Advertising in the local paper
- Thread starter UK Business Directory
- Start date
Who gets a local paper now? In my household we only buy 1 Sunday paper and that is to browse through at the breakfast table. Couple of years back and it would be 1 daily 6 days a week plus 2 on a Sunday. Plus the local rag weekly. So in answer to your question, we do not read small ads. Oh, when I get the Sunday paper, the first thing I do is to throw out the inserts straight to recycling. never even look at them!
Upvote
0
Our local paper is the only one I read regularly.
It has a free Midweek version and main version every Thursday.
We also get a monthly Advertiser (with a bit of news in) and local Parish magazine.
If I was a local trade type business they would be the 1st places I would look to advertise in.
They are also 1st place I look for local businesses (other than word of mouth).
Internet seems to be getting worse and worse with all the fake local businesses, lead generation sites and directories.
It has a free Midweek version and main version every Thursday.
We also get a monthly Advertiser (with a bit of news in) and local Parish magazine.
If I was a local trade type business they would be the 1st places I would look to advertise in.
They are also 1st place I look for local businesses (other than word of mouth).
Internet seems to be getting worse and worse with all the fake local businesses, lead generation sites and directories.
Upvote
0
Hi there.
I would say it depends on your target audience, demographics and product / service. Yes generally newspaper advertising has become less popular as most people (above) have advised.
However - I would imagine that certain age groups would be more interested in reading a paper - for example my mother quite likes reading the local paper with a cup of tea, and having recently moved to a quiet village in Somerset I can assure you that the traditional methods of advertising - newspapers, signs in shop windows etc are still important - no digital transformation here yet!
So ultimately - you know your audience and work towards what works best for them...
Regards, Oli
I would say it depends on your target audience, demographics and product / service. Yes generally newspaper advertising has become less popular as most people (above) have advised.
However - I would imagine that certain age groups would be more interested in reading a paper - for example my mother quite likes reading the local paper with a cup of tea, and having recently moved to a quiet village in Somerset I can assure you that the traditional methods of advertising - newspapers, signs in shop windows etc are still important - no digital transformation here yet!
So ultimately - you know your audience and work towards what works best for them...
Regards, Oli
Upvote
0
E
extulsftjz
When you say lots of small ads on the same page, I take it you mean the classified sections? I guess people expect to find small ads here and are happy to search to find what they need.
I remember happily looking through the tiny second hand car adverts years ago.
I think newspaper advertising does work, though it depends on the business and, perhaps, how often they advertise. One-offs might work for some industries but for others it's about getting their brand seen by lots of local people.
I've actually just launched a business which is an alternative to local newspaper / magazines and so I am also interested to hear different opinions on this.
I called around local businesses who use a local 'glossy magazine'. Some said it was good for them and others said it wasn't.
I remember happily looking through the tiny second hand car adverts years ago.
I think newspaper advertising does work, though it depends on the business and, perhaps, how often they advertise. One-offs might work for some industries but for others it's about getting their brand seen by lots of local people.
I've actually just launched a business which is an alternative to local newspaper / magazines and so I am also interested to hear different opinions on this.
I called around local businesses who use a local 'glossy magazine'. Some said it was good for them and others said it wasn't.
Upvote
0
I have a pal in the US that owns a large printing business. He has a group of re-sellers with their own businesses that sell advertising cards. 9" x 12". Full colour heavy glossy stock with a variety of ad slots. They call it combined advertising or something like that. They call business to business selling the slots. When sold he prints them and mails them to a targeted local area of 5000 to 10000 households.The cards are cleverly designed to draw in customers for the businesses and are self funding with good profits for the re-sellers too. Win win for all!
Upvote
0
We've tried it on and off and get such a mixed response - it's expensive but can be worth it. I'm not sure i want to do it again. We literally need just one person to see the advert and it could potentially make us thousands, but leads are few and far between. A better method we've found of getting your product in front of people is using eBay, the audience is massive as we all know. However, contrary to what everyone will tell you, you do not have to be the cheapest - sure that helps but i don't like working to low margins. If your landing page looks professional (we got our ebay store designed and implemented for £100ish), you keep the spelling mistakes to a minimum and offer a quick response to any queries customers might have then you can sell your product. eBay gives you a nationwide audience for a very small (or even free) cost..Find a way to make your product look unique. It's a strange one, we're sending bathrooms down to Cornwall from eBay leads but no one from our local area is coming in.
The guys at the newspaper are experts at selling you advertising space regardless of what your company ACTUALLY needs.
The guys at the newspaper are experts at selling you advertising space regardless of what your company ACTUALLY needs.
Upvote
0
T
The Byre
1. 'Nearest First' gives people the local listings.
2. I only look on eBay and/or Gumtree for most things
3. I have had over 200 private eBay transactions and not one bad experience. That's what the feedback scores are for.
Upvote
0
If you are looking to take out space in a newspaper or magazine - here with a couple of tips 
1. When you negotiate buying space and the newspaper won't move on price try to negotiate some extra editorial / advertorial instead. 2. 'Stand out' - How? By creating something that will clearly catch the eye of the reader amongst the noise of the page. Try using an existing newspaper and placing your idea amongst the ads. In my past marketing experience we produced a photoshoot and advert for a fencing firm - used some naked models barely covered by the fence posts (you can imagine) - we then left sending the advert to press until the very, very last minute so that editorial guys had no option than to run it... (it had stand out) 3. Create some kind of voucher code within your idea that the user enters back onto your website, or, create a dedicated URL which is printed on the advert (this will give you some performance tracking insights)
1. When you negotiate buying space and the newspaper won't move on price try to negotiate some extra editorial / advertorial instead. 2. 'Stand out' - How? By creating something that will clearly catch the eye of the reader amongst the noise of the page. Try using an existing newspaper and placing your idea amongst the ads. In my past marketing experience we produced a photoshoot and advert for a fencing firm - used some naked models barely covered by the fence posts (you can imagine) - we then left sending the advert to press until the very, very last minute so that editorial guys had no option than to run it... (it had stand out) 3. Create some kind of voucher code within your idea that the user enters back onto your website, or, create a dedicated URL which is printed on the advert (this will give you some performance tracking insights)
Upvote
0
'Flaws' ...The thread relates to buying ad space in a local paper. An 'Advert' as in advertising not PR / story. If they won't drop the price of the 'advert' ask the local newspaper to throw in some editorial. It's not a PR story piece in the first place. My advice which has worked for us and wasn't 'flawed' was to negotiate side editorial as part of the ad space buy (if they don't move on price). This can work for small businesses on a budget especially taking out their first ads in their local paper.
You refer to the Sun and the Express - the thread relates to a local newspaper, two very different beasts! My advice for any business if they are running 'paid adverts' is to go for impact and stand out in your local paper, negotaiate the best deal possible. Try to think about tracking the success of the advert, a good idea is a code or unique URL that's printed within the Advert. You can track your page impressions back on your website under that unique URL. This could also work with a dedicated phone number but can be costly for a small business.
Maybe your advice would be 'Don't spend your budget on a advert - ask a PR agency to produce a catchy story and submit to local editions to run' - a bit more constructive for them...
You refer to the Sun and the Express - the thread relates to a local newspaper, two very different beasts! My advice for any business if they are running 'paid adverts' is to go for impact and stand out in your local paper, negotaiate the best deal possible. Try to think about tracking the success of the advert, a good idea is a code or unique URL that's printed within the Advert. You can track your page impressions back on your website under that unique URL. This could also work with a dedicated phone number but can be costly for a small business.
Maybe your advice would be 'Don't spend your budget on a advert - ask a PR agency to produce a catchy story and submit to local editions to run' - a bit more constructive for them...
Upvote
0
T
The Byre
I spent 12 years in publishing and I ran a news agency, selling European trade news stories to the UK and US trade press, as well as to general outlets, such as News International and the broadcasters.
So here are some tips and guide lines for PR work and buying advertising -
1. Most of the guff coming out of a PR agency goes in the bin. The very fact that a 'story' is coming out of an agency, may tell the editorial staff that there is almost certainly no story worth running. Most journalists have a healthy dislike for PR agencies, so going to one only makes your life more difficult - and they will want to be paid for getting press coverage which you could have done better and more effectively yourself. That does not mean that they can't help you in other ways (see no.4).
2. You must have a real story. The fact that the MD or some other bod in a company is shouting for press coverage is of no interest to anyone - least of all the readers/viewers. The new engine design from Mazda has had the automotive press in wild excitement, simply because, unlike all the other idiotic non-stories that pour out of PR departments, it is a real technical breakthrough.
3. Talk directly, not via some PR person. PR people tend to not know anything about anything. If your company has developed a new widget, get the head of R&D to call the key journalists directly. The last person a journalist wants to talk to is someone who does not understand all the background required to flesh out a story.
4. If you are new to pitching stories with the press, get professional advice! Yes, by all means go to a PR agency for such help as wording and pitching a story and of course, knowing who to pitch that story to. You may not want an agency to talk for you, but they will know how to word a story, provide background information and good-quality images. They should have server space with images and suitably structured texts that make the journalist's life easier and generally show-cases your company and they will guide you in such knotty issues, such as who to talk to, what kind of material is suitable for which outlet and can act as mediator in such matters as arranging interviews, company visits and press events. A good PR agency will hold your hand throughout the creation and pitching of a story. A bad agency will immediately want to send out a hundred vapid press releases, with their name all over damn thing!
5. Editorial and advertising in any serious publication or other media is totally separate. In many media outlets, they are even different companies. Yes there are 'fluff-stuff' trade mags, but the readers are wise to those and realise that stories run there will be pushed up, as a result of ad-space having been bought. Getting a story into such a mag is not really worth much. Any proper journalist will throw your PR guff straight into the bin, if you suggest that a good story placement might be a pathway to buying more advertising.
6. Many print media outlets are desperate to sell advertising, so you can push as low as 20% of rate card in some cases. In today's market, 60% is about all you should be paying for a single ad. Big rebates are available when the ad sales dept. has booked space and finds it cannot sell it all. Of course, ads bought that way easily conflict with my next point!
7. A single one-off advert is completely and utterly useless. It's like trying to start a car with a torch battery - it ain't enough and is a waste of a torch battery! You have tell people the same thing about ten times, before they realise that they have been told anything at all. And that repetition has to be progressive, take the punter through a cycle from awareness to purchase (Awareness→ Interest→ Desire→ Action).
8. Most advertising is a big-boys-game! The media (esp. local radio and newspapers) is dominated by giant companies, many of which you have never heard of, like Viacom, News International, Gannett, Bauer, Bertelsmann and others. They sell huge blocks of networked advertising across all their various types of outlets (radio, print, TV, on-line) to advertising management companies, who in turn resell to agencies working for giant international companies, such as P&G, Unilever, Pepsi, etc. Small scale local or trade advertising campaigns are similar to sandwiches at a petrol station - a very useful additional source of income, but not central to what what these large companies really do.
9. A good press event can trigger stories across a variety of media. If for example, you are opening a new video studio, there is no point is just sending out PR telling the media that you have done so - nobody cares! Get a local popular band to record a music video live at your studio in front of the press and get your local MP to cut the ribbon and even work with him/her to tie it in with their party's new media and arts initiative. Show the press your new editing suite and give each one a DVD with that video - and for the TV stations, make sure it is in the right format! And if it's a new widget machine, show them how widgets are made from fresh widge, using your new, state-of-the-art Widgematic and give each one a widget to play with.
10. Repeated exposure keeps your company in the 'popular consciousness'. If you are a company with a high profile, you should be creating a good, meaty story about once a year. If you are small, low-profile operation, once every two to three years is about right. This means that you have to think about, plan and structure the next development and work out how that development can be of public interest. A good PR agency can help enormously in the planning and execution of your PR campaign.
11. Good PR is more effective than good advertising. People tend to believe and trust stories within the editorial content of the media more. They view advertising with healthy scepticism. If a manufacturer claims 60mpg for their car, the punter smiles sweetly and thinks "Yer, right - and I can levitate!" But if a journalist in a car mag writes that he or she managed to get 60mpg with careful driving, that statement is believed.
12. If a PR campaign gains traction, boost that message with advertising. If a respected journalist says the they got 60mpg out of your new car, repeat that statement - quote them! If a press event got local TV coverage, show pics of that event in your follow-up advertising to reinforce the message. It shows that you are proud of the coverage you got and that you are energetically out there, looking for trade!
So here are some tips and guide lines for PR work and buying advertising -
1. Most of the guff coming out of a PR agency goes in the bin. The very fact that a 'story' is coming out of an agency, may tell the editorial staff that there is almost certainly no story worth running. Most journalists have a healthy dislike for PR agencies, so going to one only makes your life more difficult - and they will want to be paid for getting press coverage which you could have done better and more effectively yourself. That does not mean that they can't help you in other ways (see no.4).
2. You must have a real story. The fact that the MD or some other bod in a company is shouting for press coverage is of no interest to anyone - least of all the readers/viewers. The new engine design from Mazda has had the automotive press in wild excitement, simply because, unlike all the other idiotic non-stories that pour out of PR departments, it is a real technical breakthrough.
3. Talk directly, not via some PR person. PR people tend to not know anything about anything. If your company has developed a new widget, get the head of R&D to call the key journalists directly. The last person a journalist wants to talk to is someone who does not understand all the background required to flesh out a story.
4. If you are new to pitching stories with the press, get professional advice! Yes, by all means go to a PR agency for such help as wording and pitching a story and of course, knowing who to pitch that story to. You may not want an agency to talk for you, but they will know how to word a story, provide background information and good-quality images. They should have server space with images and suitably structured texts that make the journalist's life easier and generally show-cases your company and they will guide you in such knotty issues, such as who to talk to, what kind of material is suitable for which outlet and can act as mediator in such matters as arranging interviews, company visits and press events. A good PR agency will hold your hand throughout the creation and pitching of a story. A bad agency will immediately want to send out a hundred vapid press releases, with their name all over damn thing!
5. Editorial and advertising in any serious publication or other media is totally separate. In many media outlets, they are even different companies. Yes there are 'fluff-stuff' trade mags, but the readers are wise to those and realise that stories run there will be pushed up, as a result of ad-space having been bought. Getting a story into such a mag is not really worth much. Any proper journalist will throw your PR guff straight into the bin, if you suggest that a good story placement might be a pathway to buying more advertising.
6. Many print media outlets are desperate to sell advertising, so you can push as low as 20% of rate card in some cases. In today's market, 60% is about all you should be paying for a single ad. Big rebates are available when the ad sales dept. has booked space and finds it cannot sell it all. Of course, ads bought that way easily conflict with my next point!
7. A single one-off advert is completely and utterly useless. It's like trying to start a car with a torch battery - it ain't enough and is a waste of a torch battery! You have tell people the same thing about ten times, before they realise that they have been told anything at all. And that repetition has to be progressive, take the punter through a cycle from awareness to purchase (Awareness→ Interest→ Desire→ Action).
8. Most advertising is a big-boys-game! The media (esp. local radio and newspapers) is dominated by giant companies, many of which you have never heard of, like Viacom, News International, Gannett, Bauer, Bertelsmann and others. They sell huge blocks of networked advertising across all their various types of outlets (radio, print, TV, on-line) to advertising management companies, who in turn resell to agencies working for giant international companies, such as P&G, Unilever, Pepsi, etc. Small scale local or trade advertising campaigns are similar to sandwiches at a petrol station - a very useful additional source of income, but not central to what what these large companies really do.
9. A good press event can trigger stories across a variety of media. If for example, you are opening a new video studio, there is no point is just sending out PR telling the media that you have done so - nobody cares! Get a local popular band to record a music video live at your studio in front of the press and get your local MP to cut the ribbon and even work with him/her to tie it in with their party's new media and arts initiative. Show the press your new editing suite and give each one a DVD with that video - and for the TV stations, make sure it is in the right format! And if it's a new widget machine, show them how widgets are made from fresh widge, using your new, state-of-the-art Widgematic and give each one a widget to play with.
10. Repeated exposure keeps your company in the 'popular consciousness'. If you are a company with a high profile, you should be creating a good, meaty story about once a year. If you are small, low-profile operation, once every two to three years is about right. This means that you have to think about, plan and structure the next development and work out how that development can be of public interest. A good PR agency can help enormously in the planning and execution of your PR campaign.
11. Good PR is more effective than good advertising. People tend to believe and trust stories within the editorial content of the media more. They view advertising with healthy scepticism. If a manufacturer claims 60mpg for their car, the punter smiles sweetly and thinks "Yer, right - and I can levitate!" But if a journalist in a car mag writes that he or she managed to get 60mpg with careful driving, that statement is believed.
12. If a PR campaign gains traction, boost that message with advertising. If a respected journalist says the they got 60mpg out of your new car, repeat that statement - quote them! If a press event got local TV coverage, show pics of that event in your follow-up advertising to reinforce the message. It shows that you are proud of the coverage you got and that you are energetically out there, looking for trade!
Upvote
0
Good feedback from The Byre there especially for those looking for larger campaign and spend insights.
The thread asked:
"Have you advertised your UK Business in the local paper and received good results/feedback? Our local paper offers advertising for a reasonable price, but do readers bother with lots of small ads on the same page."
If they are purely looking to advertise in their local paper and intend to do so, I would suggest standout. Pages in local papers are full of advert noise. Sounds like a small business without big budgets....
If we are giving advice 'off thread' I'd advise not to spend any money at all in local press or national press. Spend it on social. Use snapchat to reach thousands of eyeballs for 16-20 demographic, cheap as chips, use Facebook Live and Insta - think about Periscope for producing live content and building audiences with ease. Twitter to engage with local influencers - even if it is on a decline. But remember social isn't for selling....it is (eventually) but not without playing the game first...
Jab Jab Punch - a great read on social from Gary V - some of his ideas would translate into press ads in the same way 'perhaps'.....Smash social - my best advice
The thread asked:
"Have you advertised your UK Business in the local paper and received good results/feedback? Our local paper offers advertising for a reasonable price, but do readers bother with lots of small ads on the same page."
If they are purely looking to advertise in their local paper and intend to do so, I would suggest standout. Pages in local papers are full of advert noise. Sounds like a small business without big budgets....
If we are giving advice 'off thread' I'd advise not to spend any money at all in local press or national press. Spend it on social. Use snapchat to reach thousands of eyeballs for 16-20 demographic, cheap as chips, use Facebook Live and Insta - think about Periscope for producing live content and building audiences with ease. Twitter to engage with local influencers - even if it is on a decline. But remember social isn't for selling....it is (eventually) but not without playing the game first...
Jab Jab Punch - a great read on social from Gary V - some of his ideas would translate into press ads in the same way 'perhaps'.....Smash social - my best advice
Upvote
0
What are you selling or what is your service?
I think it depends who your target audience is.
For example, Are you a local toy shop? - Probably children and parents will not be reading the small ads and not much point even if its a tenner a week.
Or
Are you a gardener looking for local business? - Chances are a more elderly individual still reads the paper and would be one of the first places they go to to find an individual / company.
End of the day it about your ROI, If you do not have a website or an online listing i would suggest there first as you can reach more people with minimum outlay and ongoing expense.
If you are established and you are after local customers how is you social media? - Not interested in managing a page? for a similar amount per month you maybe able to find someone to run a page for you which will most likely find you more prospects.
I think it depends who your target audience is.
For example, Are you a local toy shop? - Probably children and parents will not be reading the small ads and not much point even if its a tenner a week.
Or
Are you a gardener looking for local business? - Chances are a more elderly individual still reads the paper and would be one of the first places they go to to find an individual / company.
End of the day it about your ROI, If you do not have a website or an online listing i would suggest there first as you can reach more people with minimum outlay and ongoing expense.
If you are established and you are after local customers how is you social media? - Not interested in managing a page? for a similar amount per month you maybe able to find someone to run a page for you which will most likely find you more prospects.
Upvote
0
Latest Articles
-
The Most Dangerous Moment in Business Is When Everything Is Going WellThey Saw It Coming. They Did Nothing. The Lessons Every Business Owner...- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
AI and Your Business: Useful Tool, Not a Magic WandThere is no shortage of noise around artificial intelligence right now...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
Companies House WebFiling security incident: what happened, what to check, and what to do nextCompanies House has confirmed that its WebFiling service suffered a...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
Spring Budget 2026: A Quiet Update for UK BusinessesChancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the UK’s Spring Statement on 3 March...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
Practical Ways to Make Your Small Business More Resilient (Especially When the Unexpected Happens)Running a business means juggling plenty of things you can plan for and...- UKBF Editor
- Updated:
