National Newspaper Association
Protecting, Promoting and Enhancing Community Newspapers Since 1885
On the Record by Jay Dickerson
Jay Dickerson is the advertising manager of The Galena (Illinois) Gazette. jdickerson@galgazette.com
Bears, large dogs and community newspapers
It happened in February 2016. Somebody driving home saw what she was sure was a bear, meandering on a hill near the auto parts store. Bear sightings in northwestern Illinois are rare, so she called 911. What ...
Your newspaper and your schools: Your absence is someone else’s opportunity
What’s your relationship with the schools your paper covers? Could it use a check-up? A couple of years ago, we got a wake-up call. The new athletic director informed us that our paper didn’t ...
The evolution of the full-page promotion
Would you lower the cost of a full-page ad? We did. And it ended up making us more money.
Design 101: What goes on the page first?
There’s also the reality that if a page is ugly to look at, few people will even read the story ...
Your community, your spokesperson
Our newspaper has a president in our corner. We have for years. Ulysses S. Grant lived in Galena for roughly a year before the Civil War. He worked in the leather goods shop run by his two brothers, and ...
Creativity can lead to great results
Our local mini golf course wanted to promote its October glow-in-the-dark nights. All the features on the course are lit up by neon strips, making it a cool stop for families as nights in fall come sooner ...
Book sales at your office? Why not?!
The Gazette published a book almost 20 years ago that continues to sell today. Use your office as a place to sell your books and other media. You might be surprised by the results.
Words of advice for journalists
The experience you get in a small-town, community newspaper setting has staying power.
Become a storage warrior for your paper
If you’ve ever had to move your publication to a second location, you’re likely in the same spot we we’re in. You found boxes of timecards from the 1980s. You discovered notes from a ...
Sales advice from Dunder-Mifflin’s top salesperson
How realistic, though, was Dwight’s advice? He’s the Scranton branch’s top salesperson, so he must know something about sales, right? Here are some pieces of sales advice from the fictional ...
Reach customers with these Christmas ideas
When you build those relationships well, you’re able to better help your business partners communicate their messages. One of the most important messages: Merry Christmas. Here are some of the ...
Try some of these spec ad successes
It was the first time this particular advertiser had been in this section, so we needed a great ad.
Help your local businesses find their next superstars
When newspapers are at their best, they solve problems in a community. With the news that there is an employee shortage, your paper might be uniquely positioned to provide a solution for that problem, ...
Challenge the process at your paper
Our office is in the middle of spring cleaning. This gives us a chance to dig deep, see what needs to go and what should stay. It occurs to me that it’s not just the physical space of a newspaper’s ...
Five ideas your paper can use to make money right now
Your ad staff doesn’t have to be naive. In fact, there are events coming up that make sense for signature pages.
‘I’m planning on it’: Ad series promotes vaccines
At the Gazette, our publisher developed a series of ads that spell out the importance of vaccinations. I recommend your paper take this idea and make it your own.
Find the right mascot and put him to work
The right mascot can engage readers, make your business more personable and resonate with your audience.
Three ideas to rejuvenate your classifieds
Giving readers a reason to read your classifieds — and sometimes even moving content out of that section permanently — can engage readers in a new way, help generate readership and show your ...
With half the staff in quarantine, we still got out the news
The last week of September, one of our staffers felt sick but thought it was simply the same change in health that comes with the drop in temperature. COVID-19 slowly and stealthily moved through our office. ...
