"Read Green" Initiative Promotes Sampling of Digital Consumer Magazines

More than 200 consumer magazines are participating in The Read Green Initiative, which will offer up to 50 million free one-year digital subscriptions in its first 12 months.

The initiative was launched in late September by digital publishing vendor Zinio. Consumers sign up for the free subs (one per person) on a dedicated site, www.GoReadGreen.com. The program also encourages them to pass information about the free trial subs to friends.

Several Hachette Filipacchi, Rodale, Bonnier Corp. and Source Interlink Media magazines are participating, along with Reader's Digest, PC Magazine and a host of special interest and regional titles from a variety of small- to mid-sized publishers. (Click here for page showing full title list.)

The initiative encourages consumers to adopt the digital magazine format as "an enjoyable, interactive digital reading experience" that is also environmentally friendly.

Zinio's research has shown that "one of the main reasons consumers enjoy reading digital magazines is because they feel like they are doing something good for the environment," Zinio.com president/CEO Rich Maggiotto stated in the launch release. Read Green aims to build on consumers’ growing environmental consciousness by increasing awareness of the digital magazine concept.

There are no fees for participating publishers, and so virtually zero additional costs for publishers with existing digital editions. Some participants say they were provided with projected trial subscription volumes for participating magazines.

"It's an excellent deal from our perspective," says Bea Hanks, SVP, marketing for Black Enterprise, "We're getting exposure to a global audience that we would otherwise not have."

Through earlier, separate marketing efforts, the magazine already had approximately 17,000 sponsored digital subs that are reported as verified on ABC statements, plus a small number of paid digital subs.

Black Enterprise is hoping to convert some Read Green trial subs to paid, including perhaps picking up some international readers, although there’s no way to predict conversion volume at this point, Hanks notes. The magazine is now in the process of creating a conversion series that includes email efforts and digital cover wrap renewal efforts on digital issues, she reports. The cover wraps will include an audio renewal message that can be heard by clicking into a link.

In addition to the free trial offers (16 titles are currently featured for selection, so the selection of titles is presumably rotated), the Read Green site includes a paid subscription "special offers" area. A portion of proceeds from paid subscription sales will be redeemed in exchange for eco-unit credits “that will contribute to the greening of school and university campuses through the planting of trees” to commemorate Earth Day 2009, according to Zinio, which continues to sell paid subs for its client titles on its main Web site.