How do high school newspapers find advertisers?

Question

Hi,

I’m the Business Manager of the school newspaper for a high school in the San Fernando Valley in CA and I’m having trouble finding people willing to place ads in our newspaper. I would appreciate it if other people could give me pointers on what to do.
A lot of driving schools are willing to place inserts but not ads.

Is there any website were businesses can contact newspapers or something? Can people tell me how other schools find advertisers? I’ve already posted an ad on craiglist and am lost on what to do.

Thanks!

P.S. If you’re interested in advertising at my school or in helping me out with my problem you can contact me personally. And in case anyone needs to now, my school has several thousand students and prints 1200 copies an issue.

Answer 1

Just talk to local businesses, especially ones that teens are likely to spend money. You can probably just walk in and ask to speak to the owner or manager after telling them that it is for the school paper.

Answer 2

Run an ad in your paper for advertising. Have students drop the paper off at local businesses. Make sure that you say in your ad that you also reach a few thousand parents.

Answer 3

Talk to your local businesses. Offer coupons specials. Be prepared to do the artwork, if the businesses are tiny - they don't have the resourses. Most companies don't like to give up "money" as they are more willing to part with some of their products. Perhaps you can hold a silent auction event at a school dance. Auction the products at the dance, in exchange for an ad in your paper. I use to get tons of t-shirts and sweatshirts from local sports to auction off. Even tickets are easy to auction.

Answer 4

Here are a couple of ideas:

1. There have got to be people who go to your school who have parents that own businesses in town. Start by contacting them and asking the to buy an ad in the paper. Parents usually support the activities of their children's high schools

2. Contact businesses that cater to high school students and ask then to buy an ad (examples: pizza restaurants, teen clothing stores, movie theaters)

3. Contact your local movie theater and ask them to buy an ad with movie listings every edition

4. Contact the organizer of any festivals or events in your town...big ones like concerts and small ones like the arts and crafts fair and ask them to buy an ad advertising their events

5. Look in your town's local paper and look for local businesses that advertise in the town paper and contact them to buy an ad....a lot of times hometown business owners will support the high school paper

6. Contact other groups at your school that have done fundraisers (example: the band, cheerleaders, etc) and get a list of corporate sponsors and then contact those people to buy an ad since they have a history of supporting teh school

7. Get copies of your high school newspaper for the past 4 years. Go through them and make a list of everyone who ever bought an ad and then go back to those people to resell to them since they have a history of buying in the past

8. Contact your local politicians...the mayor, the state senator, etc etc and ask them to buy an ad and tell them the ad supports the local high school newspaper

9. Go to car lots. Car lots are almost always locally owned and those guys should buy ads from you....especially if you help them remember that high school kids turn 16 and get cars and they also graduate and often get cars for graduation

10. Go to your local fast food chain restaurants. Most of them love to give to the community. Sell it more as a way to support the school as well as an advertisement

Answer 5

The students solicit local businesses