To mail or not to mail—magazines, I mean—is the question.  With people working at home, some industries devastated, each brand needs to decide how best to disseminate information to their subscribers. 

For brands reaching most industries, it should be a logical decision to continue sending the digital editions to regular digital subscribers.

Print distribution is a bit more complicated.  If you normally mail to office buildings, many are closed. Restaurants, retailers, salons, gyms are also shuttered. Regional magazines, travel and in-person events’ industries are at a stand-still. The list goes on.  But no one can predict for how long.

If you have email addresses on file for print subscribers, should you switch all of them to digital distribution now?  Here is a short list of pros and cons for reducing your print order, even for the short term.

PROs

–Print has higher USPS mailing rates

–Lower costs, when decreasing the number of issues printed and mailed.

–Possible higher open rates on digital sends, for those who are now working at home and can’t get mail from their office

CONs

–Most of the subscribers with email addresses are requesters.  If brands that mail at periodical rates don’t mail those issues, that might decrease the request rate on the USPS statement of ownership.

–If you don’t normally send emails to your print subscribers, you might get complaints.

–Think about how advertisers might react. Are they paying to reach a certain number of print subscribers?

This is not a decision to be made lightly.  But, if you need a short term budget fix, this might be an option.

Another option is to send them a digital edition in addition to their regular print issue.  Part 2 of this article will discuss this more in detail, as well as other options brands are offering their subscribers.