Advertising newspaper is a business of small towns. newspaper advertising business plan

Almost every second would like to open his own business today. To work for yourself, to receive not only benefits, but also pleasure from your efforts - is this not the ultimate dream? Another question: "What kind of business will it be?" Newspaper as an object of entrepreneurial activity - is it a good idea?

Who needs it?

This question is often heard today. Indeed, all information has moved to the Internet, and radio and television are trying to replace all the media. It seems that no one reads the newspapers anymore. But here's the paradox - this source of information not only does not die, but is also gaining momentum. Every day, the collapse of periodicals is replenished with new titles.

This means that the newspaper is still needed, if not by the reader, then by the publisher, who is going to establish his own newspaper business. Either a journalist who considers himself capable of issuing own product, or an entrepreneur who is impressed by the idea of ​​becoming not an ordinary owner of a store or taxi company, but also a media mogul. And both have little idea how troublesome this business is - a newspaper.

Where to start

You need to start with the concept of the newspaper: what direction it will have - departmental, entertainment, socio-political or advertising, what audience it is intended for, what is the expected circulation. Having decided on these points, you need to send documents for registration to the regional branch of Rossvyazokhrankultura. If there are no complaints about the execution of documents, the content of the charter and the name of the publication, the license will be obtained within a month.

While waiting for a response from the RSOC, many problems can be solved: draw up a business plan for the newspaper, find and equip an editorial office, recruit staff, prepare materials for the first issue, study the conditions of all geographically accessible printing houses and choose the one with which it is better to work. By the way, a circulation of up to 999 copies is allowed to be released without registration, so a trial issue can be launched without problems, at the same time to study the demand and make advertising.

How to fill the newspaper

It's a matter of questions. Undertaking the publication of a newspaper, many make the same mistake. Even a professional journalist who thinks to write all the materials on his own will run out of steam very soon. And the entrepreneur naively believes that it is very easy to find and recruit talented newspapermen, in fact, there are very few good writers. Therefore, one of the most difficult moments is the selection of employees.

We have to say that most new newspapers do not live up to the age of one and are closed. main reason bankruptcy becomes the inability of publishers to determine their target audience and relevant topics. In order for a newspaper to arouse interest, it must work not for everyone, but for a certain category of readers - the intelligentsia, youth, the peasantry, housewives, and so on. It is much easier to decide on the content of the advertising publication.

Hope and Reality

Most newspapers are focused on advertising content. Moreover, inexperienced owners of printed publications and editors-in-chief are confident that advertising revenue will cover all costs, and even make a profit. Unfortunately, such bright hopes are rarely justified.

A newspaper as a business can generate income only if it is already well promoted, and advertisers line up in its office. But the newly-baked edition must go the difficult way from obscurity to fame and at the same time suffer losses, continuing to issue issue after issue only thanks to the stubbornness of the founders, their indestructible ambition, and maybe the availability of free money.

From the experience of those who swung at a glossy magazine, it is known that the very first issue can be successful - the curiosity of buyers will work, then an inevitable decline is coming, and the first 18 issues will have to be published at a loss. If you survive this period, then you can count on the rise. The situation is approximately the same with the newspaper, only the account here will go not on the number of issues, but on the time, and it is at least a year. During this period, many simply close down, but there are those who overcome the dangerous threshold, and then, in fact, the media business begins.

Newspaper advertising: how to do it

It is a mistake to think that anything can be put indiscriminately in a commercial newspaper. In this case, you can get a banal bulletin board. And for a full-fledged print publication, a meaningful and clear business plan for the newspaper is required, which will include:

• circulation;
• number of lanes;
• sections;
• thematic pages;
• prices for all types of advertising - banner and photo advertising, announcements, etc.;
• periodicity;
• printing and other expenses, including office maintenance and staff salaries.

Even such a broad area as advertising has its own priorities. And with great competition, several main topics will always be in demand: the sale and exchange of real estate, work, car sales. A separate newspaper has the right to exist for each direction. But you can place them in the same newspaper under separate headings - this will help attract the attention of buyers and promote your business.

A newspaper can be considered valid only when the advertisers do not need to be "promoted", but they themselves will cooperate with the publication. However, this is already out of the realm of fantasy: advertising agents of even the most serious publications are forced to work tirelessly on the phone.

In the field of mass media, newspapers are given one of the places of honor. Now print publications have been actively replaced by news sites.

However, there are still many people who prefer to hold the latest issue of their favorite newspaper in their hands.

That is why now you can observe the growth and prosperity of such publications. People who often read newspapers are usually considered in society as intellectuals who value useful information and own time.

It is the availability of up-to-date information that makes these publications successful. Compared to news sites, newspapers cannot afford to have a lot of unnecessary information due to limited space.

Independent business

So, if you are interested in how to create a newspaper, then you should consider this question. First you need to register your business. After that, think about suitable premises. If we talk about what is needed to open a newspaper, then only large areas should be considered. For a start, you can limit yourself three-room apartment, which will be easy to convert into an office.

The lowest budget newspaper will require at least three rooms. The appearance of the premises should be quite presentable, because over time, advertisers will come to the editorial office, as well as citizens who simply want to place an ad in the newspaper. Optimal location localization can be something that is located near a transport stop.

No staff anywhere

If you are seriously thinking about how to create a newspaper, you must understand that for its full functioning requires a considerable number of people. You will need one accountant to start with (but this number may well change as the cash flow increases), computer typists whose task will be to directly compose articles and announcements.

Can't do without professional designer. His responsibilities will include creating advertising layouts if the advertiser does not provide necessary material. Depending on the periodization with which the newspaper you are creating will come out, you will need at least one layout designer, that is, a person whose task is to create a newspaper layout. In addition, you need to hire two advertising agents.

Speaking about how to create a newspaper, it should be noted that employees do not have to be in the office all the time, as their main task is to make calls and arrange meetings with clients to publish advertisements in your publication. Naturally, the most important workers in this case will be journalists. Creating a weekly will require you to hire at least three professionals in this field.

Newspaper content

If we talk about how to create a newspaper, then it is worth noting that a regular publication in a small town, as a rule, comes out no more than twice a week. This allows journalists to prepare quality material for publication. Almost every newspaper can be conditionally divided into three parts: an information block, an announcement and a TV program. It is important to understand that the significance of a publication is determined by its content. If a reader purchases a newspaper once and does not find any interesting material in it, then he will not buy it again.

You need to prepare for the fact that the first time you will place ads in the newspaper for free, which will allow you to create her body. Until people find out that some publication exists, they will not submit ads to it.

If we talk about information pages, then most of the information can be obtained without any special efforts. Structures such as tax services, the police, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and others provide information completely free of charge, since it is beneficial for them that the newspaper talks about their activities. In most publications, information from various public services make up 60 percent of the content or more.

Branding

If you already have ideas for newspapers, then you should think about the name and logo of the future edition. It is these attributes that will take root in the minds of readers. If it is unsuccessful to choose a name, then this can simply ruin the newspaper, even if the materials in it are of very high quality. You should also think about the image of the publication. You can very quickly get a yellow press label from most people if you post low-quality or fictional material. Exceptionally high quality content can lead to success.

Concept

If you are thinking about how to create your own newspaper, then first you need to decide on the main idea and format. Studies have shown that currently 35% of readers prefer regional business publications. However, you should also take into account the real alignment of media forces in the city where you organize a business.

If we consider the question of how to publish a newspaper, then it is worth saying that, if necessary, it is possible to issue specialized publications on certain specific topics (finance, construction, etc.). If the reader's market is already overloaded with serious projects, then you can try to start publishing an entertainment format newspaper. Here it is important to remember about profitability, since a business publication can pay off in 7-12 months, and an entertainment one, quite possibly, will require three years for this.

The publication should be in demand among potential readers, as well as become attractive to advertisers. Successful competition and development require considerable financial investments, a lot of effort and time. All this will pay off only if you take the matter seriously. That is why it is important to create a newspaper advertising business plan.

The first steps

So, you have decided to create a business regional periodical. Managers and businessmen can become your main potential readers. It is required to determine the volume of publication, the circulation of issues and the frequency of publication, and then decide whether any supplements will be published, after which you can proceed to the design of the newspaper.

The print business is currently in decline. Any publication pays off on average in 5-7 years, and the publisher has to work practically at a loss, investing huge funds to promote the newspaper or

The lion's share of our society prefer to study online projects rather than read printed materials. Therefore, it is logical that many publishing houses are switching to the electronic form of their newspapers and magazines.

An online newspaper is an electronic version of periodicals that are published and developed on the Internet. Read such a newspaper directly online on its official website.

What are the benefits of running such a business?

Advantages of the online edition

All the advantages of an online newspaper can be divided into the following groups:

Own newspaper as a business idea - prospects, risks and pitfalls of business are discussed in this video:

Business plan for an online newspaper

The first step is to decide on the main theme of the publication and the audience for which the information will be calculated. It is worth carefully analyzing what type of publication will interest visitors to the resource.

You can write news articles yourself, or use the services of freelance journalists who work for a high-quality and interesting e-newspaper, you need exclusive content that will favorably emphasize the uniqueness of the site against the background of other news clones.

If freelancers have been found, you can safely create a staff that will work on a permanent basis. Be sure to discuss with them the terms of payment and requirements for the material.

It is also worth getting technical support, an experienced webmaster, a qualified designer, photographer and other specialists. They will significantly relieve your schedule, and freed up time can be spent on thinking about ways to develop the newspaper.

The next step is to decide on the frequency of publication. At first, one or two releases per month will be enough, provided that the news feed is updated regularly. During this time, you can identify and correct the mistakes made, and then increase the frequency of publication.

The main source of income for an online newspaper is the placement of advertising posts, banners and various affiliate programs on its site. You can also earn money by providing additional services.

These include:

• publication of paid advertisements;
• placement of a directory of commercial and government structures of the city and so on.

Online newspaper promotion

News aggregators are used to develop the resource and get additional traffic. This is a service that collects and structures news automatically. To do this, you need to register your newspaper on large aggregators on the network, on traffic exchangers. You can also search for sites that share traffic yourself.

How to promote an online newspaper and make it popular?

Another powerful way to popularize the e-newspaper is to promote in and social networks. How to create a group for the online newspaper VKontakte can be found

Now almost all serious electronic publications have their own Facebook and Twitter accounts. These two resources are considered the best in terms of increasing traffic and promoting the project.

Cost and return

Depending on how much work you do yourself, the starting capital of the project will depend. Option one: you yourself create, make up a newspaper, write articles or collaborate with freelancers - the starting capital will be a minimum of about 30-40 thousand rubles.

Option two: you hire a full-fledged staff, which includes designers, photographers, layout designers, journalists. In this case, you will have to spend:

• 20 thousand rubles for design;
• 25 thousand rubles for layout;
• writing articles 20 thousand rubles per issue;
• newspaper advertising 30 thousand rubles;
• payment for the services of a photographer 20 thousand rubles.

Also in the list of expenses, you can make the rent for the office, which may be needed if a full-fledged staff of employees works for the newspaper. Thus, about 20-30 thousand rubles should be added to the initial amount of costs.

The total amount of capital will be more than 100 thousand rubles. The amount of this amount depends on the number of pages, content, frequency and much more.

The profitability of the project also depends on many factors - the number of paid services provided, the number of subscribers, and so on. For example, if more than 1000 readers subscribed to an online newspaper, then you can count stable income in the amount of more than 90 thousand rubles a month.

Creating an online newspaper is a fairly profitable area. The secret of success in this case is a competent approach to and careful consideration of each item of this plan.

The topic should be in demand, the design should be interesting and attractive, the information should be updated regularly, and the use of the site should not be confusing and difficult for the reader. You need to take into account the interests of subscribers and constantly work on the development and promotion of your project.

How to work with an online newspaper can be found in the following video:

The question of how to open a newspaper is asked by many people - these are professional journalists and advertisers, entrepreneurs and public figures. Whatever category you belong to, keep in mind: although the organization of the publishing process itself is quite simple, further “pitfalls” begin that can pull down even the most brilliant idea. Moreover, you definitely won’t be able to “hook” one hundred percent of the target audience, as it could be ten or twenty years ago, because today some people do not read paper newspapers at all, preferring online publications.

Publishing your own newspaper: a short plan of action

According to Russian law, you can print any newspaper product with a circulation of up to 999 copies inclusive and distribute it without registration. But we will consider serious volumes, that is, from a thousand copies and more. You will need to do the following:

1. Study the target audience, agree with experts on the work on materials and start developing.
2. Contact the regional office of Rospechat and apply for registration of a new printed publication.
3. Prepare the first issue (or better, several at once), managing the process of creating and selecting materials in accordance with the structure of the newspaper. You can develop your own unique content, as well as use materials that are allowed for reprint (do not forget to indicate the author and source).
4. Finish editing and layout of materials to get a layout ready for printing. The layout of the first release can later be used as a template for subsequent releases.
5. Give materials to print and get a circulation on hand. At this point, you should already have a scheme for the implementation of the newspaper.
6. Distribute the circulation to the planned outlets in accordance with the conclusion of the relevant agreements.

It should be noted that the specifics of each item of the work strongly depends on the subject. For example, if you are thinking about how to open an advertising newspaper, then to collect material you will have to cooperate not with journalists, but with advertisers.

Possible difficulties

Most publications, with the exception of purely informational ones, create certain difficulties that will be faced already on initial stage. Consider the possible "pitfalls" in more detail.

Payback, demand and advertising

Practice shows that publishing your own newspaper without advertising is a non-profit and most often unprofitable business. Firstly, the circulation is almost never sold out entirely. Secondly, if we include the cost of each issue in its wholesale price before retail, then the final price will be too high, and no one will buy the newspaper. Advertising is the only way out, which is not difficult to guess by flipping through any newspaper: almost no one can do without advertising.

This means that you will need to negotiate with advertisers and maintain cooperation with them, while competing with other publications and tracking three processes at once:

• so that advertisers perceive your newspaper as good tool dissemination of information and were willing to pay you;
• so that there are not too many advertisements in the newspaper and that it does not lose its attractiveness for readers;
• so that the subject of advertising materials corresponds to the general theme and "hit" the target audience.

Should be worked out separately feedback and gathering statistics so you can prove to the advertiser that they are not wasting their money. If you are thinking about how to open a free newspaper (for whatever purpose), then you need advertising like air, because the alleged monetization of this or that information campaign is too random a process to be taken seriously. Without financial support in the form of payments from advertisers, the publication of a newspaper becomes unprofitable.

Information competition: way out of the vicious circle

The hardest thing is for a newspaper that has just appeared in the information field: advertisers do not consider it seriously, readers know little about it, and as a result, revenues are reduced to a minimum. The only way to overcome it is to launch your own advertising campaign to promote the newspaper and make it known.

For a newspaper to appeal to readers, it must be useful. If you want to occupy a solid niche in the information space, ensure that the material that is as unique and in demand as possible is generated. For example, think about how to open your own classifieds newspaper. This is far from what professional journalists usually represent under the publication of a newspaper, but it is really relevant for people.

But first you have to be puzzled by two other problems: the study of information trends (what is most interesting to people and what is the least "explored" by other publications) and the collection of information (for example, the organization of an electronic or telephone service for receiving announcements). This will allow you to create your own regularly updated database for printing a newspaper with ads.

Media in politics, economics and social activities

If you still want your publication to have a specific topic related to events that are relevant to people, be prepared for great difficulties:

1. You should enter this area only after drawing up a business plan, since the first few weeks or even months the project will require investments, almost certainly not making a profit. Make sure you can afford it.
2. Get ready to participate in "information wars" even if you don't want to. Remember that any slightly resonant material can cause someone's dissatisfaction, and it is difficult to predict in what form it will be expressed.
3. Make sure you always have fresh materials. To do this, you will need not only to register the media, but also to establish a legal entity with a permanent staff.

It is important to combine professional efforts with marketing calculations, since a thematic publication is a complex information and market product that must be in demand and sold at the same time. Remember that reader reactions are always only partially predictable, and the calculation error here is much higher than when selling "real" goods.

Use for personal interests

If your financial and personal capabilities allow you to invest in the mass distribution of any materials, then evaluate the feasibility of opening your own newspaper - primarily from the point of view of real efficiency, and not prestige. There are two more rational ways:

1. Pay for the placement of the materials you need in an existing publication.
2. If you really need it and if finances allow, buy an already existing edition.

Remember that prestige in the information space is short-lived, and finances must be managed wisely, even if your opportunities are really great.

Establishment of a legal entity and recruitment

Organization legal entity publishing a newspaper is not a very difficult task, especially if you have the support of a qualified lawyer who will tell you how to avoid bureaucratic delays. Use a simplified taxation scheme based on the difference between income and expenses - this way you will protect yourself from having to pay taxes on unprofitable print runs.

If you are thinking not about how to open a free classifieds newspaper, but about a full-fledged information publication, then you will need:

• Chief Accountant;
• editor;
• layout designer;
• journalists - from two or more;
• photographers;
• newspaper couriers.

If successful, you can expand the publication and add new headings - then new editors and journalists will be needed, especially if you are going to do reports and interviews. If your newspaper will contain promotional materials and announcements, then you will not need journalists, editors and photographers. In addition, the best step is to involve a professional manager on a full-time basis or on an outsourcing basis for marketing optimization of the project and development of materials.

Perspective and estimated payback

The cost of a copy when printing in a professional printing house can be an average of 5–10 rubles with a relatively small volume. The cost increases as the number of pages increases and decreases as the circulation increases. The average cost of a thousand copies of a newspaper will thus be from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.

Travel costs vary considerably, and the included staff salary costs are divided by the number of times the newspaper is printed per month. Statistically, a weekly newspaper includes from 15,000 rubles of additional expenses. Thus, the publication of one thousandth circulation per week will cost from 20,000 rubles.

The wholesale sale of a circulation at a price of 15–20 rubles will bring you, respectively, 15,000–20,000 rubles. To get a profit, you will either need to raise the selling price or contact advertisers. Publishing an average of one ad unit for every two pages will allow you to double your income and get from 15,000 rubles of net profit from each circulation, that is, from 60,000 rubles per month. Of course, these are only approximate calculations based on statistical data.

Thus, the publication of a newspaper can be recommended as a business only to those who are ready to work on the project, optimizing it from a marketing point of view and maintaining contact with advertisers. Otherwise, it will be possible to count on the maximum coverage of expenses by income with a zero, if not a minus. To create a successful media, a full-fledged study of the project is required - just the desire to publish a newspaper is clearly not enough.

Today in Russia, almost all people, even in the most remote corners of the country, have access to television and the Internet. However, paper media still has not lost its relevance and continues to be in demand among the majority of residents of cities and towns. The print media market is quite high level competition, this fact must be taken into account when deciding to open this type of business, carefully consider and choose the most successful format and concept for the future newspaper. Today, advertising publications are the most popular.

To avoid wasting money and committing rash actions, first of all, it is necessary, as in all other areas of activity, to carefully work out the business plan of the newspaper. When creating it, one should take into account the fact that dozens of printed publications are regularly closed in all regions of the country, without achieving success. Most often this happens due to an unsuccessful choice of concept. When developing a business plan, you need to carefully study the situation on the print media market and the level of competition in your region, identify the target audience, and, based on this, decide on the design, number of pages, circulation, distribution method and many other issues.

The production part of the business plan

The first step is to go through the procedure for registering a newspaper with Roskomnadzor.

All newspapers with a circulation of more than 1,000 copies are subject to mandatory registration. When submitting an application, you must specify the name of the newspaper, information about the founder, address of the editorial office, format, circulation and specifics, language, form of distribution, expected frequency and maximum volume, as well as information about whether the applicant is the owner, founder, editor-in-chief, publisher or distributor of other printed publications.

The next step is to find the right printer. It should be noted that there you will need a copy of the registration certificate of the newspaper, which can be obtained from Roskomnadzor. On the territory of Moscow today there are many printing houses that provide services at a variety of prices, the terms and quality of work differ, so this issue must be approached with all responsibility.

The editorial office can be located as in office building as well as on the first floor of a residential building. Its area must be at least 20 sq.m. The size of the premises mainly depends on the number of staff, the size of the starting capital and the personal considerations of the founder. The only requirement is access to telephone line and the Internet.

The standard set of equipment required in the editorial office - computers with the necessary software, telephones, for working with paid advertisements - a cash register and a safe.

Any editorial office of the newspaper needs such positions as the chief editor and his deputy, journalists, proofreader, layout designer, advertising, printing and distribution managers, secretary, accountant and advertising agents. Depending on the needs and scale of the publishing house, this list can be supplemented with other positions or reduced to a minimum size. But for successful activity, it is necessary that the staff, regardless of its size, consists of creative and creative people, so due attention should be paid to the selection of personnel.

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Financial part of the business plan

1. When registering an advertising newspaper, Roskomnadzor charges a state duty of 2,000 (advertising content up to 40%) or 10,000 (advertising content over 40%) if the newspaper and the products presented on its pages will be distributed on the territory of one particular subject Russian Federation, city, district or other locality, and 4,000 or 20,000, respectively, if the newspaper operates throughout Russia. A copy of the registration certificate costs 200 rubles.
2. Approximate prices for printing an 8-page edition of A-3 format with a circulation of 3000 copies in Moscow: black and white version - about 6500 rubles, full color - 11800 rubles.
3. The cost of equipping one workplace with all the necessary software will be approximately 30,000-40,000 rubles.
4. The salaries of employees vary depending on the region, the scale of the publishing house, and experience. In order to determine the level and form of remuneration for your future employees, it is necessary to analyze the above factors, find out the average salary level for a specific position in the region and draw conclusions. For the first time, in order to save on wages and equipment of workplaces, you can hire managers and journalists with a free schedule.
5. Advertising newspaper income consists of profit from sales of circulation and rental of advertising space.. The rate of return is often up to 100%. The payback period depends on the region and the format of the publication. So, business newspapers can pay off in 6 months, and some entertainment publications in only a few years.