Burning Questions Answered

Burning Questions? Here Are the Answers.

Whenever I venture out into the community and meet new people, there are several questions I am asked just about every time. So I’ll take this opportunity to answer them, once and for all.

Why am I mailed Tallahassee Magazine? I didn’t buy a subscription.
Thank our advertisers; they pay the vast majority of the costs for producing, printing and mailing out Tallahassee Magazine — what we call T-Mag in-house. We print about 18,000 copies of the magazine and, of those, about 13,500 are mailed to local households. (The other 4,500 go to professional offices, local hotels, high-traffic waiting areas, community leaders and subscribers). If you are one of the fortunate 13,500, it’s sent to your home for free.

How do you decide who gets the magazine?
We attempt to send T-Mag to homes with the highest household income because, as bank robber Willie Sutton (apparently apocryphally) put it, “That’s where the money is” — and those are the people our advertisers would like to reach. Data services can provide lists of the average household income down to the letter carrier route. Generally, we line ’em up and send to the routes with the highest incomes, but the system isn’t perfect. You may have income well over the cutoff point (about $100,000), but surrounding homes lower the average. We also target certain neighborhoods and developments, such as SouthWood or Golden Eagle. Because of these criteria, much of our circulation is in northeast Tallahassee.

I used to get the magazine, but now I don’t. Why?
Sometimes we add newly built neighborhoods or just move carrier routes around so that the maximum number of people can enjoy T-Mag. We have a set number we can send to households, so if we add one place, we have to take away from someplace else.

Why don’t you print more copies?
We only have so many advertisers, and we charge what they can afford to pay. (Remember, they subsidize this deal.) If we charge too much for advertising, we start to lose advertisers. After many years of experience, we have found that the equilibrium point sits at 18,000 copies.

I fit your criteria. Why can’t you send a copy just to me?
Our goal is to send the greatest number of magazines to the greatest number of people, and one of the most efficient ways to do that is to send out T-Mag in carrier-route batches. If we try to “cherry-pick” certain addresses, it becomes more expensive to get the data, and the mailing rate is higher.

Why don’t you have it in racks that people can pick up for free?
When magazines are given away for free, you have no idea who is getting them — or even if people are seeing them at all. Part of Tallahassee Magazine’s business plan is to assure advertisers that their message is being seen by potential customers. And isn’t it nice to have it delivered right to your mailbox?

Is there some way to guarantee I’ll receive the magazine?
Subscribe! It’s $24.95 for a year (six issues) or $39.95 for a two-year subscription. Order it by calling the Rowland Publishing office (878-0554) or visit the Web site (www.tallahasseemagazine.com) for other options. It makes a great gift for newcomers to town or to people who have moved away. Or, you can buy single copies at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, Walgreens  and Costco. We’re trying to increase our presence in other retail outlets, but the distribution process is mysterious, difficult and ever-changing. Finally, you can visit us online or become a fan on Facebook. Almost all of our editorial content is on the site for you to read at your convenience.

However you came by this copy of Tallahassee Magazine, we’re glad you did. Enjoy!