The question of how to open a newspaper is asked by many people - 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, then “pitfalls” begin that can drag down even the most ingenious idea. Moreover, you definitely won’t be able to “hook” one hundred percent of the target audience, as it could have been 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 action plan
According to Russian legislation, any newspaper product with a circulation of up to 999 copies inclusive can be printed and distributed without registration. But we will consider serious volumes, that is, from a thousand copies and above. You will need to do the following:
- Study the target audience, agree with specialists to work on materials and start working on it.
- Contact the regional representative office of Rospechat and submit an application to register a new printed publication.
- Prepare the first issue (or better yet, 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 permitted for republication (do not forget to indicate the author and source).
- Complete editing and layout of materials to obtain a layout ready for printing. The layout of the first release can later be used as a template for subsequent releases.
- Submit materials for printing and receive copies in hand. By this point, you should already have thought out a plan for selling the newspaper.
- Distribute the circulation to planned retail outlets in accordance, while concluding appropriate agreements.
It should be noted that the specifics of each item of work greatly depend on the topic. 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.
No plan - no problem
In your brain you are already rich and successful, but in reality you are still not very much? Don't rush to panic. Perhaps the problem is that you are hatching a plan in your head, which is slowing down the whole process, get it out of there to hell! Who needs a plan anyway? Has everyone forgotten that genius rules over chaos? Dominate, just close your eyes and tell yourself “I WANT A SUCCESSFUL EDITION, RIGHT NOW, SO THAT IT STANDS HERE!”, and open your eyes, and if a huge office has not grown up in front of you, then it’s time to move on to the second lesson.
https://youtu.be/1QYCEbOOP_w
Possible difficulties
Most publications, with the exception of purely informational ones, create certain difficulties that must be encountered at the initial stage. Let's take a closer look at the possible pitfalls.
Payback, demand and advertising
Practice shows that publishing your own newspaper without advertising is a non-profitable and most often unprofitable business. Firstly, the circulation is almost never sold out entirely. Secondly, if you include the cost of each issue in its wholesale price even before retail sale, then the final price will be too high, and no one will buy the newspaper. Advertising is the only way out, as you can easily 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 monitoring three processes at once:
- so that advertisers perceive your newspaper as a good tool for disseminating information and are willing to pay you;
- so that there is not too much advertising in the newspaper and so that it does not lose its attractiveness for readers;
- so that the theme of advertising materials corresponds to the general theme and “hits” the target audience.
Separately, you should work on feedback and collecting statistics so that you can prove to the advertiser that he is not wasting his money. If you are thinking about how to open a free newspaper (no matter for what purpose), then you need advertising like air, since the intended monetization of a particular information campaign is too random a process to consider it seriously. Without financial support in the form of payments from advertisers, newspaper publication becomes unprofitable.
Information competition: breaking 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 this is to launch your own advertising campaign to promote the newspaper and get the word out about it.
For readers to like a newspaper, it must be useful. If you want to occupy a strong niche in the information space, ensure that you generate as unique and in-demand material as possible. For example, think about how to open your own classified ad newspaper. This is far from what professional journalists usually imagine when publishing a newspaper, but it is really relevant for people.
But first you will have to deal with two other problems: studying information trends (what is most interesting to people and what is least “explored” by other publications) and collecting information (for example, organizing an electronic or telephone service for accepting advertisements). This will allow you to create your own regularly updated database for printing newspapers with advertisements.
Media in politics, economics and social activities
If you still want your publication to have a specific topic related to current events for people, be prepared for great difficulties:
- You should enter into this area only after drawing up a business plan, since the first few weeks or even months of the project will require investments, almost certainly not bringing profit. Make sure you can afford it.
- Get ready to participate in “information wars”, even if you don’t want to. Remember that any material that has the slightest resonance can cause someone's dissatisfaction, and it is difficult to predict in what form it will be expressed.
- 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 simultaneously be in demand and sellable. Remember that the reaction of readers is always only partially predictable, and the error of calculations 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, not prestige. There are two more rational ways:
- Pay an existing publication for the placement of the materials you need.
- If you really need it and if finances allow, buy an existing edition.
Remember that prestige in the information space is short-lived, and finances need to be managed wisely, even if your capabilities are truly great.
How to fill out a newspaper
It's a question of questions. When starting to publish a newspaper, many people make the same mistake. Even a professional journalist who thinks of writing all the materials on his own will very soon become exhausted. And the entrepreneur naively believes that it is very easy to find and recruit talented newspaper writers; in fact, there are very few who write well. And therefore one of the most difficult moments is the selection of employees.
It must also be said that most new newspapers do not survive to the age of one year and are closed. The main reason for bankruptcy is the inability of publishers to determine their target audience and relevant topics. For a newspaper to arouse interest, it must work not for everyone, but for a certain category of readers - the intelligentsia, youth, peasants, housewives, and so on. It is much easier to decide on the content of an advertising publication.
Establishment of a legal entity and personnel selection
Organizing a legal entity to publish a newspaper is not very difficult, especially if you have the support of a qualified lawyer who can tell you how to avoid bureaucratic delays. Use a simplified taxation scheme based on the difference between income and expenses - this will protect you from having to pay taxes on unprofitable circulations.
If you are not thinking about how to open a newspaper of free advertisements, but about a full-fledged information publication, then you will need:
- Chief Accountant;
- editor;
- layout designer;
- journalists - two or more;
- photographers;
- couriers for newspaper distribution.
If successful, you can expand the publication and add new sections - then new editors and journalists will be needed, especially if you plan to do reports and interviews. If your newspaper contains advertising materials and announcements, then you will not need journalists, editors and photographers. In addition, the best step is to hire a professional manager on a regular basis or on an outsourcing basis for marketing optimization of the project and development of materials.
Opening of the editorial office of the printed publication. Where should you start?
The success of the business you are starting is largely influenced by the correct choice of the topic of the future printed publication.
Keep in mind that today advertising and information newspapers and advertisement newspapers are in great demand, but publications with a socio-political orientation are of much less interest.
To open a newspaper editorial office, you must:
- decide on the topic and audience;
- choose the appropriate format;
- choose a characteristic title that can maximally interest and intrigue future readers;
- decide in what language your newspaper will be published (or it will be bilingual);
- register your private publication with government agencies.
Prospects and estimated payback
The cost of a copy when printed in a professional printing house can average 5–10 rubles for 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 range from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.
Transportation costs vary widely, and the included salary costs for full-time employees are divided by the number of newspaper publications per month. Statistically, a weekly newspaper includes from 15,000 rubles in additional expenses. Thus, it will cost from 20,000 rubles to publish one thousand copies per week.
Wholesale sales of an edition at a price of 15–20 rubles will bring you, respectively, 15,000–20,000 rubles. To gain profit, you will need to either increase the selling price or contact advertisers. Publishing an average of one advertising unit for every two pages will allow you to double your income and receive 15,000 rubles in net profit from each circulation, that is, 60,000 rubles per month. Of course, these are only approximate calculations based on statistical data.
Thus, publishing 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, you can expect the maximum to cover expenses with income, reaching zero, if not minus. To create a successful media outlet, a full-fledged development of the project is required - just the desire to publish a newspaper is clearly not enough.
Newspaper advertising: how to make it
It is a mistake to think that you can indiscriminately put anything you can into a commercial newspaper. In this case, you can get a banal bulletin board. And for a full-fledged printed publication, a meaningful and clear business plan for the newspaper is required, which will describe:
- 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 employee salaries.
Even such a broad area as advertising has its own priorities. And with great competition, several main topics will always be in demand: sale and exchange of real estate, work, car sales. Each direction has the right to have a separate newspaper. But you can also place them in one newspaper under separate headings - this will help attract the attention of buyers and promote your business.
A newspaper can be considered successful only when advertisers do not need to be “promoted”, and they themselves cooperate with the publication. However, this is already in the realm of fantasy: advertising agents of even the most serious publications are forced to work without putting down their phones.
Choosing a printing house
An entrepreneur should enter into an agreement with a printing house to print publications in the chosen format and quantity.
You should choose a printing house based on the following criteria:
- Prices for services – you should not enter into an agreement with the most expensive company.
- Printing house experience.
- Recommendations.
- Print quality is a very important point that you should pay maximum attention to.
- Additional services offered by the printing house.
Pay attention to the companies that your competitors use, and choose the most suitable one from this list.
Competition analysis and possible risks
Competition in the advertising field has always been and remains great. In the field of print media, it is observed both in periodicals and in specialized products promoting partners and sponsors.
A business plan for publishing a newspaper must contain an analysis of the competitors’ market; it can be carried out as follows:
- Determine the number of advertising publications that are distributed in the selected region.
- Divide competitors by the subject of their publications (construction, repair, electronics, private advertisements and complex newspapers).
- Assess the level of demand for each category.
- Choose the most popular topic.
- Choose a distribution method - by mail or delivery by hired employees.
- Decide on the frequency of publication (usually 1 or 2 times a week) and the format (brochure, newspaper, magazine).
After such an analysis, it will become clear which products are in maximum demand, the reasons for such demand and ways to achieve it. All the key points, disadvantages and advantages of competitors should be used when starting your own business.
No business exists without risks. Printed products contain the following dangers:
- Lack of demand for the services offered.
- Business expenses exceed profits earned.
- Long payback period for business.
- Possibility of opening an unprofitable enterprise.
To minimize risks, you need to think through a marketing campaign in advance, make a reserve stock of funds, and conduct a market analysis.
Advertising publications are relevant only in cities with medium and high populations; in small towns and villages, an advertising newspaper will not generate income, since there is simply no demand for such a service.
Selecting premises and purchasing equipment
It is important to understand the differences between a printing house and a newspaper editorial office. An entrepreneur does not need to open his own printing house if he can use the services of third-party campaigns.
An editorial office is an office space, the size depends on the number of staff hired. The main requirements for the premises are:
- Location on the first floor, maximum on the second, to ensure convenient delivery of products from the printing house.
- Availability of all communications, most importantly – telephone line and Internet.
- A place to arrange a utility room for storing products.
- Area – from 25-35 square meters.
The equipment that needs to be purchased includes office equipment and furniture - telephone, computer, fax, necessary furniture.
