Third-party sampling programs boost circulation now

Third-party sampling is used increasingly as part of a marketing mix, often in conjunction with door to door sales and/or telemarketing. Third-party sampling is often supported by an advertiser that wants to reach people that the advertiser does not reach through regular newspaper advertising. A typical program includes free samples distributed to non-subscribers in a strategically selected area that is of importance to both the newspaper and to the advertiser. For example, if a mass merchandiser is opening a new store, they may be interested in the zip codes surrounding that store as part of a sampling program. Ideally, you would include FSIs with an offer that is associated with both the newspaper and the participating sponsor. That’s not a necessary component of success, but it would be ideal. For example, a subscription that also provided the subscriber with a premium of a new loyalty card good for repeat discounts at the mass merchandisers new store.

Sampling is a costly form of marketing, because you have to both print and distribute the newspapers. You can reduce the costs and increase the benefits, by selecting your geographic targets carefully. Here again, you want to use modeling and profiling to select the areas that will attract subscribers who are worthy of this degree of effort. Sampling may not be worth it to attract 8 week bill me orders, but it may certainty be worth it to attract paid in advance or EZ Pay subscriptions of six to 12 month duration.

The association with advertisers has proven to be one of the primary benefits of a sampling program. New ABC regulations allow newspapers to count samples as paid circulation when they are underwritten by the advertiser, as long as ABC requirements are met. Advertisers may participate on a cash basis or by means of some sort of trade or barter arrangement with the newspaper. For example, an advertiser might provide a premium item that could be bundled with the subscription sale. The advertiser might not pay cash to be underwriting the papers but might instead provide a product that would be attractive as a premium for people who subscribe during the sampling campaign. You would need to closely work with the ABC to assure that you are aware of all compliance requirements if you plan to count the samples as paid circulation.

Determining the CPO for third-party sampling involves the cost of printing the incremental papers; the cost of distributing those papers; and the cost of printing any advertising inserts tied to the campaign. If an advertiser pays for the samples, that contribution is subtracted from the cost basis. And remember that those samples would count themselves as paid circulation, creating an immediate circulation win.

Sampling, if not used in conjunction with telemarketing and direct marketing from door to door representatives, will yield only modest results. To be most effective, sampling should be combined with these other tactics. To free sample newspapers, merely create a more receptive market for your telemarketers or door to door representatives.

Sampling can be done on a large scale using outsourced delivery people, or on a very small scale down to the routes specific level, by giving current carriers additional copies to distribute to the non-subscribers on their route.