Magazine advertising is the ads that people see placed throughout publications. Starting up or maintaining a magazine is dependent on a few factors, but one of the most important is advertising. Ad sales can make or break a publication, and nearly all magazines depend on the revenue generated by their advertisers to stay in business.
It is very important to have magazine advertising in place before a new publication is placed on the market. At the beginning, the revenue from ads can pay for staff wages and help with the start up costs. Not only that, but the right type of advertisement placed through a magazine can also boost the magazine's sales. Advertisers are also aware that a strategically placed ad in the right magazine can improve their business many times over.
Many people note that, when they look at glossy magazines, they seem to be almost 80% advertisements. The reason for this is that many of these magazines are seen as "aspirational," and the ads within their pages reflect the message of the magazine and the audience they are trying to reach. People who read them are supposedly the elite in terms of lifestyle, they are aware of things like fashion trends, and they have a large disposable income. The advertising caters specifically to that audience, selling designer clothes, high performance cars, luxury living.
Sometimes, a product is interwoven through a feature without the reader being aware of it. It may be a feature on a day at a certain spa in which a number of products are mentioned. The magazine advertising in this feature is not only the spa, but also the products used there. These types of articles are seen as advice givers, and their potential for pushing a product is huge. They can market the product to millions of people through their recommendation in the magazine.
Billions of dollars are spent annually on magazine ads. Because of the amount of money involved, the brands that are being advertised, more often than not, have a say in what will be in the magazine. They can stipulate where they would like the ad, what type of content should be placed next to it, and even what should not be in the magazine in which they are placing the ad.
Magazine advertising is one of the most powerful marketing tools available, and an ad placed in a magazine can improve sales enormously. Editors are, however, aware of the editorial changes that can be made by corporations through advertising. Major corporations who advertise in magazines nearly always have an influence on the content in the magazine, and this editorial power has to be weighed up when deciding on the advertising and the money involved.
Magazine Advertisement Examples
There are several different approaches a marketing and design team can take when drafting an advertisement for a magazine. The following examples are some of the most commonly used advertising styles in magazines.
Classifieds
Classified pages are some of the most affordable options for advertising in magazines, newspapers, and other publications. There are often multiple classifieds included on a single page. Each classified ad will include a short description of products or services being offered, ending with contact information. In some cases, small pictures, logos, or other images may also be included.
Classifieds are common in smaller publications and are generally favored by individuals selling limited items or small businesses trying to attract local customers. While they can be very inexpensive compared to full-page or multi-page advertisements, one downside is the likelihood of them getting overlooked and not standing out among the many other ads that will be in close proximity.
Display Ads
Display ads are less text-heavy than other types of advertisements and rely more on big, engaging images and text. The goal with these ads is to catch readers' attention as they flip through the magazine and allow them to quickly digest the information before moving on. They use a similar strategy to other short, image-heavy ad formats, such as billboards and flyers.
Advertorials
Advertorials are ads that also serve as interesting content within the magazine. Usually taking up at least a page, this type of advertisement should tell a story or offer interesting information that readers are excited to engage with. Quality writing that fits with the rest of the magazine is a key element of advertorials. Good design and images can also be used to draw readers in.
Choosing a Publication for an Advertisement
If you are in charge of designing an ad for a magazine, or if you are considering marketing your business through magazines, you should keep in mind the importance of choosing the proper publication for your ad. Since ads make up such a large part of most magazines, they must flow well and align with the mission or goal of the magazine. For example, an advertisement for sporting gear may not fit well in a cooking magazine.
To properly market something in a specific genre of magazine, it helps to put a twist on a normal marketing discussion to help it fit the theme. For example, if you truly did want to advertise sporting gear in a cooking magazine, you may have to talk about how that gear could be related to food and cooking, such as showcasing gear that allows you to bring food on the go or discussing healthy recipes that go well with an active lifestyle.
How Much Does It Cost to Put an Ad in a Magazine
From a business standpoint, it is very important to be aware of how much an ad is going to cost before considering creating it. A few of the associated costs to keep in mind when making a magazine ad are the wages paid to copywriters and designers to put together the content for the ad, photographers and any other specialists who may be brought in to further help with content, and the price charged by the publication to buy space for the ad.
The amount you will need to pay a magazine publisher to place your ad can vary substantially depending on the size of the publication. Well-known, nationally recognized magazines can charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for full-page ad space. Smaller, locally-based publications should charge substantially less, and some independent publications may even offer free ad space for nonprofits or organizations that they specifically want to support.
Working With Publishers
One consideration to make when coming up with content for a magazine ad is that it will likely need to be approved by the publishers before it can be printed. Magazines rely on keeping content within the parameters that their audience expects. This means that ads need to be screened for relevance, professionalism, and appropriateness before they can be printed. It is important to follow the process laid out by the managers of the magazine to ensure that your content reaches them on time and can be printed as planned.
Building a good working relationship with a magazine publisher can help make it easier to print additional ads in future magazine issues. If the first magazine you try to work with does not like your advertising style, it is a good idea to shop around and see what other publishers think. Every magazine is different, and what works for one publication may not fit well with another.