Spin Reaches Out to Young Readers

By Jane E. Zarem
04/02/2008

Most young people don’t read print magazines—preferring to spend their time looking at a screen. The folks at Spin have looked to MySpace as a way of leveraging that activity and getting that desirable demographic interested in a continuous reading experience that is more involving and more engaging than print. By clicking on the Music tab on MySpace, users view an offer for Spin and can register to preview the digital edition. The publisher thereby gathers e-mail addresses to use judiciously to build valuable direct relationships with these young people in hopes that they will ultimately subscribe. The initiative began in March 2008, so results are not yet available; but it’s an example of how one publisher is using this channel to engage and influence its otherwise elusive target audience.