Circulation

Circulation refers to the number of copies of a print medium that are distributed. For the public relations practitioner, circulation figures are important to consider when evaluating an advertising vehicle. When considering circulation figures, it is also important to distinguish between actual subscribers and how many copies are sold directly from the newsstand. Subscribers are most likely to be devoted to the publication—as is shown by the number of people who are renewing subscribers. When meeting with representatives from publications, it is important to gather not only circulation figures, but also the demographic information of the audience the publication reaches.

In the age of technological advances and social media, the public relations professional must consider statistics concerning online subscribers, as well as website hits and click-through rates on the publication's website. According to a 2010 report by the Pew Research Center, every news platform saw audiences either stall or decline—except for the Internet. Also, for the first time more people said they turn to the Web for news rather than to newspapers. The report projected that online ad revenue in 2010 would surpass print newspaper ad revenue for the first time.

The Pew Research Center's report titled The State of the News Media 2012 indicated that the problems of newspapers became more acute in 2011. According to the report, even as online [Page 116]audiences grew, print circulation continued to decline, and in 2011, losses in print advertising dollars outpaced gains in digital revenue by a factor of roughly 10 to 1, a ratio even worse than in 2010. When circulation and advertising revenue are combined, the newspaper industry has shrunk 43% since 2000, according to the report.

Public relations practitioners must research publications extensively to understand readership— both in print and online—before making decisions to run advertisements and or pitch reporters for possible placement of a story.