Let Prospects Be The Judge: Mailing Sample Issues

Circulation Management, May 1, 2003

An old marketing adage is that successful campaigns sell sizzle rather than steak. This is certainly true of traditional subscription efforts, where creating the illusion of skills gained and a life enriched is as important as describing regular editorial features and publishing frequency. But for publishers who include a sample issue in their acquisition mailings, sizzle and steak come together.

Such is the case with Virginia Living, a new bimonthly lifestyle publication that mailed its April 2003 issue with a subscription cover tip to 20,000 prospects in March. While many regional magazines succeed with fairly minimal #10 packages or double postcards - as the publication name alone speaks volumes to prospects - VL's colossal 10" x 13" size demonstrates that it is not the average local periodical, and makes quite an impression coming out of the mailbox. This upscale glossy covers a lot of territory in its 98 super-sized pages, filled with sumptuous photography: from home decor to food and travel editorial.

"We want to get the magazine out there, into circulation, to get readership, advertisers and buzz," says VL publisher and founder John-Lawrence Smith.

The magazine's cover tip, designed in-house, features a short, effective sales letter from Smith that draws attention to the magazine's lavish design: "You will think it is a slick national magazine, published out of New York or London. Instead it's from here, and all about here." Virginians and Virginia-lovers alike may choose a subscription rate of $18 for one year or $32 for two years (hard offers), by completing the detachable business reply card located on the bottom right corner of the tip.

While Smith admits that this acquisition strategy is quite expensive, he says that the results make it worthwhile. At press time, just two weeks after mailing, VL had received "hundreds" of orders. "I think that people are less likely to subscribe if they just get a letter in the mail and a business reply card," he maintains. "That's very different from getting the magazine in the mail and being able to flip through it."

Feeling that a few words and pictures won't do justice to a beautiful new magazine isn't the only reason publishers mail sample issues. For children's magazines, complimentary issues are a great way to illustrate the quality and usefulness of the publication being promoted. And they can also be the most effective way to reach the important decision-makers in a household: the check-writer (a parent or guardian) and the actual reader (the child).

National Geographic Society's National Geographic Kids (formerly World) first tested a sample issue polybagged with a voucher package in a June 2002 mailing. While the sample magazine - the particularly irresistible June 2002 issue featuring special sections like "Awesome Animals" and "Silly Pet Tricks" - was expected to go a long way in recruiting youngsters, NGK recognized that parents speak a different language. The magazine's traditional "Exclusive Offer" voucher package was designed for that purpose, detailing subscription benefits and a money-back guarantee - all at a discounted price of $17.95 for 10 issues (a 39 percent savings off the cover price).

"The standalone voucher package was important to us," says Rich Brown, director of new business for NGK, "because we wanted to make parents aware of the benefits of the magazine and not be limited to just a card on a cover wrap. We also felt that people didn't realize that World was a kids magazine, so we did this campaign in conjunction with the magazine's name change, as a means of getting sample copies in front of people."

If the complimentary magazine and reduced price aren't quite enough to entice prospects - young and old alike - to subscribe, the inflatable "World Ball" premium offered on payment helps drive the message home.

The package showed so much promise, Brown says, that in January 2003, it replaced the magazine's 10-year, veteran control - a 6" x 9" with four-color outer envelope, two-page sales letter, premium insert, lift note, order form, BRE, and large, foldout brochure.

The test package lifted response over the previous control by 98 percent in gross orders and 105 percent in paid orders. And similar results are expected from the rollout, which dropped to just under 2 million prospects.

Seen in the Mail items are identified and researched by MarketRelevance.com , an online direct mail and email promotion-tracking resource offered by ParadyszMatera. Senior Editor Marybeth Luczak conducted the interviews.