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Placing a Public Service Advertisement in Your Local Newspaper
The keys to successfully placing a public service advertisement (PSA)
in your local newspaper are advance planning and research. You will
be asking the newspaper to give you space for free or at a reduced
cost - space the paper usually sells to companies willing to pay
full price. Therefore, to place your ad, you must be willing to meet
the requirements of the newspaper and be flexible.
Consider these pointers to help you successfully navigate the
world of newspaper public service advertising.
What is and isn't a PSA
A PSA is a message promoting a "public service," or something for
which people won't pay a transactional fee. It is not a message to
buy a product or service, and it does not endorse a company's
product or service, even if it will help people become more fire
safe.
This is a public service message: "Create a minimum 30-foot
defensible space, it could save your home in the event of a
wildfire. Contact your local fire department at 555-6789 for more
information."
This is not a public service message: "Create a minimum 30-foot
defensible space, it could save your home in the event of a
wildfire. Ajax Landscaping has 50 years experience in fire safe
landscaping and can help you design your defensible space. Contact
Ajax at 555-3456 for more information."
Learn the Newspaper's Policy on PSAs
You probably have a great idea for a fire safety ad that you know
will really impact people. The question is, will your local
newspaper run the ad as a PSA? Contact the newspaper to learn:
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If they'll run PSAs
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Will they run the PSA free-of-charge, or do you have to pay a rate
for the ad? If you have to pay a fee, ask what you can do to
receive a reduced rate.
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Will the newspaper help you find a company to help sponsor the ad
if a fee is required to place the ad?
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What restrictions does the paper have for PSAs, including ad size,
font and photo requirements?
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Will the paper help you design the ad, or do they expect you to
submit a camera-ready version?
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How do they want the ad submitted, on computer disk or as an ad
slick? If you must supply the ad on disk, ask what program or file
type the paper accepts.
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How far in advance do you have to submit the PSA for placement in
the paper?
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How long will the PSA run?
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Can you run the same PSA at different times throughout the year,
or do you have to submit a new one?
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What type of results reporting will the paper provide in terms of
people reached and equivalent advertising value? This may be
something you have to figure out yourself using numbers provided
by the paper.
Who to Work With at the Newspaper
Forging strong bonds with your local newspaper can pay off in many
ways. Reporters you work with regularly will often contact you first
for information when a story breaks, or will be more willing to take
your phone call when you pitch a story. You should also get to know
the advertising sales manager. Involving this person in local Fire
Safe Council meetings or fire safety events in advance will vest
them in the need for community fire safety and make them more
approachable when you're ready to talk PSAs. Strike up a good
relationship early, before you need to ask them for help, and
chances are they'll be more responsive.
How to Get the Ad Made
If you don't have the photos, computers or other tools needed to
create an ad, search for those in the community who do. Fire Safe
Council members such as those who create newsletters often have the
resources and expertise to help create the ad. Consider placing
their logo on the ad as a "thank you" for their efforts.
If You Have to Buy Ad Space
Again, ask for help. Companies that stand to gain financially when
homeowners make their homes fire safe are the best to ask for help
buying ad space. For example, nurseries, landscape architects,
insurance companies, utilities, hardware stores and certified
arborists are among many in your community who can reap a benefit
from fire safe activity. Check your local Council roster for
possible partners and learn who will make the decision about whether
to help fund the ad. If it's someone other than the representative
who attends the meetings, ask if that representative will help you
"sell-in" the concept to the decision-maker, and what steps will be
required to obtain buy-off. Again, placing the organization's logo
on the ad is a great way to acknowledge their efforts publicly and
demonstrate their good corporate citizenship to the community.
Meet All Deadlines
Newspapers run on deadlines. Since you're the one asking for help,
it is critical that you meet all key dates. Missing a deadline could
prohibit your PSA from running and hinder any future efforts.
Ask Questions
Would you expect the advertising sales manager to fully understand
your job? Similarly, good ad sales managers won't expect you to be
advertising experts. Showing that you want to learn about how best
to meet their requirements and get your ad placed will usually
result in the ad sales manager telling you what you need to know and
more. Again, advance planning is key, so contact them long before
you want to place an ad and learn about their requirements.
Good luck, and Be Fire Safe!
Following are three print PSA concepts for you to
submit to your local media, or to duplicate and distribute as
handouts in your communities throughout fire season.
The "customizable" PSAs are formatted in QuarkXpress and will
allow you or your local media to insert your council's logo and
contact information. Additional files include components of the PSAs,
to simply modify or produce any one of three concepts. The PSAs'
fonts, photos and layout can be opened using Adobe Photoshop, and
are included so councils or local media have the option to change
the size of the PSAs to a different size if desired. You will also
find PDF files of the PSAs, which can be opened using Acrobat Reader
software. These files are the original layouts of the PSAs and can
be used for reference purposes.
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