Manager - Circulation & Subscription Sales

AIM

Bengaluru

Description

Role Summary:

Own the subscriber base and circulation revenue across both print and digital editions. This is a target-carrying role: you grow paid subscriptions, retain existing subscribers, and expand print reach by placing the magazine at high-footfall stands, retail outlets, and partner locations. You sit at the intersection of sales, distribution logistics, and audience data.

Key Responsibilities:

Digital Subscriptions:

  • Drive paid digital subscription growth across web and app, including individual and corporate/institutional plans.
  • Build and run acquisition funnels: landing pages, paywall offers, trial-to-paid conversion, and renewal flows.
  • Reduce churn through lifecycle campaigns, win-back offers, and pricing/bundling experiments.
  • Manage subscription platform and payment gateway operations, including auto-renewals and failed-payment recovery.

Print Subscriptions:

  • Grow direct print subscriptions across individual, gift, and bulk/corporate orders.
  • Manage the full subscriber cycle: order capture, fulfilment coordination, address data accuracy, and renewals.
  • Coordinate with the print and dispatch teams to ensure on-time delivery and resolve delivery complaints.

Circulation & Distribution to Stands:

  • Expand physical reach by placing print copies at newsstands, bookstores, airports, cafes, co-working spaces, and event venues.
  • Build and manage relationships with distributors, vendors, and retail partners; negotiate placement, margins, and sale-or-return terms.
  • Plan copy allocation per outlet, track sell-through, and adjust print run and distribution mix based on what each location actually sells.
  • Handle returns reconciliation, stand-level reporting, and route/territory planning to keep distribution cost-efficient.

Sales Targets & Revenue:

  • Carry and deliver monthly and quarterly targets for subscriber count and circulation revenue across both formats.
  • Forecast subscription and newsstand revenue; report performance against target with clear variance analysis.
  • Identify and close institutional and bulk deals (corporates, libraries, universities, event partners).

Data & Reporting:

  • Maintain a single source of truth for subscriber and circulation data; track acquisition cost, retention, LTV, and sell-through by channel and outlet.
  • Report weekly on pipeline, conversions, renewals, and stand performance to leadership.

What Success Looks Like (KPIs):

  • Subscriber growth — net new paid subscribers (print + digital) against target.
  • Circulation revenue — total subscription and newsstand revenue vs. target.
  • Retention — renewal and churn rates across both formats.
  • Distribution reach — number of active stands/outlets and average sell-through per outlet.
  • Efficiency — subscriber acquisition cost and returns rate kept within agreed limits.

Requirements:

  • 7+ years in subscriptions, circulation, distribution, or sales — ideally in media, publishing, or a subscription-led business.
  • Proven record of carrying and hitting sales/revenue targets.
  • Hands-on experience with distribution logistics and managing vendor or retail partner networks.
  • Comfortable with subscription tools, payment gateways, and basic data analysis in spreadsheets.
  • Strong negotiation skills and willingness to travel for retail and event distribution.

Good to Have:

  • Experience with paywall, CRM, and email/marketing automation platforms.
  • Existing relationships with magazine distributors or retail chains.
  • Understanding of the enterprise and tech audience.