Some Publishing Metrics

Print Products

Source: (E)ntry or (C)alculation

Period: A practical timeframe in which to measure: (I)ssue, (M)onth, (A)nnual, or other (P)eriod

Items with * can be especially useful.

Metric / Source / Period
General
Regular issues produced / E / M
Special issues produced / E / M
Ratebase / E / A
Print run / E / I
Total issue pages / E / I
Full-time employees / E / A
Part-time employees / E / A
Paid FTEs / C / A
Interns / E / A
Total staff (FTEs plus interns) / C / A
Magazine revenue / E / I
Special issue revenue / E / I
Ancillary revenue / E / M
Total revenue / C / M
Total Expense / E / M
Contribution or EBITDA / C / M
Margin percentage / C / M
*Revenue per paid FTE / C / A
*Revenue per ratebase copy / C / P
*Advertising percentage / C / I
Market size in people / E / A
Market size in households / E / A
Market size in spending / E / A
Market median HHI / E / A
Market penetration (readership/market people) / C / A
Household penetration (circulation/market households) / C / A
Sales and Marketing
One-time 4/C full page rate (net) / E / P
One-time B&W full page rate (net) / E / P
*Average yield per page / E / I
*Effective CPM: rate base / C / I
Effective CPM: readership / C / I
Yield as percentage of one-time 4/C full page rate / C / I
Ad pages: display / E / I
Ad revenue: display / E / I
Ad pages: classified / E / I
Ad revenue: classified / E / I
Ad pages: inserts / E / I
Ad revenue: inserts / E / I
Ad pages: special advertising sections / E / I
Ad revenue: special advertising sections / E / I
Ad pages: special issues / E / I
Ad revenue: special issues / E / I
Ad pages: house and barter / E / I
Ad revenue: house and barter / E / I
Total ad pages / C / I
Total ad pages as percentage of total issue pages / C / I
Paid ad pages as percentage of total issue pages / C / I
Total ad revenue / E / I
Ad revenue as percentage of total revenue / C / M
Sales and marketing FTEs / E / I
Active salespeople FTEs / E / I
Average pages per active salesperson / C / I
Average revenue per active salesperson / C / I
Sales commission / E / I
Sales commission as percentage of ad revenue / C / I
Total sales and marketing expense / E / M
*Cost of sales (Sales & Marketing as percentage of ad revenue) / C / M
Advertising expense as percentage of total expense / C / M
Bad debt (as percentage of ad revenue) / E / M
Market ad pages / E / P
*Market share in ad pages / C / P
Market ad revenue / E / P
Market share in ad revenue / C / P
*Ad revenue per rate base unit / C / A
Circulation
Rate base / E / P
Circulation / E / P
Average readers per copy / E / P
Readership per issue (circ x readers per copy) / C / P
Total single copy sales / E / I
Single copy sales as percentage of total circulation / C / I
Total subscriptions / E / I
Subscriptions as percentage of total circulation / C / I
Paid subscriptions / E / I
Paid subscriptions as percentage of total subscriptions / C / I
Nonpaid subscriptions / E / I
Non-paid subscriptions as percentage of total subscriptions / C / I
Average circulation per issue +/- ratebase in reporting period / C / P
Basic rate / E / P
Cover price / E / P
Newsstand distributor draw / E / I
Newsstand distributor sales / E / I
*Newsstand distributor sell-through percentage / C / I
Newsstand distributor revenue / C / I
Newsstand distributor revenue as percentage of circulation revenue / C / I
Net revenue per copy sold / E / P
Net revenue per copy sold as percentage of cover price / C / P
Independent retailer draw / E / I
Independent retailer sales / E / I
*Independent retailer sell-through percentage / C / I
Independent retailer revenue / C / I
Independent retailer revenue as percentage of circulation revenue / C / I
Net revenue per copy sold / E / P
Net revenue per copy sold as percentage of cover price / C / P
RDA and other promotional expense / E / M
RDA as percentage of newsstand revenue / C / M
Subscription revenue / E / I
Subscription revenue as percentage of circulation revenue / C / I
Average revenue per sub copy served / C / I
Revenue per sub as percentage of basic rate (annualized) / C / I
Subscription conversion percentage / E / P
First renewal percentage / E / P
Pure renewal percentage / E / P
*Overall renewal percentage / E / P
Subscription marketing expense: new subs / E / A
Average acquisition cost per new sub / C / A
Subscription marketing expense: renewals / E / M
Average acquisition cost per renewal / C / M
*2-Year P&L per order (growth source #1) / C / P
*2-Year P&L per order (growth source #2) / C / P
*2-Year P&L per order (growth source #3) / C / P
Fulfillment expense / E / M
Fulfillment cost per sub copy served / C / M
List rental revenue / E / M
List rental revenue as percentage of circulation revenue / C / M
Times turned (names rented/subs) / E / M
Back issue revenue / E / M
Back issue revenue as percentage of circulation revenue / C / M
Other circulation revenue / E / M
Other circulation revenue as percentage of circulation revenue / C / M
Total circulation revenue / C / M
Circulation revenue as percentage of total revenue / C / M
*Circulation revenue per audited reader / C / A
Total circulation expense / E / M
Circulation expense as percentage of total expense / C / M
Circulation cost of sales (expense as percentage of circulation revenue) / C / M
Circulation FTEs / E / A
Circulation revenue per FTE / C / A
Market size in circulation (combined rate bases) / E / P
Market share in circulation (by rate base) / C / P
Editorial and Art
Edit pages / E / I
Editorial percentage / C / I
Total editorial expense / E / M
Editorial cost per page / C / M
Editorial expense as percentage of total expense / C / M
Art and manuscript expense / E / M
Art and manuscript cost per edit page / C / M
Editorial FTEs / E / A
Circulation revenue per editorial FTE / C / A
Editorial cost of sales (Editorial expense as percentage of circ revenue) / C / M
Production
Print order / E / I
MCPs (cost per thousand pages) / C / I
Printing and binding cost per copy / E / I
Printing and binding MCP / C / I
Paper cost per copy / E / I
Paper MCP / C / I
Prepress cost per copy / E / I
Prepress MCP / C / I
Subscriber postage cost per copy / E / I
Subscriber postage MCP / C / I
Single copy distribution cost per copy / E / I
Single copy distribution MCP / C / I
Total manufacturing and distribution cost / E / I
*Total manufacturing and distribution cost per copy printed / C / I
Manufacturing and distribution MCPs / C / I
Manufacturing and distribution cost: editorial / C / I
Manufacturing and distribution cost: advertising / C / I
Manufacturing and distribution expense as percentage of total expense
Production Dept. FTEs / E / A
G&A
G&A FTEs / E / A
G&A expense as percentage of total expense / C / M
Other
Reader-based revenue / C / M
Reader-based expense / C / M
Reader-based contribution / C / M
*Reader-based margin percentage / C / M
Ad-based revenue / C / M
Ad-based expense / C / M
Ad-based contribution / C / M
*Ad-based margin percentage / C / M
Percent of contribution from readers / C / M
Percent of contribution from advertising / C / M
Market Sharein Detail
Market pages by title past 12 months
Market share percentage by title past 12 months
Trends
Market revenue (est.) by title past 12 months
Market share percentage by title past 12 months
Trends
Market pages by territory past 12 months
Market share percentage by territory past 12 months
Trends
Market revenue (est.) by territory past 12 months
Market share percentage by territory past 12 months
Trends
Daily Sales Log
Current issue page goals by territory
Current issue pages sold to date by territory
Current issue revenue goals by territory
Current issue sales to date by territory
Contract Analysis (and Yield Forecast)
Ratio of 4/C to black and white (if applicable)
Ratio of full pages to fractionals
Average size of fractionals
Average contract frequency
Mixture of rate cards

Web Site

Web
Advertising revenue / E / M
Advertising as percentage of total Web revenue / C / M
Links and sponsorship revenue / E / M
Links and sponsorship as percentage of total Web revenue / C / M
Webinars and online event revenue / E / M
Webinars and events as percentage of total Web revenue / C / M
Other Web revenue / E / M
Other revenue as percentage of total Web revenue / C / M
Total Web and online revenue / E / M
Total Web site expense / E / M
Contribution or EBITDA / C / M
Margin percentage / C / M
Web revenue as percent of profit center revenue / C / M
Web expense as percent of profit center expense / C / M
Web contribution as percent of profit center contribution / C / M
Maximum Web and online advertising potential (available real estate) / E / M
Percentage sold / C / M
Active Web salespeople / E / M
Average revenue per salesperson / C / M
Commissions / E / M
Average commission percentage / C / M
Effective CPM: Web advertising / C / M
Web sales and marketing expense / E / M
Cost of sales (percentage) / C / M
Banners sold: format #1 (e.g. skyscraper, leaderboard, etc.) / E / M
Percentage of total banners sold / C / M
Banners sold: format #2 / E / M
Percentage of total banners sold / C / M
Banners sold: format #3 / E / M
Percentage of total banners sold / C / M
Total page views: home page / E / M
Unique visitors: home page / E / M
Total page views: other pages / E / M
Unique visitors: other pages / E / M
Total page views / C / M
Total unique visitors / C / M
Percentage of unique visitors who are current subscribers / E / A
Average page views per visit / E / M
Average time spent on site / E / M
Average days to 1000 page views / E / M
CTR: advertising / E / M
CTR: links / E / M
CTR: sponsorships / E / M
Cost per click / C / M
Revenue per click / C / M
Cost per page view / C / M
Revenue per page view / C / M
Cost per unique visitor / C / M
Revenue per unique visitor / C / M
Number of print subscriptions from Web site / E / M
CTR: Subscriptions / E / M
Conversion from click percentage: subscriptions / E / M
Percentage referring URL: search / E / M
Percentage referring URL: other external / E / M
Percentage referring URL: internal / E / M
Page views: home page / E / M
Page views: Shopping section / E / M
Page views: Home and Design section / E / M
Page views: Food & Dining section / E / M
Etc. other sections / E / M
Ad revenue: home page / E / M
Ad revenue: Shopping section / E / M
Ad revenue: Home and Design section / E / M
Ad revenue: Food & Dining section / E / M
Etc. other sections / E / M
Percent of ads sold: home page / E / M
Percent of ads sold: Shopping section / E / M
Percent of ads sold: Home and Design section / E / M
Percent of ads sold: Food & Dining section / E / M
Etc. other sections / E / M
Exit percentage from home page / E / M
Exit percentage from Shopping section / E / M
Exit percentage from Home and Design section / E / M
Exit percentage from Food & Dining section / E / M
Etc. from other sections / E / M
Cost of Web content / E / M
Total content costs (including print) / C / M
Total sales costs (including print) / C / M
Total cost of sales (including print) / C / M
Web FTEs / E / A
Revenue per FTE / C / A

Peter Hutchinson