Six tips to reduce the print and postage costs of your association publication

If you regularly mail a magazine or newsletter to your members, here are a few simple ways to reduce your print and postage costs.

1. Stay under a postage weight threshold

Do you know how much your publication weighs, once you include the address sheet, inserts etc? You might be surprised to discover that your publication is just over a weight threshold for postage. Reducing the size by a few pages or choosing a lighter paper stock could bring you under the threshold and result in significant savings on postage costs.

2. Take advantage of Print Post

Print Post is one of the most common methods of mailing association publications, yet many associations still send newsletters in A4 envelopes with an address label on the front. Print Post can be a cheaper alternative, as long as you meet the requirements.

Click here to download the Australia Post guide to Print Post.

3. Distribute in bulk

If you are sending a high number of copies to people within an individual company, you could consider a bulk distribution, whereby the copies of the publication are sent in a box or boxes to the company and then distributed internally (perhaps off a list of names of individuals who subscribe).

4. Make money from your flysheets

Get the most value out of your address sheet (also known as a flysheet) by using it as a promotional tool. Your flysheet could be a bright colour that catches attention and promotes a member benefit, such as an upcoming event, training course or member discount. Flysheets can also be effective for competitions and surveys. The flysheet could also be sold as advertising space – and actually help to cover the cost of printing it.

5. Replace some printed copies with a digital version

Producing a digital as well as a print edition of a publication can be a cost-effective way of distributing to low-value categories of membership such as students and temporary members. It can also save on international postage costs for overseas members. A digital magazine can be exactly the same as your printed magazine, only it is viewed online, using the click of a button to turn the pages and zoom into articles. These days, a number of companies provide the technology to produce a digital edition at a low cost. Depending on the number of pages of your publication, the cost could be between $300 and $1000 per edition.

6. Replace part or all of a publication with an enewsletter

The most effective association communication strategies have a combination of both print and online publications. You will probably choose to keep at least one printed publication, but if you can replace some content with a well-crafted enewsletter, you could end up with a significant saving on print and mailing costs.