· 6 min read
Renting Your Reader List to Advertisers
Three ways to let advertisers reach your readers (counts, sponsored mailings and list rental), what the ICO expects for each, and the records to keep.
Blog
Notes on subscriptions, circulation and publishing data
Practical stuff from people who do this for a living. Mostly written by Rob Sherwood.
· 6 min read
How Long to Keep Subscriber and Circulation Records
Data protection says keep it no longer than you need. ABC, AAM and HMRC each say how long you need it. How to square the two with a retention schedule.
· 6 min read
Consent or Legitimate Interest? Marketing to B2B Readers
Which rules apply when a B2B publisher markets to its own readers by email, post and phone, when legitimate interest works, and what to record.
· 6 min read
What to Put in a Month-End Subscriptions Pack
The reports a publisher's finance team needs from subscriptions each month, the checks that make the figures trustworthy, and how long to keep each run.
· 7 min read
Trial Offers That Convert Without Wrecking Yield
A practical guide to free trials and introductory offers for publishers: which shapes work, how to protect yield, what to measure and what changes in 2027.
· 6 min read
Lapsed Subscriber Win-Back: Timing, Offers, When to Stop
A practical guide to win-back campaigns for lapsed subscribers: timing, offers, the marketing rules, the 2027 trial rules and when to let people go.
· 6 min read
PAF and Address Cleansing for Publishers
What PAF is, what Royal Mail expects from bulk mailers on address accuracy, and how to keep a subscriber file's addresses clean from entry to mailing file.
· 6 min read
Handling a Subject Access Request as a Publisher
A practical guide to subject access requests for publishers: recognising one, the deadline, searching subscriber and circulation data, what to send and handling complaints.
· 6 min read
VAT on Print, Digital and Bundled Subscriptions
Print and most digital editions are zero-rated, but bundles, events, video and overseas readers make it messier. What HMRC's guidance says and how to keep it straight.
· 6 min read
Why One Reader Ends Up as Four Records
How one reader turns into four records, why that matters for ABC or AAM audits, data rights and the 2027 subscription rules, and how to fix it step by step.
· 6 min read
Magazine Postage in January: What the Rise Really Costs
Royal Mail's January rise averages about 9%, but the real figure depends on weight and service. How to work out your own number and what to do about it.
· 6 min read
Continuous Card Payments for Subscription Publishers
A practical guide to auto-renewing card subscriptions: what readers agree to, how they can stop payments, what to record and what the 2027 rules add.
· 6 min read
Corporate Licences: Pricing, Seats and Usage
How to price corporate and multi-user licences, keep track of who has a seat, show the client what they're getting and treat the renewal as the big moment it is.
· 6 min read
Running a Subscription Price Rise
A practical guide to putting up subscription prices: segmenting the file, giving notice, Direct Debit payers and what the 2027 rules say about increases.
· 6 min read
Direct Debit for Subscription Publishers
How Direct Debit works for magazine and B2B subscriptions, what the scheme rules ask of you, and how to stop failed collections turning into lapsed readers.
· 6 min read
How to Measure Renewal Rates Properly
A practical guide to working out renewal rates that mean something: the right denominator, a fixed measuring point, and the splits that show what's really going on.
· 6 min read
Request Recency in Controlled Circulation
What ABC's five-year request rule means in practice, why the date matters as much as the request, and a routine for keeping a controlled file in date.
· 6 min read
New Subscription Rules: What the Draft Guidance Says
The draft subscription rules guidance is out. Who it covers, what reminders and exit routes publishers need, and what to check before 1 January 2027.
· 6 min read
How to Prepare for an ABC Audit
What an ABC audit checks, the records to keep year-round and how to make audit week dull in the best possible way.
· 6 min read
Controlled Circulation Explained
How controlled circulation works, why qualification and request recency matter, and how to keep a free circulation file valuable to advertisers.
· 6 min read
Building a Renewal Series That Works
A practical guide to planning renewal efforts for paid and controlled titles, from timing and channels to copy and measurement.
· 5 min read
Deferred Revenue for Subscriptions
Why subscription money paid upfront isn't revenue yet, how to release it per issue or over time, and how to keep finance and circulation in step.
· 5 min read
Choosing Publisher Subscription Software
A practical checklist for publishers choosing subscription software, from writing requirements to the awkward questions worth asking suppliers.
· 6 min read
Gone-Aways and Why They Cost You
Why returned copies cost more than the stamp, and a simple routine for handling gone-aways in print and digital.
· 5 min read
Media Pack Figures Advertisers Trust
Why advertisers discount vague media pack numbers, and how to present circulation, digital and audience figures that stand up to scrutiny.
· 3 min read
End-to-End Subscription Workflows
Joined-up subscription workflows leak less revenue and give cleaner data than a patchwork of forms, plug-ins and spreadsheets.
· 5 min read
What Is Avio? Publisher Subscriptions
What Avio does, who it's for, where it came from and how it differs from Adeptis, our platform for smaller publishers.
· 4 min read
Moving to Avio: A Step-by-Step Guide
The practical steps of moving a publisher's subscription data and processes onto Avio, and what to check at each stage.
· 4 min read
B2B Subscription Processing: 5 Trends
An operations-focused look at corporate orders, print and digital fulfilment, invoicing and renewals, and the five forces changing them.
· 3 min read
B2B Publishing in the Age of AI Content
As AI churns out generic content, trusted B2B publishers with real expertise could find their value going up, not down.