What does circulation mean in terms of print media?
Circulation is the number of copies sold – of newspapers or magazines. It refers to the number ‘per issue’ so if Cosmopolitan’s circulation is 150,000 – that’s how many it sells per month; if an evening newspaper’s circulation is 45,000 – that’s how many it sells per day Distribution is the term used for free publications (like Metro). To check figures look for the terms ABC verified (for circulation) and VFD verified (for distribution). These are the bodies that audit the news companies’ figures and have rules about, for eg, a paid for paper not being allowed to include copies that were sold at a promotional price.
