The document provides guidance for high school students to generate advertising revenue for their school newspaper by securing advertisers in the local community. It instructs students to make a list of local businesses they and their peers patronize, as well as current campus sponsors. With this target list, students are advised to conduct in-person interviews and phone calls to set up meetings to pitch advertising opportunities. The document outlines questions students should ask advertisers to learn their needs and customize advertising proposals. It emphasizes following up with advertisers on the success of their ads and securing future contracts to maintain the revenue stream.

1. Pacific Publishing Presentation
Growing Advertising in a Challenging
Marketplace
1-877-334-6397

2. Before you do anything
MEET and Brainstorm!
Who are your likely Advertisers and
do you have a complete list of them?
Make a list of who you use for hair cuts,
clothes, coffee, a quick meal, game stores,
who services your car, who’s your car
insurance with, where do YOU buy your
things period?
Who is currently sponsoring sports on campus, who has
signage in your stadium, baseball fields and on the
scoreboards and are they in the paper as advertisers?
Compare your list as a class then interview six people (each of you) in the hall and
use that collected information to make your target list for those advertisers you
know and have always had and for those you have now discovered through these
efforts. This is simple in-school market research you can use. LIMIT the hallway
interviews to No More Than Seven Questions!

3. Know About
What You Are Offering
You’re getting the advertiser on campus!
93% of high school students read their HS paper
Total number of teens in the U.S. 26.8 Million
Total U.S. teen spending (Products bought by and for teens) $258 Billion
Total annual teen income in the U.S. $91.1 Billion
Average annual income of a 12-14 year old $2,767
Average annual income of a 15-17 year old $4,923
A survey by Marketingvox, Rand Youth Poll, Seventeen Magazine
and Packaged Facts in July 2014 reveals some startling statistics
about teen money management. Above are highlights:

4. Faculty & Staff
Your assisting the advertiser in
TARGETING a very lucrative market of
Students, School Staff and Parents who
all have local dollars to spend
STUDENTS
Parents & Other
Family members

5. Setting up your Approach
Finding the money for your program is easy if you
follow the outlined steps to create your money tree
target list.
Meet and define your pre-contact list, in class
and in your interviews with fellow students on
campus before you start.
Note all sponsors of the
sports events that you know
of and are they in the paper
as advertisers?
Compile your completed list
with who is mentioned how
many times and for what. Use
this data for your approach and
share it with your potential
advertiser to gain acceptance.

6. Do I call or Just show up?
We believe that depends on the account type; and, if
you can easily get an appointment then get one. If
you can’t then make sure you do go beyond emails
and calls on larger more “sponsor” type advertisers
like car dealers, car service shops, and other by
calling on them in person but be prepared for the
fact that they might see you so have your materials
and know something about the advertiser where they
run now or what they sponsor on campus, etc.
The Telephone call
Identify yourself and where you are from and the purpose
for the call and ask to speak with the decision maker for
marketing and or advertising for the business.
REMEMBER…“You have an idea that may help their
business” or “represent a way for them to be more visible
to the community the paper represents.” Always… “Ask
for mutually convenient appointment” and ensure them
that you will be brief and to the point and hope that can
make time to explore the opportunity with you.

7. Prepare For the Meeting with the client or prospect
A…..Dress for your market but at least “business
casual” and know something about their business, using a
web site, Facebook, Twitter or local sources to know
more about them and the company.
B….Have what they did last year
(schedule and ad and what they spent) if they
did and have the ad redone a little different and
have a contract or space agreement for them to
sign for the new school year with you.

8. Interviewing your Advertiser
The Questions you will want to seek answers to before you start pitching any
prospect is where you fit in with THEIR NEEDS AND THOSE OF THE
BUSNIESS…
Who is their customer? Age, income, education etc…
Where do these clients come from in the area and what incents activity most
from their past practices? Coupon, Buy one get one…What has work best and
why?
Who are their competitors and how are you different?
Your Busy times and slow times? This allows an offer to focus on slow times to
grow business in that timeframe.
What is your advertising budget if any? Remember, your likely THE MOST
inexpensive option other than doing nothing!!
What current advertising you are doing? Take examples, can you improve them?
What has not worked as well and why?
Can you place papers at their business!.....this shows them movement!!

9. After your Meeting – The Return to close
From your notes and using the business logo and
contact information create a spec ad. Be creative
and use imagination what will catch students eyes,
staff attention and get ACTION. Will someone
come in off the ad or is meant to simply remind
people is that what the advertiser wants?!
Follow-up, Be persistent, your offering a great target
audience no one else is or can and at a great rate of
delivery in a product that gets read and passed
around.
Look at the interest the ad above gives
Take them from the sidewalk to
“on campus” and into staff and
student homes with your
student paper

10. It’s Raining Program Dollars
BUT DON’T FORGET!!!
When an ad runs make sure
advertisers see a copy of the
paper and get a copy of their
bill right away if you don’t
pre-collect.
Note, many papers offer
prepayment discounts like
20% off!
BUT DON’T FORGET!!!
Always follow up monthly
and see how the program/ad
is working, does it need to
be changed or updated in
any way?
If it is going well can you
set up future ads, like get a
commitment to your grad
special or next years
program then.

11. Always Remember…..
A. Remember to have the advertiser sign a placement contract and plan
for this year and hopefully your coming year in the current one.
B. When an ad runs make sure they see a copy of the paper and get a
copy of their bill right away if you don’t pre-collect. Note, many
papers seeking prepayment give a discount like 20%off!
C. Stay in contact with them find out how the plan is working and if
anything needs to change to make the plan more effective.
D. Stay positive and never give up on looking and adding to your client
list you will need to keep the account leads working all year long to
replace business that is lost from numerous reasons.
E. Share all advertisers success stories with all your advertisers so they
know what is working for other business partners that are running.

12. PROGRAMS TO TARGET…..
A. Sponsorships…Athletes of the month, Academic Leaders on Campus,
Sports Scores Highlights or Recaps, Teacher Profiles getting to know
the staff.
B. Business Services Page …focus on “driving instruction” providers,
insurance for auto, school saving programs with banks, auto service
providing discounts to students and staff, cell phone providers, hair,
nail and barber shops, WI-FI enabled study places….think of more!
C. What Special Pages are you doing or could you do more often to gain
advertising…BOOSTER pages for sports with business card sizes at
$25 each paper outing for all home and away games on the same page
as the sports, Homecoming editions with formal wear (get to them
early make sure you have a complete list and include your regular hair
and nail and beauty providers and get them PRE-SOLD for those
issues early.