Magazine advertising costs vary according to the type of advertising offered by a magazine and may include classified and print ads, website advertising, and participation in special promotions. Another type of magazine advertising is mailing list rental, which does not actually involve the publication of an ad in a magazine, but provides a business with the addresses of a magazine's subscribers for the purpose of direct mail outreach. The cost of these services varies considerably by publication as well as the relationship that an advertiser has with a particular magazine.
Many magazines generate revenue through the sale of advertising. Typically, advertisers pay to place advertising in the pages of a magazine. In some cases, these ads contain graphics or blocks of text interspersed throughout the magazine. In other cases, the ads are relegated to a section of the magazine and typically classified as to the type of product or service being offered. In most cases, advertising that is interspersed throughout the magazine is more expensive than that of classified advertising.
A third type of in-magazine advertising is the use of inserts. These can be brochures fliers or subscription cards for other publications that are actually inserted into the magazine before it is mailed to subscribers or placed on newsstands. Of the different types of magazine advertising costs, this can be particularly expensive, as the advertiser not only has the cost of producing the individual advertising pieces, but printers typically charge for the service of inserting the advertising piece into each copy of the magazine.
Companies that wish to reduce magazine advertising costs may seek to participate in special promotions offered by a magazine. For example, a company may donate a product or service that a magazine can offer as a contest or sweepstakes prize in exchange for being mentioned in the magazine as a contest sponsor. In some cases, the only costs incurred by the advertiser are that of the actual product or service and getting it to the contest or sweepstakes winner.
A third alternative for companies who need to keep their magazine advertising costs down is to inquire about advertising on a magazine's website. Website advertising is often less expensive than print advertising, which can make it a cost-effective option for some advertisers. For advertisers that have particularly strong websites or do a lot of business online, online advertising may offer better results than traditional ad placement. In some cases, a magazine publisher may even offer special package deals that combine both print and online advertising at a discounted rate.