“What would The Jewish Week do?”
Lessons from our latest in the quest to sell subscriptions on behalf of “The Wall Street Journal of Jewish newspapers.”
Lessons from our latest in the quest to sell subscriptions on behalf of “The Wall Street Journal of Jewish newspapers.”

An ad campaign on behalf of junk mail … ah, circulation marketing … make that “audience development.”
What do you need to know to beat your control? The answers to this list of questions will provide a good start when working with outside creatives. Or—and especially—if you attempt to do it yourself.
Costs are up. Response is down. Circulation is falling. Lists are exhausted. Offers are fatigued. Rules are changing. Subscribers are wary. Has there ever been a better time for new ideas in circulation? Here are some things you can do now to survive the tough times so you can positively thrive when — if ever — the going gets good.
Here’s the latest in my mail from The Wall Street Journal. Ever since “two young men graduated from the same college,” whatever The Journal mails has been the avatar of subscription promotions. As they say, if you’re going to steal, steal smart.
Think politicians are ham-handed at changing the discussion? Check out how the newspapers that cover them frame their latest round of disastrous ABC subscription figures.
OPEN LETTER

The myth of subscription direct mail is it gets very little response. In fact, it gets 100% response. Readers either love it or hate it. Remember it or forget it. Open it or throw it away. And to a degree far greater than you might imagine, how customers respond to your marketing is controlled by you.
© 2007
Richard Riccelli, Inc.
All rights reserved.