If you want to make the most out of the money spent for newspaper advertising, then you have to follow at least a couple of basic rules that apply for both newspaper and magazine advertising.

The first rule to keep in mind is that when you have had a magazine advertisement created for a particular magazine, it must run for at least five times before people actually hitch on to it and before it starts losing its appeal. This is why it is so important to create an ad that will attract the readers for a longer period, so you do not have to create a different ad every two or three publications. A magazine ad must run for a long period for it to be effective otherwise you will be just wasting your money.

Magazines have an advantage over newspaper ads and there are quite a few differences to consider when you are deciding where to place your ad. Magazines are either monthly or weekly publications and not daily, the pictures and paper quality in magazines is superior to newspapers, the promotional messages are less price-oriented and more image-oriented and color is frequently used to add to general attractiveness.

It takes longer to prepare and create an advertisement for a monthly magazine and can take a few months to be issued. This is because images and texts have to be carefully crafted and accurately inserted within the magazines pages. This is important to keep in mind for you should consider the month and season your ad will be appearing in.

It is also important to be aware that because the quality of magazines is superior, so must the quality of the advertisement. Each magazine has its own specific requirements, although most accept files in PDF, EPS, TIFF and PSD form. If you really do not know where to start from, it may be a good idea to contact either an advertising agency or a company specialized in graphic design.

Make sure you choose the appropriate category of magazine as there are two basic categories; consumer magazines and trade magazines to consider. The consumer magazines are those you would generally find at the newsagent or in stands, while the trade magazines are aimed at specific businesses and services.

If you do decide to hire an agency to do your advertising work for you then you may even be able to get better rates for spaces in the publications you wish to put your ad in. Often if you purchase these spaces as a private you pay more for them. However, you can take care of magazine advertising yourself, but make sure you contact the magazines advertising department and ask them for their Media Kit. In the kit you should find include a folder that includes demographic information, reach information, a current rate card and a sample of the publication.