Who Reads mental_floss?
mental_floss readers are busy, intelligent people who like to learn but don’t want to waste time on tedious articles. Its readers want to feel smart fast. They value a magazine that respects their intelligence but never takes itself too seriously. They are knowledge junkies who love bad puns, quirky humor and meaty trivia served up in bite-sized portions. The magazine is popular with people of all ages – high school students, busy professionals, and senior citizens who want to stay intellectually engaged. Nearly 2.5 million readers/visitors read mental_floss magazine and visit its web site.
What You Can Expect in Each Issue:
- Feature Stories to Make You Smile: Whether it’s "The 15 Greatest Moments in Olympics History," an expose on Shel Silverstein’s darker side, a collection of the "25 Most Important Questions in the Universe" (like whether a pregnant woman can drive in a carpool lane), or a frank discussion on the looming social security crisis, mental_floss features never fail to deliver. With stories that surprise, sometimes shock and always engage, mental_floss won’t just leave you grinning, it will leave your friends wondering how you got so interesting all of a sudden.
- scatter_brained sets the tone for the magazine with its quirky facts, quick tidbits and juicy history. Cheeky, clever and fun, this front-of-book section is consistently rated a subscriber favorite. Recent content includes wit and wisdom from famous insomniacs, secret flops from big-name musicians and the tallest tales in your American history book.
- right_brain eases readers into humanities by making art and literature accessible without dumbing it down. Why isn’t Jackson Pollock an overrated paint thrower? What makes "The Thinker" worth thinking about? It’s all right here: mental_floss experts spill the beans on why the classics are classic, and they’re happy to dish out all the naughty back-stories while they’re at it.
- left_brain tackles the mysteries of science and technology – from paradigm-shifting discoveries to the new generation of military robots. mental_floss takes the most exciting ideas and fascinating theories and delivers them in plain English.
- spinning the_globe opens a window to the world by serving up religion, history and world culture in a way only mental_floss can. Want to escape to the South Pacific without leaving your chair? Want to peek across North Korea’s borders without risking your life? Ever wonder how an entire island's cuisine became so focused around Spam or how a coffee shop poet drove the Czech nation to vanquish communism without spilling a single drop of blood? mental_floss has got the answers right here.
What other magazine would put Albert Einstein – in a swimsuit – on its cover? Like its content, the style and design of the magazine is fresh, compelling, and often irreverent. .
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Contributors:
As a rapidly growing publication with a lot of buzz, mental_floss is able to draw from a diverse talent pool of high-profile journalists, academics and subject experts including Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy! fame), A.J. Jacobs, Ben Stein, Ethan Trex, John Green, Michael Stusser, and Eric Sass.
Past Issues:
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Comparisons to Other Magazines:
"mental_floss is an original. It isn’t easy to match it with an existing magazine, although some readers have suggested that its quick hits of information and shorter features bring to mind the approach of another highly successful magazine." – The Week.
Newsweek called it "a smart-alecky read," another reviewer called it "a liberal arts education in installments," and a third suggested "Got a big cocktail party coming up? Read mental_floss first," but no one’s been able to find another magazine quite like it.
Advertisers:
Unlike most magazines, mental_floss is committed to maintaining a high editorial-to-content ratio in the belief that readers are buying the publication for its content. Approximately 80% of its pages are dedicated to editorial, with no more than 20% for ads. Advertisers include Angie’s List, Books-A-Million, Borders, Merriam-Webster, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, The Teaching Company, Volkswagen, Target, and Newseum.
Awards and Critical Acclaim:
- Chicago Tribune 2008 – "50 Favorite Magazines" List
- Chicago Tribune 2007 – "50 Favorite Magazines" List
- Library Journal – Best New Magazine Award
- "A sharp-looking glossy." – LA Times
- "mental_floss cleans out the cobwebs." – Chicago Tribune
- "A sort of sassy Cliffs Notes." – Reader’s Digest
- "The magazine is hard to put down." – Guide to Consumer Magazines
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