Promotional piece, usually on card stock, that is blown by machine between the pages of a magazine and held in place by pressure until the magazine is opened. Most blow-ins serve as reply forms or have a perforated reply form attached. Since it is not bound into the magazine, the blow-in can get the reader's immediate attention by falling into his or her lap. Unfortunately, blow-ins, unlike bind-ins, are frequently removed and disposed of by the first reader rather than remaining in place until they have delivered their sales message to an interested reader.
The cost of producing a blow-in depends upon the type of paper, the amount of color used, the size of the blow-in, and the quantity ordered. Average costs range from $5 to $30 per thousand. Most advertisers order a two-to-three-month supply to keep the per-piece cost at a minimum. Sizes vary depending upon the space advertising rates of the carrier publication but must conform with U.S. Postal Service postcard-size regulations. An average blow-in measures 4" _ 5 3/4". There is usually no charge for inserting blow-ins, in contrast to the insertion charges for bind-ins, which average $1 per thousand. Blow-ins are an important source of magazine subscription sales.
