Print Metrics: Circulation, Average Issue Readership (AIR), Total or Claimed Reader, Sole or Solus reader

In this era of a la carte online advertising, it’s easy to forget about the enormous power of print. After all, a campaign should not be limited to just one medium but instead diversified to appear anywhere and everywhere customers might be looking. Advertising began with ink and paper and, although it has evolved, print is still a highly-effective means of conveying a message to your intended audience.

A newspaper’s circulation is the number of copies distributed on an average day. Circulation corresponds to paid circulation that is not always the same as copies sold since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the reader. In many countries, circulations are audited by independent bodies such as the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) in India to assure advertisers that a given newspaper does indeed reach the number of people claimed by the publisher.

Circulation

Circulation is a count of how many copies of a particular publication are distributed. Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. Number of copies of a nonperiodical publication such as a book called usually print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some issues are distributed without cost to the reader. Readership figures are usually higher than circulation figures because of the assumption that a typical copy is read by more than one person.

Print circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. In many countries, circulations are audited by independent bodies such as the Audit Bureau of Circulations to assure advertisers that a given newspaper does reach the number of people claimed by the publisher. There are international open access directories such as Mondo Times, but these generally rely on numbers reported by newspapers themselves.

In many developed countries, print circulation is falling due to social and technological changes such as the availability of news on the internet. On the other hand, in some developing countries circulation is increasing as these factors are more than cancelled out by rising incomes, population, and literacy.

Average Issue Readership (AIR)

Readership is an estimate of how many readers a publication has. As most publications have more than one reader per copy, the NRS readership estimate is very different from the circulation count.

Readership estimates also show:

• The demographic profile of readers.
• What else they read and do.

The relationship between readership and circulation is known as readers-per-copy.

AIR is no of copies read within the period equal to periodicity of Publication. AIR might be bumped up by a special issue that everyone goes out and buys. TR may include a lot of subscribers. They might be the same revenue and the same numbers for a given period, but TR may be more indicative of sustained readership.

Total or Claimed Reader

Not loyal readers of the publication but have consumed it in the past. Lower the gap between TR & AIR; more loyal the readership base of the publication

Sole or Solus reader

They read only 1 particular publication in that frequency. Most dedicated and loyal readers of a publication.