Formats of press inserts

Published : 04/08/2025 11:22:33 Updated : 04/10/2025 05:34:27 Optimize your media budgets

Lise Dumonteil

Pôle Marketing

Article summary : Formats of press inserts

📄 Magazine Advertising Formats and Insertion Options

Stitched/Bound (Broché): The ad insert is stapled or bound to the magazine, becoming an integral part of the publication.
Bagged/Wrapped (Blisté): The advertising material is shrink-wrapped or bagged together with the magazine.
Loosely Inserted (Glissé/Jeté): The printed ad is dropped or slipped into the magazine (not physically attached).
Detachable (Posé): The advertisement is designed to be easily separated from its support.

📐 Standard and Special Ad Sizes

Standard Sizes (Non-Exhaustive): Double-page spread, Full Page (1/1), 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, or 1/8 (vertical or horizontal).
Special Formats: Enclosed supplementary booklet/section, Front Cover Gatefold/Wrap (Cavalier), Multi-page inserts.

📈 Why Advertise in Print Magazines?

A powerful tool for capturing attention and boosting brand image/equity.
Increases visibility among a precise target audience (geo-located or socio-demographic profiles).
Excellent medium for achieving standout and featuring creative, engaging advertisements.
Integrates seamlessly into a cross-channel strategy (combining Print/Digital) to maximize impact.

💡 Print/Digital Campaign Examples

Uber: Print, digital, and social media campaign offering free rides to seniors visiting vaccination centers (2021).
Burger King: Solidarity campaign (print and digital) encouraging customers to order from competitors (including McDonald's) during the lockdown (2020).
Intermarché: Print and digital video campaign "L'amour tout court" (Love, simply put) promoting their Drive-Thru services (2020).

>> When well-chosen and strategically placed, magazine advertising remains a key lever for a successful campaign and high message recall.

When you want to advertise in a newspaper, you should be aware that there are several possible formats and of course a different price scale depending on the format chosen. We have put together a summary of the different press advertising inserts to help you choose the best way to advertise.

The different types of press advertising inserts

First of all, there are several formulas:

Stapled: the stapled advertising insert is attached to the magazine by stapling. It is then stapled to the magazine and, by definition, is attached to the magazine.
Blistered: the blistered advertising format is wrapped in film with the magazine.
Slid or Thrown: this advertising format is inserted into the magazine.
The Posé: this advertising is detachable from its support.

Press insert formats

The press insert has many advantages for advertisers who wish to increase their visibility on a target group that is either geolocalised or according to specific socio-demographic profiles. But it is also an excellent medium for standing out and offering original and committed advertising. Insertion, insert, advertisement, advertising insert, whatever expression you use, there are several advertising formats in the press.

>>> Read our article about the press ads rates

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of the advertising inserts:

Double page
Full page (1/1)
1/2 height - or width
1/3 height - or width
¼ height - or width
1/8 height - or width

There are also some special formats such as :

The additional insert booklet
The front cover rider
The multi-page insert

Some innovative print advertising campaigns

1- Uber's helping hand

In 2021, Uber has decided to give a little help for vaccination in France. Indeed, the company has committed to offer 20,000 free rides to drive elderly people to vaccination centers in 10 French cities.

An advertising campaign began on social networks, in digital and in the press on 1 March 2021.

2- When Burger King encourages you to order from MCDO

During the second wave of confinement in France in 2020 following the COVID-19 epidemic, Burger King encouraged all French people to order Whoppers but also Big Macs, pizzas and sushi.... An original and supportive Burger King communication campaign.

3- Love as seen by Intermarché

In March 2020, Intermarché launched a beautiful digital and press campaign called "L'amour tout court". This campaign was launched to promote the Intermarché Drive and all its services.

On the digital side, there is a touching video in which we see two young people falling in love with each other in a few seconds at the Drive.