Who said that only large magazines can build a strong online subscription business? Smaller publications can do it, too.
Take the case of Yoga Journal, a niche periodical that appears seven times a year. The Web is now the title’s largest new business source, accounting for 12% of its total subscriptions. But it didn’t happen overnight.
Yoga Journal launched its Web site (www.yogajournal.com) in 2001. And the turf wars had already started over what was going to go on the home page, according to circulation director Barbara Besser.
“It took me a couple of years to get prime real estate,” Besser said on Friday at the Total Circulation 06 conference in Chicago, sponsored by Circulation Management magazine.
The convincer? Her own success as a circulator. In the five years ending in 2004, Besser tripled the subscription list from 10,000 to 310,000. And it now stands at 325,000.
But there were other arguments as well—like a cost comparison between direct mail acquisition and the Web.
And now Besser has another metric to use when making a case—the fact that she achieved 10% growth on the Web in 2004, 17% in 2005 and 8% to date this year.
The Yoga Journal site, which features over 1,000 articles, pulls 500,000 unique visitors a month. This is impressive, given that the magazine is “not spending marketing dollars on search,” Besser said. “We’re just doing natural search.”
The key thing is that those visitors are given several chances to subscribe. The three most productive sources—cover ads, embedded forms and pop-up ads—each produces one third of the gross Web site subscriptions.
The most successful sub generator is the cover ad, featuring the current magazine cover. Positioned on the left-hand side of the home page (and on as many pages as possible), it pulls 40% to 50% of the total net orders online, according to Besser.
“The payup is the highest because it’s very promotional,” she said. “People really get a look at the magazine.”
The ad says: “Subscribe Now! 2 Free Trial Issues & New Gifts.” The premiums are two editorial booklets: “Better Posture 101” and “Yoga for Neck and Shoulders.”
The basic price matches the one offered via direct mail. Previously, the cost was $14.95, and that was rolled out in mailing pieces after testing) and on the Web site without testing).
“It was very favorable for us,” Besser said of the Web rollout. “We’re now testing an $18 direct mail price, and it’s looking good, but we would test that on the Web.”
Also effective is a bonus offer—two extra issues with immediate payup.
The home page also has a small text subscription ad on its right-hand site, above both a paid ad and the fold. In addition, there’s text link on the nav bar on the home page.
Then there is the embedded form that appears on every page. It produces 15% to 20% of all net Web orders, but the payup “isn’t as good overall,” Besser said.
That may partly due to the fact that the offer is soft. “People just fill it in and say, ‘bill me,’” she continued. What’s more, the form is not secure so visitors have to link to a bonus offer to provide credit card information.
Finally, there are pop-up ads that now produce 25% to 35% of total net orders.
“It took 2 ½ years of successful sub promotion to be allowed to even try pop-ups,” Besser said. “It’s a very sensitive audience.”
At first, “we cookied it up so that it came up once a month,” she continued. “When that went over okay, we tried every two weeks.” And now? Yoga Journal is testing every other day on the second click.
Besser acknowledged that pop-ups attract less committed buyers.
“You get more credit buyers and somewhat of a lower payup,” she said. “But the volume can be really be high.”
Another problem is that some Web site visitors are irritated by pop-ups—especially those who already subscribe to the magazine. (Yoga Journal does not yet have the ability to avoid delivering pop-ups to those readers).
“We get a complaint once a week, which irritates the hell out of anybody on staff who sees it,” Besser said. “But in the scheme of things, one complaint a week doesn’t worry me.”
How does a magazine get around those pesky pop-up blockers? By using DHTML, a new technology already being deployed on some titles by Meredith and IDG, according to Besser.
Meanwhile, Yoga Journal is looking at a technology where the pop-up “can disappear after 20 seconds,” Besser added. “We’re not trying to be totally in people’s face. We’re trying to gently be in people’s face.”
Yet another sub-builder is e-mail newsletters. Yoga Journal now has over 200,000 e-zine subscribers, many of whom do not subscribe to the magazine.
These opt-in names receive monthly e-mail subscription offers. There are usually done in combination with another publisher.
For example, one recent combo offered Yoga Journal and Utne for $20.
“Start the New Year off right,” the promotion said. “Let Yoga Journal and Utne magazine be your sources for practical wisdom on how to live a more meaningful and enjoyable life.”
Besser advised that there are some back-end logistics to handle—like revenue sharing. But there is no need for both magazines to use the same fulfillment house.
The next step? Besser hopes to “wall off part of our Web site and collect e-mail addresses for access.” A good place to start might be its popular Poses section.
Summing up, Besser was modest about her success.
“A lot of the work and growth has been a testament to the growth of yoga,” she said.
