Want to Sell More Ads? Ask an Editor

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, April 1, 2004 by Helen Berman

Byline: Helen Berman

Suppose you want to sell a time-share in your resort building. A prospective buyer says the building down the street offers the same views, maid service and a first-class restaurant - for 20 percent less.

Which sales approach will most likely allow you to hold the line on price?

Approach A:

"Of course, price is important. But we also offer 24-hour concierge service, and our hotel manager can fill you in on the rest of the amenities."

Approach B:

"Of course price is important. But so is the quality of your vacation time. Our guests enjoy the largest suites on the island, as well as top-rated cuisine from our Parisian chef. Our 24-hour concierge can tell you about nightspots exclusive to our guests - La Vida Loca has a great salsa band this season - and she can arrange for private mambo lessons. You'll notice your suite looks out on the top snorkeling spot on the north coast..."

The lesson: If you're selling a times-hare, you'd better get to know the manager. And if you're selling space, you'd better get to know the editors. Circulation statistics, syndicated studies and reader response information draw a picture. But to sell the value of a magazine or defend it against rivals, reps need to make the product come alive. To get advertisers as excited about it as the readers are, they must get the story from the editors who create it.

This is not about breaching the church/state wall. If salespeople can "sell" the actual editorial content, advertisers (and readers) quickly catch on. The magazine loses its credibility and authority, and it's no longer worth buying. A magazine's reputation is like its chastity: You can only lose it once.

What we're talking about is an intimate knowledge of how editors approach their audience - what expertise they bring and how they make the connection to readers. That ability to connect with readers is, after all, what differentiates your magazine. And salespeople who don't convey that story will be caught (like the hapless time-share seller in Approach A) in a downward pricing spiral: If you can only sell on CPM, you're selling a commodity and the market will dictate the price.

Here are tips on how to make the sales/editorial connection - without crashing the firewall:

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Read your magazine - thoroughly. Salespeople often scan magazines for "relevant" editorial - articles that mention advertisers. Read cover to cover and pay attention to what the subscribers are learning about their hobbies, their industries or whatever your publication covers. Figure out how that plays to your prospects.

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Understand your editorial calendar. Why was a regular feature dropped or a new one added and what does it mean to readers?

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Make reader calls. Pick up the phone and ask readers what they like about the magazine, which topics are important to them and how the magazine meets their needs. The answers will help you explain the product to the advertiser better than naked statistics can.

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Attend shows or events with your editors. They'll know people that you don't and vice versa.

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Conduct an editorial audit. Find out how much space is devoted to particular subjects; how much four-color your magazine uses; how many different writers contribute, and from which fields. Talk to advertisers about how editorial affects your readers - his prospects.

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Compare your editorial with the competition's. List the topics each title covers and analyze the different approaches. Ask your editors to articulate why your magazine takes the approach it does.

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Ask not what your editors can do for you, but what you can do for your editors. Be a helpful reporter. When you hear news or see a trend in your travels, send it to the editor. Make sure it's the real thing - not just what your clients are peddling. Editors will appreciate real tips, but they will shut you down if you're flacking for clients.

- Helen Berman of the Helen Berman Corp. helps media companies develop sales strategies. She is the author of the two-volume, 960-page book, Ad Sales: Winning Secrets of the Magazine Pros. Helen can be reached at www.helenberman.com.