the invoice when it comes.
3. If you do like the magazine, many times the invoice will
offer you a really low-ball multiyear subscription rate if
you check the box on the invoice and mail a check in.
Recently, "Popular Mechanics" magazine had a scenario like
the above going. As I recall I locked in a three year subscription
for about US$7.97 per year---about what it costs to mail the magazine.
If you don't receive a great multiyear subscription offer when your
invoice arrives, call the 800 number and ask the drone on the phone,
"hey, what's the best deal you can give me today."
If it's not a great deal, hang up and cancel the trial subscription.
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