Check a professional journal before requesting removal
A professional journal arriving at your office may be tied to a paid subscription, a membership benefit or a free controlled-circulation list. The route for stopping it differs in each case, and a removal request for advertising will not cancel a paid subscription or a membership.
How to find out why a journal arrives
- Read the label and wrapper for text saying the journal is a membership benefit, a controlled-circulation publication or a paid subscription. This text is often near the address block.
- If it looks like a membership benefit, contact the professional association about your mailing preferences. A removal request will not change your membership.
- If it looks like a free controlled-circulation publication, look in a recent issue for a qualification or renewal card or a circulation contact, and use that route to stop it.
- If it has no connection to a membership or subscription and reads as unsolicited advertising, photograph the label so the sender and your address are visible, and submit a request. If you are still unsure, ask the sender which list produced the mailing.
What a removal request cannot do here
Check whether the publication is advertising, a paid subscription or a membership benefit before choosing a removal route. Search your receipts or membership records, then ask the publisher if you are unsure. For a subscription, request its cancellation or delivery-change instructions directly. A marketing opt-out does not establish that a subscription has ended.
Match the journal to an account first
Search the office email for messages from the publisher or the association before you submit anything. If you find a subscription record, handle the journal through that account. If you find nothing, a removal request is a reasonable next step.
Instructions for the next step
Have an unwanted advertisement ready?
Photograph one piece you are authorized to handle, with the sender and full mailing label visible. Review the details before submitting. The first request is free; the sender controls the response.
Try one request free