Before you market, you need to set your retail price and make s&h decisions - click here for more information and suggestions.

A Little Bit About Marketing
Keeping Subscribers

There are several different things you can do to help sell your book/periodical. Below are several sales strategies that you can use for any type of book/periodical.

Paid Advertising | "Free" Advertising/Networking| Direct Mailing
See Also Electronic Marketing and E-Zine Archives
Click here for information on specific advertising tools and services.

This page started as simple ideas brainstorming with a couple of editors on low cost or no cost ways to get subscribers to remember timely renewals of their subscriptions.  If you have other suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

When considering renewal request strategies, don't forget to make your renewal efforts "new subscriber" friendly.  Instead of verbiage such as "renewals are due next month", consider "renewals are due next month - new members are encouraged any time".

Options that will not add to the cost of a periodical may include: 
If currently renewals fall all over the calendar, consider a pro-rated renewal to get everyone renewing the same issue.  Further Tip: Either pro-rate new subscriptions, or offer that year's back issues to new subscribers to keep renewals the same.
Whenever there is "filler space" throughout the year, take a bit of it (don't quit nice holiday greetings, clip art, etc that subscribers have grown to depend on) to remind when renewals are.  Additional Tip:  Use different fonts, layouts, clip art to keep if from being standard and overlooked after the first issue.
In the Editor area in the issue before and/or in the renewal issue, remind readers it's renewal time.
Work with label producer on special label marking, maybe even a different label: clear/white, etc.) and note this in the issue. Can even be done by hand such as an highlighted label, a star sticker, etc.  Additional Tip:  Never use the same marking two years (or subscription spans) in a row.
Work with label producer to see if their software supports renewal date updates - put renewal date on mailing label (above address information) on each issue.
If label producer can do this, add "RENEW NOW", or "Last Issue" to last issue label.
If all subscribers expire at the same time, add a renew now note to the outside of the mailer on the same side as the delivery information.
Turn the reverse side of the mailer into a full Renew Now notice.
Add a renew now line to the masthead (top of the front page of the issue).
Include a "clip and mail" renewal form in renewal issue.
Build a subscribers database of email addresses, send renewal notices by email.
If using email for renewals, don't use it only for renewals, consider sending extra/color photos (if Copyright release is available), timely tidbits, in-depth coverage, save the date, quotes of the week/month, etc. - things to encourage opening over discarding.
With email addresses, if logistically feasible, consider e-editions/e-discounts, etc.
With email addresses/renewals, consider a PayPal account (or other insured third party) to take renewals securely online.

Options that will add to the cost of a periodical may include: 
Consider adding a loose renewal form to renewal issue - use colored paper for "pop".

See Also Electronic Marketing

For more suggestions on this subject and more, order our book:
G550/05-$10.00 WRITING Family History Or Genealogy For Pleasure and Profit, by Gregath Company, Inc., *updated* 2005. ISBN: 0-944619-00-2, 8½x11", softbound book, 126 pages, suggestions & examples of all facets of your project for the typist and/or computer user. Also available on disk. Note: All G prefix books 100 pages or more, this one included, that are SB can be special ordered in hard cover edition - contact for details.
Also we suggest:
Guerrilla Marketing for Writers - 100 Weapons for Selling Your Work

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Page Last Updated: January 09, 2019