Newspaper account representatives have always turned to special sections when regular page revenue is slow. And there is good reason why; it gives the paper a reason to market to new audiences that don’t use the paper.

Black Cow Press believes these sections are more important than ever. But beware; you must be careful that you don’t sell the sections so much that you forget to sell the actual newspaper. Here are some quick tips; please contact us if you need direction and ideas. Frankly, sometimes the idea and inspiration bank falls a bit flat, and you need help. In addition, while these ideas are general ones, you will need SPECIFICS for your individual market.

And remember. While special sections are NOT a loss leader, you can underprice a bit (though always offer a better deal to regular advertisers). Here’s why. Getting the advertiser to advertise JUST ONCE gets them back in your billing system.

• Regional promotions: Talk to the merchants on a street or district that needs store traffic and customers. It might be “Elm Street, Your Arts District.” You, the newspaper, essentially become the “revitalization” committee and bring everyone together. Offer two simple rates, one expensive size and one affordable one. Offer a free web page to help bring the customers together, and tell them that you will run 100 words about their business, if they get the copy to you. Remember, the web is cheap.
• Talk to your editorial staff: Your editorial staff is DESPERATE for additional pages and sections, as their edit hole has shrunk. As them if THEY have any ideas for special editorial sections. They will often have great ideas. Just don’t ask them to do your work, namely gathering the listings or copy.
• Thematic promotions: Themes always work. Consumers care little whether it is “National Car Repair WeeK” so stay away from junk like that. Instead, do a theme on hair salons, or art galleries, or repair shops, or antiques stores.
• More than once: When doing special sections, offer them a more-than one time rate. Or consider having a big promotion one week with larger ads, and then very small ads that run thereafter that would have only the business names. So if it is a Get Your Car Tuned! promotion, then a small tombstone ad with business names runs for weeks after with just the names of the businesses.
• Rescue old sections: Do you have a regular section that is falling flat? Reduce its frequency and redesign it as a one-off promotion. While at a daily paper, I took a crummy all advertorial real estate section and added some wire copy and turned it into a featured tabloid insert.
• Charity Case: Stay away from those smarmy “Don’t Drink and Drive Promotions” and anything that is negative. It won’t bring customers to your advertisers, and associates your retail store with something negative. Do consider doing a promotion with a local blood bank or Goodwill truck. The ad might be run by the charity, but the shopping center merchants pay to advertise that the truck will be there.
• Go back: Look at archives from 20 years ago to see what your newspaper was doing then in the way of successful special sections. Perhaps the nostalgia will help your retailer decide to try it again.

Email Chief Content Editor Garland Pollard for insight and quick ideas, or to bring him to your paper for a quick pep talk. Or call me at (703) 745-8602. Got a struggling daily paper? Be sure to read his 20 Ways to Save Your Daily Newspaper.