How to Sell Advertising for a Local Newspaper

Long-term advertising contracts are the backbone of successful newspaper revenue streams.

Advertising is a newspaper's bread and butter, so finding advertisers is a priority. A newspaper's sales force must be effective in order for the paper to prosper. A local paper needs to work hard to keep their advertisers happy and help them get the most for their advertising dollar.

Things You'll Need

• Desire to succeed
• Good people skills

Instructions

1. Join the chamber of commerce. Start attending chamber meetings, volunteer to speak or give away subscriptions at those meetings. This will help draw attention to your publication and will give you a way to network for story ideas an adverting. Make up a coupon for chamber members.

2. Volunteer to speak at club meeting like your local Rotary, Lions etc. Many members are business owners or can connect you with the right people to hit up for advertising.
   Call local utility companies as many of them will be more than happy to support a local paper.

3. Cut deals for long-term advertising. Many companies, like car dealerships, will set an annual advertising budget controlled by long-term contracts with their major advertising outlets. The most effective use of an advertising salesperson's time is to land long-term advertising, since they keep the money rolling in throughout the year without repeat sales. Don't neglect those accounts by any means, but a long-term contract will free you up to go out and get more business.

4. Prioritize. Spend time on those businesses that are more likely to advertisers bigger and longer, but don't forget about the little guy. The little shops will keep you afloat. You might have to spend a lot of face time on small accounts, but that's just part of the local paper business and that face time will more than likely net you great stories.

5. Run specials often to get people in the paper and then find ways to maximize the ad. Make the ad work for the advertiser. Encourage coupons and color advertising; these two aspects have more of an impact on a reader.

6. Grease the wheels. If one of your advertisers becomes a grandfather, make sure you put it in the paper. Not only will that person like the attention, it's a good way to showcase the new addition while creating a positive relationship with your advertiser.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your paper positive. Let the large daily churn out negative news. Overall, keep yours upbeat to give your community something to look forward to reading. There will be times you will have to write about negative things happening in your community. During those times make sure you stay neutral and get both sides of the story -- every story.

• Don't let advertisers push you around when it comes to content. Do make a big deal out of their positives like a birth or a promotion, like you would anyone else, but don't let them dictate or control your paper or the paper will lose all credibility with the bulk of its readers.

References

• NewspaperAdSales.com: Driving Serious Newspaper Ad Sales In A Recession