Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, or at least its name. Take Boston-based Fast Company, for example: One can’t discuss the business magazine without making a word-play on its speedy title.
The Zuckerman Publishing magazine quickly gained an audience and a 300,000-plus circulation base, thanks largely to direct mail. Growth has been at a whirlwind pace, increasing four times since its launch two years ago. And readers will have to dash to the newsstand more than ever-frequency was upped to monthly in August, a maneuver vice president of circulation Howard Katz hopes will hasten readership and renewals.
Katz prospects for new subscribers by aiming at a target audience he acknowledges is hard to describe. Fast Company’s online introduction positions it as a magazine about the new economy and workplace, “for people who believe in fusing tough-minded performance with sane human values.”
“It’s more psychodynamic than demographic,” he says. “It’s how people think about business or their careers. They’re free agents, change agents.”
Both business and lifestyle lists are used for four prospecting mailings a year. Interestingly, among the lists that do well is Men’s Journal, a title Katz helped launch when he worked at Wenner Media.
Advertising Age’s list has also done well, despite its covering an industry Fast Company doesn’t. Other business lists may have been effective initially but not over the long haul. The file from U.S. News and World Report (Fast Company’s sister magazine at Zuckerman) was productive, while another sibling’s list-The Atlantic Monthly’s-was not, because, Katz feels, its readers are older.
To supplement the more than 1 million direct mail pieces sent annually, package-insert programs are used to acquire subscriptions in the business community, as are partnerships, ranging from deals with airlines to efforts with computer hardware and software manufacturers.
Direct response radio and television aren’t part of the mix, but to no one’s surprise the Web (www.fastcompany.com) has slowly become both more dependable and more predictable in terms of generating subscriptions.
“It’s a better payoff than direct mail,” Katz said, noting that Fast Company’s readers are “computer savvy” and “early adopters of e-commerce.”
Close to 70% of readers are male. Median household income is $98,000, about 83% graduated from college and almost 95% are in professional or managerial positions. Most fall into the 35- to 44-year-old range.
Many readers communicate regularly with the magazine by e-mail. And the August issue’s “Letter From the Editors” reported that 3,000 readers have registered to become part of the Web site’s Community of Friends, a database that allows members to locate others with like-minded business and personal pursuits.
“It’s a really interesting area,” Katz said. “We know how comfortable our readers are with the Internet. We’re looking at it to generate new subscriptions and retain who we have.”
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