Case In Point: Get a Full-Page Magazine Ad for Free

By Karon Thackston © 2009

As you know, I am continually on the lookout for innovative marketing ideas that bring a high return on investment. This one is truly creative! A previous client of mine had the ingenuity to come up with a remarkable idea that brought him much success. I have his permission to share the details with you.

Upon being approached by “Woman’s Own” (a British magazine), my client was asked if he would be interested in developing a free offer for their readers.It sounded like an idea with potential, so he devised a way to make it worth his while.

The layout was to be a full-page, editorial-style reader offer.After a little negotiation, it was agreed that the magazine would use the first 1/4 of the ad space to promote the free offer, and my client would use the remaining 3/4 for up-selling items.

In essence, the magazine would give a full page of advertising space free if my client would provide something at no cost to their readers.The response was excellent.

The interesting thing was that the free offer wasn’t anything expensive. It was a one-week supply of a vitamin supplement valued at approximately $10.50US. But still, what would make someone choose to pay for an item if they could get something free? I’ll let my client explain.

“I added several up-sell items to the original free offer, and I narrowed the gap between the free offer and the first product offer. So, for example, the week’s supply of vitamins was free, the first product up sell was just a few dollars more, the second product was just a few dollars above that, and the last offer was a bundle with a substantial discount off the cost of all products.”

This technique is very similar to what the mobile phone companies do. They always pitch you by saying, “You can add voicemail for only $1.99 more per month, and caller ID for just $2.50 more” and so on.

Did it work? You bet! In a campaign with “New Woman” (British magazine with a circulation between 370,000-400,000) a report valued at approximately $9.50US was given as the free offer. Around 9,500 offer requests were returned and about 5,200 products were sold from up sells. My client made a point of stating that these are typical results that repeat regularly whether he’s using the report or free vitamins.

After conducting a bit of informal testing, my client has this process fine tuned. He approaches other magazines with the idea and it continues to work well. He explains his procedure.

“I generally contact the magazine or newspaper’s Promotions Manager with a free offer. (Normally, they simply love the word free so it gets their attention.) I suggest that the publication could have the first quarter of the ad to talk about the free offer. The rest of the copy and space will be taken up with my images and up-sell copy. To expedite the process and make sure that the offer and information will sell well, I provide the publication with my own ad copy and images. (Obviously, the copy is the critical element.) I also insist on seeing a proof before publication.

“I suggest they include a ‘splash’ on the cover announcing the free reader offer, and include it in the table of contents along with the page number. Keep in mind that the offer should appear to be an editorial, not an advertisement.”

So, as you see, even small businesses can afford full-page ads in national magazines when they are free. All it takes is some time. When you prepare an offer, and develop strong copy (or hire a professional copywriter) that presents your offer well, you can receive free, full-page advertisements in major publications, too.

Karon Thackston develops targeted copy for magazines, websites and more. Visit her online today at http://www.MarketingWords.com.