Co-Publishing Advertising Freebies Called "Adsheets"

Co-publishing really means you agree to mail a certain number of copies of an Ad sheet with your regular mailings. In return, you usually get two things:

1. You get your ads in that ad sheet for half price, as long as you co-publish, and
2. You get to keep 50% commission on all ads that people mail to you to include in the ad sheet.

When you co-publish, your name and address will go on the copies of the ad sheet that you are sending (either the publisher will put it there, or you can rubber stamp it in the provided space).

People who receive your copies of the ad sheet, who want to place ads, will send their ads and payment directly to YOU. You keep your cut and forward the rest, with the ad, to the publisher. These arrangements vary. The usual arrangement: 50% off ads, and half for commission on new ads placed through you, for as long as you co-publish.

Usually, before you can co-publish an ad sheet, you will have to place an ad at full price. Indicate with your ad order that you want to co-publish, and include the number of copies you intend to mail out. If you can mail 50 easily, say 50. Don't say 200.

See, this adsheet might get published every two weeks. If it takes you two months to send 200, people will get old copies and will see your name on them. This will give the impression that you're slow, and you obviously don't want that!

Why would any publisher want to have others co-publish THEIR ad sheet? After all, they lose out on half the ad revenues from any of those ads.

Well, by having co-publishers, the reach of the ad sheet can be greatly expanded. The publisher may only be able to mail out 1,000 himself; with other people doing extra mailings, another 1,000 might see the ad sheet.

The higher circulation allows higher advertising rates, which partially compensates for the 50% commissions. Also, most publishers put ads for their own offers in their own ad sheet in order to cover the advertising expenses.

This means their offers are seen by an extra 1,000 people, and the only expense is mailing ad sheet copies to only a few people.

So, exactly how do you benefit from co-publishing other ad sheets? You get cheaper advertising. You get better circulation of your own ads, from the other co-publisher's mailings. You get another sheet to insert into your "big mails" You get a commission for every ad placed through you (this can pay for YOUR ads in the ad sheet, meaning FREE advertising for YOU).

How do you benefit from having others co-publish YOUR ad sheet? Your circulation is VASTLY expanded. You don't have to pay others upfront to mail your sheet. You just have to send them however many copies they can mail, and be willing to give them a commission on new ads. But look at it this way, these would be ads you WOULDN'T get otherwise, because your sheet wouldn't have reached that person if you were the only mailer.

Co-publishing is built on trust. If you promise to mail out "x" number of copies, keep your promise. If you don't mail them, you can't get the commission on the ads that may have been placed. Also, your offers won't get the extra circulation they deserve. But, do it right, and you will see your orders grow!