The price for advertising in a newspaper is one of the major factors a business takes into consideration when it determines whether newspaper advertising is an effective marketing method. Ad type, such as its size and whether it is color or black and white, is a leading factor in price determination. What page the ad is on and whether it is on the left or right side also can affect the price for advertising in a newspaper. Newspapers typically have a different average number of readers each day of the week, so the day on which the ad runs also can help determine the price. Ads that are run for longer will typically come with discounts as incentives for the business to advertise more.
There are many different types of newspaper ads, including classified ads and display ads. Ads that are more detailed are generally more expensive. Size also factors into the price for advertising in a newspaper, with larger ads costing more, because they leave less room for other ads. If the ad is printed in color, it also will increase the price of advertising above that of running a strictly black-and-white ad.
Many newspapers are not a single unit, but are composed of different sections and pages that can be lifted out from the main newspaper. If the newspaper has a particularly popular section, then advertising in that section likely will cost more, especially if it is a features section or on the first few pages. For many newspapers, there is an additional charge for ads that appear on the right side, because readers tend to focus on the right side more than the left.
Newspaper readership varies by day. For example, most newspapers publish a larger paper on Sundays than on other days of the week, and more readers buy newspapers on this day. For this reason, advertisers typically can expect to pay more for Sunday advertising than for the same size and type of ad the rest of the week. Beyond Sunday, the second most expensive advertising day will fluctuate by newspaper, with some having popular Wednesday editions and others having a large Saturday following. The price for advertising in a newspaper typically is lower for Monday and Tuesday editions.
The length of the advertising contract also affects the price of advertising in a newspaper, because newspapers typically offer discounts for longer contracts. For example, if one business runs an ad for a month, and another runs the ad for 12 months, the second business will likely get a better discount. The newspaper is guaranteed advertising revenue for those 12 months, so it can afford to charge less and still profit from the deal.
