Subscriptions

Advertisers want to reach the largest number of people as possible. Subscription numbers and demographics are how advertisers gauge if the magazine provides a large enough audience. Reports of decreased magazine sales at newsstands are now common, but is this decrease also seen in regards to subscriptions? Magazines have worked to overcome this obstacle.

Researchers in Finland sought to understand if website content affects print loyalty. The researchers wanted to find if people were more loyal to a magazine after reading the online content and ultimately if these readers would subscribe to the print version.[1]

What researchers concluded was reading content online does not foster magazine loyalty. They concluded this may be because those who use the website are not interested in being associated with the parent magazine company. They also concluded these findings suggest the online website is serving a larger population than the print product is. Ultimately readers may not subscribe to the magazine because they feel they can read the content online and do not need to subscribe to get the information.[2]

This study suggests how important it is for magazines to balance how much information they place online. If too much content is placed online for free, readers will not subscribe to the print magazine because it will be unnecessary. If not enough content is placed online the avid online readers will not be drawn to the site or develop loyalty for the print product. Balancing how much content and what content to place online is the key to gaining subscribers and retaining readers.

In contrast to the study, reports indicate print subscriptions are holding steady despite the emergence on online websites.[3] Print editions remain the core of information despite the growth of online websites. The bulk of information provided by both Vogue and Jewelry Artist’s is still found in print.

Online websites also help sell more subscriptions to the print magazines. Reports indicate 24% of subscriptions were sold online in 2010 compared to only 13% in 2006.[4] Selling subscriptions online costs less than other tactics, and can help magazines sell more ads.

"The subscriptions we sell to people online generally bring in people that are more educated, make more money, are younger in age and have more of the desirable traits that a healthy advertising offering is based on," said Chris Wilkes, VP-marketing and audience development at Hearst Magazines Digital Media. Hearst Magazines, for one, increased web-generated subscriptions from just 5% of its new subscriptions in 2005 to 45% last year. Earlier this month it sold its 10 millionth new print subscription through the Internet.[5]

The Internet provides a place for viewers to preview content found in a magazine before deciding whether to subscribe. More importantly, the Internet provides an additional source for information for the magazine reader.  Vogue.com provided samples of collections from the high-end designers new spring collections, and jewelryartist.com provided daily designs artist could make at home. Both of these features are not found in the print magazine and are better presented online.

Websites have proven to be more than additional information for readers; they are also a place to preview content in a magazine and a place to subscribe for full content. In this way, websites have helped magazines.

[1] Hanna-Kaisa Ellonen, “The Effect of Magazine Web Site Usage on Print Magazine Loyalty,” The International Journal on Media Management 12 (2010): 21-37.
[2] Hanna-Kaisa Ellonen, “The Effect of Magazine Web Site Usage on Print Magazine Loyalty,” The International Journal on Media Management 12 (2010): 21-37.
[3] Nat Ives, “Web’s big boost to magazines? Selling print subscriptions,” Advertising Age 81 (March 2010): 2-4.
[4] Jason Fell, “Nearly One in Four Magazine Subscriptions Sold Online,” Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management 39 (July/ August 2010): 13.
[5] Nat Ives, “Web’s big boost to magazines? Selling print subscriptions,” Advertising Age 81 (March 2010): 2-4.