Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Need Help Attracting Advertisers-localmag Startup

Posted by Anonymous on 7/24/2012 at 12:05 PM ET 125 Points
Have spent 5 years working in the Central Florida market selling ads in community newspapers. See a niche for hyper-local magazines. Any suggestions on initial ad sales. Having a sample issue printed (4 page with rate sheet), considering trade and advertorials.

Any other suggestions? Thanks

Mike Cox
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 7/25/2012 at 1:42 PM Member
    What kind of suggestions on initial ad sales are you looking for? With five years behind you in this area, might not you be the best judge of what initial sales might be?

    What is your magazine about? Who's your idea reader? What things, goods, services, or products does this kind of reader enjoy, need, appreciate, and buy?

    How often will your magazine appear? What bulk insertion offers will you provide? What ad sizes will you offer? Will the magazine be in black and white or color? Will you accept art as is from vendors or will you have your art department spec out all ads and add this fee on to the cost of the insertion?

    How many pages of ads will you need to run across your total print runs to break even and make a profit? How will you reinvest any profit?

    Will the magazine be free or will it be a paid publication? If it's a paid publication, will you offer subscription discounts? If it's a newsstand publication, how will you distribute it and within which ZIP codes? If it's free, again, how will you distribute it? Will it be delivered as a free piece or will it be a pick up at local stores?

    If it's going to sit on store counter tops, how will you entice people to pick it up? How will you fill the magazine with editorial? What will you write about?

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 7/26/2012 at 1:18 AM Accepted
    I had similar thoughts to Gary - if you have been selling ads for a similar magazine, shouldn't you be able to do the same sales process for this new mag? The market may be a little different, but the sale process, target advertisers, why they'd want to advertise, etc. the same.

    Being new, you need to do your best to show the potential advertisers what the magazine will be like, who it will be reaching, how they get it (mail, subscribe, pick up, etc.), etc. The 4 pager you mention sounds like a start for this.

    Don't forget to read through some of the prior questions on this site, such as:
    https://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=36913
    https://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=9199
  • Posted on 7/26/2012 at 9:43 AM Author
    Thanks Peter & Gary,
    The magazine is geo-focused on a particular hyper-local area,ie interesting people, local happenings, etc. The format has been successful in other areas of the metro. It will be distributed via direct mail (free) and available at high traffic area businesses and at sponsor locations. It will be a glossy, 70lb pub with page count dictated by advertisers. Local advertisers seem apprehensive committing to any kind of advertising. Most don't understand it. Was just seeing if someone had some new idea that had escaped me. Thanks. Mike
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