How to Advertise in Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is published by Time Inc., and is well known for its annual swimsuit edition.

Sports Illustrated is a weekly sports magazine published by Time Inc., a subsidiary of Time Warner, and has been printed consecutively since August 1954. As with most magazines, Sports Illustrated generates much of its revenue through paid advertising. Time Inc.'s publications handle their advertising through its Direct2Time website. The site includes specifications and deadlines that govern advertising in Sports Illustrated. Setting up an account with Direct2Time, following the guidelines when creating your ad and successfully submitting your ad are the key steps to being able to advertise in Sports Illustrated.

Instructions

1. Call Time Inc.'s advertising department at 212-522-7677 for general advertising inquiries. Visit Time's Direct2Time website page for Sports Illustrated (direct2time.timeinc.com/title/sportsillustrated/) for detailed information and to register to place ads.

2. Click on the "Ad Portal Guide" tab on the Direct2Time website. Fill in all of your company information to set up your account. Read through the terms of use disclaimer and click on the "I accept. Create My Account" button. You will automatically be logged into Direct2Time's system.

3. Review the "Specifications" tab for sizes, mechanical specifications, issue and contact information, and file preparation guidlines. All ad files submitted to all Time Inc.'s publications must be supplied in a PDF/X-1a format.

4. Follow the instructions as laid out in the "File Preparation" section under the "Specifications" tab, such as: Including all high-resolution images; saving the to print in CMYK or grayscale with a minimum resolution of 200 dpi; using only Type 1 or TrueType fonts; and meeting all dimension requirements. Single page ads should be delivered at 11 inches wide by 17 inches high and spread pages should be 22 inches wide by 17 inches high.

5. Submit your ad via the Time Inc. Ad Portal, following the instructions found on the "Ad Portal Guide" tab.

6. View your ad in the ad portal. If you receive the message "This Ad has Serious Errors," review the report and correct any errors. If you receive the message "This Ad Must be repositioned,” your ad has been approved but the size does not match the specification and the ad must be repositioned. If you receive the message “This Ad has warnings,” your ad needs to be modified. Review the warning message on the right side of the screen. Click on the "Approve Ad" button once you are happy with your ad and wish to submit it.

References

• Sports Illustrated: Home Page
• Direct2Time; Advertising Specifications; Sports Illustrated
• Sports Illustrated Media Kit: Home Page

Resources

• Sports Illustrated Media Kit: Rate Card #69
• Direct2Time: Ad Portal Users Manual