We Don't Blow

Posted by Paul Cloutier on 23 June 2007 (Essays)

One of the most common complaints about magazines is the blow-in card. Well, the truth is we hate them too. In fact, in JPG magazine we run a little house ad titled “We Don't Blow” that explains why we don't have blow-in cards. Here's what it says:

You know 'em – they fall out of every magazine on the rack. They’re called "blow-in cards" and they suck. They litter the aisles and annoy magazine readers worldwide. So we don’t use them. Instead, we just say this: If you like this magazine - and we hope you do - please subscribe. It’s just $24.99 for 6 issues a year (US) and you can subscribe on our website without wasting any paper.

We don't blow

There are lots of things the magazine industry needs to change, and this was one little peeve that was personally gratifying to fix. Blow-in cards are like the printed version of pop-up ads on the web. Getting rid of them just makes reading the magazine a better experience, which is the philosophy behind everything we do.

Subscribing through the website also introduces you to the community. It allows you to become aquatinted with the concept, become a member and hopefully a participant; blow-in cards encourage passivity.

We think that this is just one more way the web can be used to improve magazines: highlight experience and inspiration in the printed magazine, and utilize the web for depth and action.

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