17 Magazine Subscription Gimmicks Everyone Fell For
This list explores 17 real magazine subscription gimmicks that successfully hooked readers with quirky, collectible, or useful freebies.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
For decades, magazines have used clever gimmicks to attract and retain subscribers. From Sports Illustrated’s famous football phone to Cosmopolitan’s beauty bags, these promotions often became more memorable than the magazines themselves. While many readers enjoyed the extras, the marketing tactics reveal how much the publishing industry relied on novelty and giveaways to survive.
1. Time Magazine’s Tote Bag Giveaway
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For decades, Time Magazine offered a free canvas tote bag as a subscription incentive. The bag itself was cheaply made, but many readers signed up simply for the “exclusive” gift. It became one of the most recognizable gimmicks in the magazine industry.
2. Sports Illustrated’s Football Phone
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In the 1980s, Sports Illustrated famously offered a working telephone shaped like a football for new subscribers. The quirky gadget became a pop culture relic, remembered more than the issues themselves. Fans bought subscriptions just to own the novelty item.
3. National Geographic’s Free Maps
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National Geographic capitalized on wanderlust by giving out foldable maps with subscriptions. These maps, often of entire continents or oceans, enticed readers with the promise of exploration. Many households kept them long after the magazines piled up.
4. Playboy’s Limited-Edition Calendars
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Playboy used to lure readers with glossy, limited-edition wall calendars featuring their Playmates. The calendars became collectibles, creating a sense of urgency for fans to subscribe. For many, the calendar was more appealing than the actual magazine content.
5. Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes Entry
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Reader’s Digest famously tied subscriptions to sweepstakes entries in the 1980s and 1990s. The promise of possibly winning a big cash prize kept readers hooked. Millions subscribed, even though most never came close to winning.
6. TV Guide’s Commemorative Covers
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TV Guide often released collectible covers tied to major shows like Friends or The Sopranos. Subscribers were promised complete sets of these limited covers. Collectors rushed to sign up, fearing they would miss out.
7. Rolling Stone’s Bonus CDs
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During the CD era, Rolling Stone enticed new readers with exclusive music compilation discs. These discs featured songs from up-and-coming artists and became prized among fans. Subscriptions surged when such promos were active.
8. Seventeen Magazine’s Makeup Kits
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Seventeen Magazine attracted teen readers by offering small makeup kits or beauty samples with subscriptions. These “starter kits” often had mini lip glosses or nail polish. For many teens, the freebies were the real draw.
9. Vanity Fair’s Designer Tote Partnerships
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Vanity Fair partnered with fashion brands to offer stylish tote bags for subscribers. Unlike cheaper versions from other magazines, these totes became status symbols. Readers often flaunted them as much as they read the issues.
10. Sports Illustrated’s Sneaker Phone
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Following the football phone craze, Sports Illustrated offered a plastic sneaker-shaped phone. It was bizarre but effective, tapping into America’s obsession with novelty. The unusual gadget became another collectible from the magazine’s marketing playbook.
11. Highlights’ Hidden Picture Posters
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Highlights for Children gave out oversized posters of their famous hidden picture puzzles. Parents subscribed because kids loved searching the images outside of the magazine’s pages. The posters hung on bedroom walls across America.
12. Good Housekeeping’s Recipe Booklets
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Good Housekeeping enticed homemakers with mini cookbooks included in subscription deals. These booklets often compiled “holiday recipes” or “family favorites.” Many were saved for decades, outliving the magazines themselves.
13. Entertainment Weekly’s TV Show Guides
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Entertainment Weekly offered detailed TV show guides for hit series like Lost and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fans subscribed to get exclusive behind-the-scenes content. These guides became collectibles long after the shows ended.
14. National Enquirer’s Psychic Almanac
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In the 1990s, the National Enquirer offered psychic prediction booklets as a free gift with subscriptions. Readers were promised insight into the year ahead from astrologers and psychics. The bizarre gimmick sold thousands of subscriptions.
15. Cosmopolitan’s Beauty Bags
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Cosmopolitan frequently offered “beauty bags” filled with samples of popular brands. Subscribers often found creams, lipsticks, and perfumes inside. The bag was marketed as worth more than the subscription price, making it irresistible.
16. Men’s Health’s Fitness DVDs
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Men’s Health capitalized on the fitness DVD trend by bundling exclusive workout videos with subscriptions. The DVDs featured trainers demonstrating routines that promised fast results. Readers often signed up just for the workouts, not the magazine.
17. O, The Oprah Magazine’s “Exclusive” Journal
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O, The Oprah Magazine attracted fans by offering limited-edition journals with soft leather covers. These journals tied into Oprah’s self-improvement branding, making them feel personal. Many readers signed up specifically for this stylish extra.