If you've never dealt with magazine advertising departments, here's a great article for you.

 

How Basic Pricing Works

First off, the rate card given to everyone is basically a list of the highest prices the company charges anyone.  The sales reps try their hardest to stick to these prices and acts like everyone is paying them.  If you sign a contract and agree to place three or more ads, they give you a discount.  For example, one ad may cost $14,000 but if you agree to six ads they will cost you $9,000 each ($54,000).  $9,000 is cheaper than $14,000 but remember, you have to run the ad six times for a total of $54,000.  And if the first ad for $9,000 brings you in only $2,000 in sales (this happens more than you think) you still have to pay for the remaining five ads and they will all bomb.  If you don't, the company will sue you for the balance.  Knowing what I know now, I myself would NEVER again sign a multiple ad contract with any company until I placed at least one ad with them.  This multi-ad deal is all part of the scam.  The results are so poor with so many ad mediums that they try and get you to commit to as many ads as possible upfront because they know you'll never come back.

 

Deals And Remnants

When I did decide to advertise with a magazine, after I learned you could do this, I would push for a lower price for one single ad.  Or I would tell them to contact me if they had a remnant, which is ad space they can't get rid of fast enough because it's to close too printing time.  This way I could get a $14,000 ad for $8,000-$10,000 for a trial run and his way if it's a bomb, I at least saved a few grand.

 

With the cosmopolitan ad I placed, regular price was $32,000 for a half page!  I called the ad department three times with the pitch that I was a new company and if the ad did well, we would continue to advertise with cosmopolitan.  The third sales rep cut the price in half ($16,000).  Even though sales from the ad was only $4,000, at least I saved $12,000!

 

Advertising Agencies

Here's where you save 50% per ad.  Advertising agencies have deals in place with major magazines.  Many times they also get the first shot at remnants, so they can put together a package deal with several magazines for multiple months.  I usually don't go with multi month ads but sometimes with these packages you can get four months of ads for a price cheaper than two months.  I'll take a shot at that. 

 

All ad agencies deal with several different magazines.  Look up magazine ad agencies on Google and contact them to see what magazines they deal with and what special offers they can give you.   

 

Where Should You Advertise?

Magazine.com lists thousands of magazines in every genre imaginable.  From there you can get the names of magazines that might fit in with your business.  Then further research the magazine online by typing its name into Google.  Now you can request a media kit which will give you ad rates, reader demographics and a free sample of the magazine (usually an issue 1-2 months old).

 

Note: Most of my display advertising was "back of the book" advertising.  Full page ads are 65% cheaper if they're near the back of the book.