How to get advertisers for a member magazine: your first 20 conversations

Selling ads for a member magazine is a small sales job. A list of companies and a couple of hours a week will get you started.

Most associations that struggle with it have plenty of possible advertisers and no routine for approaching them. This article sets one out.

Who to approach first

Start with people who already spend money to get in front of your members. They have a budget, they know what your audience is worth, and you don't have to explain why your members matter.

Good places to look:

• Sponsors and exhibitors from your last conference or event.
• Suppliers your members already use: software, insurance, training, equipment.
• Companies that email your members directly or hand out flyers at your events.
• Member businesses that sell to other members.
• Anyone who advertised in an earlier version of your newsletter or magazine.

Past event sponsors are usually the warmest list you have. They have already said yes to paying you once.

Make a list of 20

Twenty names is enough to start and few enough to treat properly. For each one, write down:

1. Company and the person who looks after marketing or sponsorship.
2. How they already deal with you: sponsor, supplier, member, or none.
3. What they sell to your members.
4. One reason they might care about this specific audience.

Spend your time on the last item. "They sell accounting software and half our members are small business owners" is a reason. "They're a big company" isn't.

If you can't find a name, look at who runs the marketing team on LinkedIn, or ask a colleague who has dealt with them. A message to a named person gets answered far more often than one to a general inbox.

Get three things ready before you write to anyone

A media kit. Two to four pages with your audience, ad options and prices. If you haven't made one, start here.

One number that carries weight. Pick the figure an advertiser in that industry would care about most, and lead with it. For most associations that's the number of people who open each issue, or the number of members in a specific profession.

A first offer. Something short and easy to say yes to. A single full page in the next issue, or a sponsored article. Don't open with a twelve-month package.

Write the first message

Keep it under 150 words. It should say who you are, who reads the magazine, what you're offering and what you want them to do next. Nothing else.

Subject: [Their company] and [number] [profession] readers

Hi [Name],

I edit [Magazine name], the magazine for [number] [members/readers] in [industry or profession]. About [number] open each issue.

I'm writing because [Their company] sells [what they sell] to people like our readers, and I think a page in the [month] issue could put you in front of them.

A full page is [price], and I've attached our media kit with the other options and dates.

Would a ten-minute call this week be useful? If email is easier, just reply with any questions.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Role, phone]

Send it from a real person's address, not a no-reply. Attach the kit as a PDF, or link to it if your email system strips attachments.

Follow up, twice

Silence usually means they're busy. A reasonable rhythm:

• Day 0: first message.
• Day 5 to 7: a short reply on the same thread. "Wanted to make sure this didn't get buried. The booking deadline for the [month] issue is [date]."
• Day 12 to 14: one last note. Offer something different, such as a sponsored article instead of a display ad, or a place in next quarter's issue.

After that, stop and diarise a check-in for three months' time. Some businesses only plan their marketing spend once a year, and you want to be in front of them when they do.

What to offer someone who has never advertised with you

You have no track record yet. They know it, so deal with it directly.

• A founding-advertiser rate. A defined discount for the first few advertisers, with a stated end date. Say how many places there are, and mean it.
• A second placement at a reduced price. One ad can be forgotten. Two in a row gives them a better read on whether it works.
• A results report. Promise to send views and clicks within a set number of days after the issue goes out.

Each of these gives them a reason to decide now without you cutting your normal price for nothing.

What to say when they push back

"We don't have the budget." Ask when they plan next year's spend, and offer to hold a place. Sometimes the answer is a smaller option, such as a newsletter mention.

"We don't know if it works." That's fair. Point to the results report, and to the second-placement offer.

"Your audience is too small." Talk about who is in it. A thousand people who all buy the thing a company sells can be worth more than ten thousand who don't.

"We already advertise somewhere similar." Ask which publication, and find out what they like about it. Then suggest a smaller trial next to it so they can compare the results.

Keep the ones you land

Most of the work is in the second sale, so look after the first one.

Send the advertiser their report as soon as you have the numbers: how many people opened the issue, how many viewed their page, how many clicked. Add one line on what you would try next time. Then ask about the following issue while the results are fresh.

One more thing: keep it clean

Label sponsored articles clearly as sponsored. Members accept ads. What annoys them is finding out afterwards that an article was paid for. Decide your policy on competing advertisers before you sell the first ad, write it down, and stick to it.