Commencing tomorrow (9 November), Reader’s Digest will distribute free copies of the complete 160-page November issue of the magazine to a targeted group of consumers aged 45 to 60.
The sampling will take place at key transport hubs, including Tube and train stations in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Distribution company The Network, which currently distributes Sport magazine and the London Evening Standard, will manage the initiative.
The sampling activity will account for 15% of the magazine’s July-December circulation and has been verified to comply with Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) regulations, according to the publisher.
From Tuesday, the magazine will also take a more prominent position on newsstands, with the introduction of an A4 backing board. The increased magazine size and backing board will appear from the December issue, which will appear in newsagents next week.
David Titmuss, chief executive of Reader’s Digest, said: "I joined Reader’s Digest to significantly grow the business. Our research has shown that when people try a copy of the magazine, they really like it.
"Over the next eight years there will be 1.1 million more 45- to 59-year-olds, and this audience is our sweet-spot. Therefore, our newsstand and sampling activity is designed to ensure that the magazine reaches as many of our target audience as possible."
He added: "No other media owner has stated such bold growth targets, but then few of them are in the position of having a product and brand as strong as Reader’s Digest. We hope that our new readers enjoy the magazine and go on to become regular subscribers."
Gill Hudson, editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest, said: "This really is a watershed moment for Reader's Digest. We have been working hard to evolve the magazine over recent months to ensure that it is as engaging and relevant to our target audience as it possibly can be. I’m excited that this activity will allow us to get the magazine into more people’s hands every month, and I look forward to welcoming new readers into the fold."
At the beginning of this month, Reader’s Digest announced the and a further three appointments to the management team.
Reader’s Digest went into due to a pension debt. However, through a subsequent management buyout and £13m investment from venture capitalist firm Better Capital, the licence to publish Reader’s Digest was acquired by the newly established VIVAT. The magazine has a subscriber base of more than 403,000, according to ABC January to June 2010 figures.
In July, the magazine launched a digital version for the Apple iPad that offers three issues free of charge, in an attempt to reach a wider audience
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