I hear the terms “circulation” and “readership” a lot. What’s the difference?
Circulation is the number of copies distributed, either paid or free. Readership is the actual number of people who read the publication.
What is the difference between paid circulation and free circulation?
Free circulation defines copies that are distributed at no charge. This typically includes copies placed in waiting rooms, coffee shops and distributed at public events.
Can readership be measured?
Yes, but only through third-party research. The three most accepted products for readership data are the AAM (Alliance for Audited Media) and the CVC (The Circulation Verification Council) and BPA (Business Publications Audit). Beware of publications that quote industry “standards” without supporting documentation.
Television and radio sales reps always quote their “numbers.” Do you have “numbers,” and where do you get them?
We use two sources to measure our audience. We belong to the CVC (The Circulation Verification Council), a national company that specializes in print publication audience audits. Each year, they verify our circulation and provide us with our Quantifiable Audience Composition. We also purchase market-specific studies, which define purchase trends.
What’s a press run?
That’s the actual number of copies a publication prints. Contained in that number are the copies retained for advertiser copies, archival use, promotional distribution, subscriber distribution, newsstand distribution, and copies for the sales department. A 25,000-copy press run, for example, does not mean all 25,000 copies are in the hands of readers.
The paper you use seems thinner than some of your competitors. Why is that?
Great question and one we are asked a lot. Postage is expensive and mailing a heavy issue can be quite costly, considering we mail more than 70,000 copies each month. It’s what’s on the paper, not the thickness of it, that makes a quality publication.