Is Bust a Bust?

Last month, I purchased one of 30 cooperative ad spots with Etsy for Bust magazine.   Boy, I make that sound so easy.  It was actually more like I scheduled my entire morning around being home and at my computer that day.  Sat staring at the computer screen for half an hour waiting for the spots to go on sale.  Had two separate alarms going off to remind me the day before and every hour the day of.   In any event, I won the lottery so to speak, and snagged a spot in the ad.

This past Tuesday I was informed (by a Twitter friend, of course) that the issue had hit the newsstands.

That's me-- first row, second photo from the left.

My thoughts on the ad so far?  Well, first of all, there's nothing like picking up a magazine and seeing your work in it.  Pretty darn cool and almost worth the money just for that reason alone. Business wise?  Traffic to my shop has definitely increased in the past few days.  Many more conversations going on, and yep, I've been making sales.  Can I tie any of this to the Bust spot?  Truthfully, no, I can't.  And I don't feel comfortable asking people how they found me (I'm just so glad they did!).

Will I do it again?  Yes, I think I will.  The ad is placed towards the front of the magazine (page 19), and was eye catching as I flipped through the issue.  I do love that I am placed in the top row near Etsy's name, but this was just luck and cannot be requested.  I also like the fact that many categories are featured and there is a nice variety of work represented.

The magazine seems to be a good fit for me and my designs.  And I think if you are considering this ad spot, you really need to know who your market is.  Take some time, look into who Bust's subscribers are, read the magazine.  Ask yourself if these women would buy your product.  That's what I did before spending the advertising money.

Bust ad?  Definitely not a bust for me.