Hi ,
I read many books on how to work your distribution strategy and newstands distribution but I find it difficult to get any information on controlled circulation. How can I distribute my free magazine effectively. Any tips?
Thank you.
Messia.
Hi Messia. You've got lots of potential approaches, depending on the size of your targeted audience--and your budget.
Where do your readers go, and what do they do? To start with, you are probably already leaving copies in places your audience frequents--coffeehouses and clubs, perhaps, or colleges and universities with a big African and Carribbean student body. How closely targeted, geographically, is your audience? Can you have someone stand on a street corner and hand it out for an issue or two?
Are there doctors offices or beauty parlors that cater to a large clientele made up of your readers?
How about bookstores? If you have ones that share your audience, they are great places to partner with on magazine distribution.
Where all this is leading, of course, is to free subscriptions. Do you have sub cards in every copy? Can you afford the costs of subscription fulfillment? If so, your distribution channels, such as those suggested above, will be a source of your free subscriptions. In addition you can develop your circulation on the internet, using some of the techniques we'll be talking about in our seminar on July 11th. Are you coming?