Print ads are not for everyone. First, it’s prohibitively expensive. You can definitely get cheap B/W print ads in local zines, but if you are looking to get into any national pubs, even relatively smaller ‘tastemakers’ like Magnet magazine (and don’t even think about Rolling Stone or Spin, of course), you are likely going to pay at least $1000 per insertion for a 4/C ad. Second, unless you are a more established artist with a lot of marketing already happening, your print ad will be lost on folks that know nothing about you. The standard line with print ads is that they are designed to supplement other forms of advertising, not lead the charge. So before you think about plunking down your hard-earned cash for a print ad, you should really have a hard think about whether or not this is the right marketing vehicle for you.

If you come to the conclusion that a print ad is money well spent, there are a couple basic items you are going to have to consider to make your ad as effective as possible.

1. Research The Outlet

You know your market better than anyone else (at least you should). With all things in marketing, the goal of ads is to reach folks that are going to be into what you are doing. When you research potential advertising matches, it’s a good idea to ask the ad rep a couple of really basic questions:

• What is your demographic?

• How much money do your readers spend on music?

• Where are you distributed?

• What is your circulation? (this will likely be an inflated number that includes free copies that are given out at events, but it is still a good starting point.)

• How many subscribers do you have? (a much better indication of the actual readers of the publication)

All this stuff will help you get a better indication of not only the readership of the publication, but also how to tailor your ad. Oh yes, if the ad rep starts talking about a ‘pass through’ number (which is basically the idea that a magazine is left somewhere and someone else will read it), you should realize that this is a completely made up number, and no credence should be give to it at all.

2. Design and Messaging

Once you’ve decided on the outlet for your ad, you’ll need to develop your image and messaging. A couple of things to consider when laying out your art:

• Be clear in your messaging. What is the call to action? What do you want people to know/do? Readers are going to be scanning your ad at best, be sure that what you want folks to know is as obvious as possible. The design of the ad should be clean and not too copy heavy. It’s essential to realize that no one really reads ads, people just skim them. Write your copy with that in mind.

• Try to get a feel for the readers by taking a look at what other folks are doing. Not that you should design anything based on what you see exactly, but having an idea of what other folks are creating for art will help you to craft more effectively direct your language and images.

• Use images that make sense for the outlet. You may have a super hip design for an ad that might work in Juxtapose, but if you are advertising in a more conservative outlet, you should adjust your image accordingly.

3. Timing

The last thing you should keep in mind is the timing of your ad. The cover date and the actual date that publications hit the street are often different. Find out when the street date is (the date that the issue is at newsstands) and the date that subscribers will get the pub. This way you can make sure your messaging and timing makes perfect sense.