How to make a newspaper profitable

A newspaper, like any commercial enterprise, must bring profit to its owner. Revenues in the publishing business consist of revenue for the sale of circulation and contracts concluded for advertising. Finding additional sources of financing is far from possible for all owners. It is necessary to spend money on the maintenance of the staff and printing of the publication regularly. To make a newspaper profitable, it is necessary to balance the revenue and expenditure parts of the editorial budget.

You will need

- staff.

Instruction manual

1

Track the change in the number of copies sold for a month and find out the percentage of write-offs. This is an important indicator of the profitability of the publication. Normally, it should not exceed 5-7%. If sellers return most of the print run, look for reasons for the newspaper’s unpopularity.

2

Analyze the composition and requests of the target audience of the publication. Imagine the reader of your newspaper: how old he is, what kind of education he has, in what professional sphere he works, whether he has a family and children, etc. Think that interesting and useful you can tell this person. For example, you position your newspaper as a city analytic weekly for entrepreneurs. This means that it is necessary to fill its pages mainly with local materials of political and economic subjects. Report federal events in terms of their importance to the region.

3

Work with the editor-in-chief to work out the newspaper’s development strategy for the next six months. Create a page thematic plan. Tighten the requirements for journalists. Materials should be relevant, reliable and easy to understand for a specific audience. A good complement to the main content will be a detailed program guide. Customers prefer newspapers that provide information on central, cable and satellite channels.

4

Having clarified the financial capabilities of the target audience, you will understand whether the price per room is too high. The printing cost includes printing costs (paper, printing), transportation (delivery of newspapers at points of sale), editorial expenses (remuneration of employees, office rent, etc.), as well as margins: yours for the seller and seller for buyers. Consider which link you can save on to reduce the cost of the newspaper to the reader.

5

Minimize printing costs will help reduce circulation. It is possible that outlets are now oversaturated with your newspaper. Reduce the number of copies to the real needs of the target audience. If necessary, the print run can be reprinted.

6

Develop an optimal route for delivering newspapers to retail outlets. Along the way, you will identify those places where the publication is sold extremely poorly. It is worth considering stopping cooperation with a kiosk in which only 2-3 copies are bought.

7

Review staffing. Do not save on the salaries of the chief editor, designer and leading advertising manager. These people must be highly skilled professionals. At first, a good editor will replace both the proofreader and a couple of journalists. The designer will make up the newspaper and create advertising modules. The manager will attract regular customers. Advertising agents can be transferred to piecework wages. Entrust some part of the articles to write to freelance students and students of the last years of the faculty of journalism.

8

Promote your newspaper. Strive to get to know about it, literally all the inhabitants of the region. Arrange for barter advertising with television and radio stations. Distribute part of the print run (for example, written off over the past week) at large retail outlets, institutions and organizations. Take part in city public events and hold your own competitions and promotions.

9

Offer advertisers new ways to collaborate. For each, create an individual advertising plan. For example, supplement image articles with coupons for discounts or modules with information on current prices. In the newspaper you can invest advertiser materials, etc.

10

Increase the share of circulation distributed by subscription. It is these instances that provide stable profits throughout the year. Offer subscribers preferential terms, for example, reducing the cost of the newspaper when issuing a receipt for a long time or when receiving the publication directly in the editorial office.

eleven

Stimulate reader loyalty. Organize feedback through SMS messages or through a column in the newspaper, where you will publish reviews and suggestions. Hold prize draws for faithful readers and reward them with valuable gifts.

Useful advice

Chat with print salespeople. These people know exactly who buys your newspaper and how it responds.

Newspaper and profit