The Distribution Policy is strategically designed to guide publishers in making changes at the right time, ensuring both affordability and effective reach. Understanding this policy allows publishers to manage their publication's growth within contract terms, making it possible to expand strategically without incurring unnecessary production costs and fees.
Requirements
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A signed franchise agreement must be on file before any distribution changes can be made.
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Each distribution change incurs a $500 fee.
- This fee will only be waived one time per year if the publication is at Gold status or higher.
- If a publication falls back below Gold status, the publisher must then adhere to the distribution policy for their current tier.
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All changes are within your territory’s current zip codes.
Change in Distribution includes
- Route Adjustment (within your current territory’s zip codes)
- Route Increase (within your current territory’s zip codes)
- 1x change per year is recommended (fees may apply based on policy by tier)
- A second change may be permitted upon approval (a $500 fee will incur)
Distribution Policy by Tier
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Just Launched ($16K - $19.9K):
- No changes in distribution or binding are permitted at this stage to maintain stability.
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Bronze ($20K - $24.9K):
- Allotted one annual route change for $500.
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Silver ($25K - $29.9K):
- Allotted one annual route change for $500.
- Perfect Bound Binding is available when a publication reaches a total page count of 44 pages AND generates a minimum revenue of $25K.
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Gold ($30K - $39.9K):
- Allotted one annual route change for $0.
- Distribution can increase up to 8,000 Copies with a 3-month revenue forecast of $30K+.
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Platinum ($40K - $49.9K):
- Allotted one annual route change for $0.
- Distribution can increase up to 10,000 copies with a 3-month revenue forecast of $40K+.
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Diamond ($50K - $60.9K):
- Allotted one annual route change for $0.
- Distribution can increase up to 12,000 copies with a 3-month forecast of $50K+.
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Black ($70K+):
- Allotted one annual route change for $0.
- Distribution can increase up to 15,000 copies.
*See chart below for a quick overview of the Distribution Policy by tier.
Tips for Managing Additional Readers
- Your additional readers are readers not included in your regular distribution routes. They include businesses, clients, or added individuals.
- Additional readers' entries are self-managed by the publisher through the ARC.
- It is ideal to limit additional readers to a minimum, as this distribution method does not have high saturation mailing rates and incur additional postage costs.
- Do not add entire subdivisions as additional readers; use annual route changes for this purpose instead.
- Do not add areas outside your territory. Areas outside of your territory will be removed from the distribution list.
- Maintain a balance of 500 business and client readers.
- Be sure to add potential clients to your distribution list.
Guidde: Distribution Policy Overview
