Compared to our competitors, Connect To:

• Features the greatest variety of people and topics in every issue. 

• Is the publication most involved in community events. 

• Regularly profiles more local art and artists in each issue.

Every media outlet should tell you their circulation, which is how many homes receive their magazine. (To learn how to verify circulation, scroll down.)

Once you have that number, it’s a simple calculation of (cost ÷ readers) x 1,000. 

You can also calculate your CPM by readership, which is the the number of people who read an issue, but since some publications seem to make up these numbers, we think circulation is more precise. 

Why

CPM is

important

Let’s say Magazine One mails to 7,200 homes and a full page ad costs $1,500 while Magazine Two mails to 20,000 homes and a full page ad costs $2,000 dollars. Which one gives you more “bang for your buck?”

Magazine One:

$1,500 (cost) ÷ 7,200 (readers/circulation) = 0.20833         0.20833 x 1,000 = $208.33

Cost per one thousand readers: $208.33

Magazine Two:

$2,000 (cost) ÷ 18,400 (readers/circulation) = 0.10869         0.10869 x 1,000 = $108.69

Cost per one thousand readers: $108.69

Without calculating CPM, you might think Magazine One is a better deal because it’s cheaper. But CPM shows you are paying almost double for your ad to be seen by every thousand readers with Magazine One.

Use our

calculator

Not a “math person” or can’t find your calculator?

We’ve created a CPM calculator for you.

If you want to calculate cost per home, it’s an even easier formula (though not the standard):

cost ÷ circulation = cost per home

*Buyer beware: Some publications attempt to trick you by only providing the cost per home for their best rate per issue. If you want to know the actual cost for the ad package you’re considering, we recommend you do the math yourself.*

How to verify a magazine’s circulation

Subscription-based magazines

If you’re considering an advertisement with a magazine that is subscriber-only, ask them the last time they had their circulation verified and by what company.

Magazines with a subscription base should have their circulation verified every 1-2 years by a trusted source.

Ask the publication for their last audit, who performed it and the numbers. If they don’t willingly provide this information, take that into consideration.

Direct mail magazines

If a magazine is mailed directly into homes without readers paying for it, it’s done so via direct mail. The local magazines in our area mail this way (it’s actually more cost effective than subscriptions, but that’s a journalism lesson for another time). You can verify their circulation by using this handy tool, courtesy of USPS.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Enter the town/city and state or the zip code into the search bar and click on “search.”
2. A map will appear. Above the map in the right corner will be a “View as:” option. Select “Table.”
3. This table shows the various routes for each town (C = city street, R = rural road, PBOX = PO Box), the number of residential homes, number of businesses, etc.
4. Depending on the percentage of homes the publication mails to, you can add up the numbers and confirm that what they claim is accurate.
5. We like to copy/paste the charts into a spreadsheet so it can do the calculations for us. 

*Please note, these numbers do vary slightly from time to time as people can unsubscribe to direct to mail (and there are probably some other reasons as well). But they shouldn’t change drastically.*