The new technology that allows short-run newspapers to be cheaper than a newsletter, offering more content space in a more professional format, also allows the opportunity to sell advertising in a way other short-run print products don’t offer.

When people hear “newspaper,” they automatically are okay with the norm of advertising inside of it. Newsletters aren’t received this way, the perception of a newsletter is entirely different. That’s why newspapers are proliferating nationwide as the “new” newsletter.

Short-run newspapers can not only pay for themselves, but give profits to many of the organizations, churches, non-profits, businesses and individuals who are publishing their own “niche” newspaper. Many people are calling these “theme” newspapers, the kind that will replace the dying daily and weekly newspapers across the country.

As you go out to sell ads in your short-run newspaper, remember, you are not a daily conglomerate trying to bring in millions of dollars of advertising to cover your incredible cost, and to make the exorbitant profit that these companies have come to count on (which, as you know, has changed drastically over the last few years, partly because of the internet, partly because corporate newspapers really stopped catering to the local community). You are a niche newspaper, catering to people already interested in what you have to offer in a specified field.

Take a Hair Salon as an example, which has decided to call their newspaper, “MidTown’s Hair & Beauty”; let’s say you are printing 5,000 newspapers to distribute to friendly merchants and to hand out to your customers. Who do ask for advertising? Most people complicate this or worry about it. You don’t need to. Your cost is very low, so even as a starting point, you don’t need a lot of revenue just to break even. Consider this:

You decide to print 5,000 newspapers.

You decide whether this is something you will do weekly, monthly, quarterly or whatever, so long as you have a rough idea as to what to tell your advertisers. Let’s say we decide on 5,000 newspapers every quarter, or every three months. This is what you tell your advertisers you are offering.

If you sell your ads for $50.00, you are offering advertising for only $0.01 cents for every paper! If you sell your ads for $100.00 that is only $0.02 cents for every paper! Tell your potential advertisers how many newspapers you are printing, what content the paper will include, and how often you will print the newspaper. Most people have $100.00, or even more, to spend on advertising, especially if it’s in a market that may cater to their own business! 5,000 newspapers is a lot of newspapers! It has value.

Here’s an example of people you might approach:

Your newspaper is a hair salon newspaper. The first people you ask for advertising are people you know, friends, family, neighboring businesses. Most people can be very supportive in these kinds of endeavors. Especially if they already know and like you. The next types of people you approach are businesses that echo and are similar to yours without competing with you! You are a hair salon, trying to help your client feel better about their appearance. Perhaps your readers might be also interested in tanning salons? Nails? Clothing? Shoes? Fitness? Diet? Cosmetic surgery? Whatever type of newspaper you are printing, sit down and figure out what types of businesses could benefit from your newspaper and customers, and ask!

Remember, you are not only trying to be creative and unique and help your own business, you are also genuinely trying to help your friends, neighbors, and businesses as well! You are doing so by offering a captured market (your own customers and potential customers), and also in an incredibly affordable way. This fosters good feelings, good business relationships, and a healthy environment for everyone involved. Your customers will love it!