What ad slots should a local newsletter sell?

Most local newsletters don't need a complicated ad menu. Here's exactly what I run.

"I think you should have it as far as primary, secondary, 'Brought to you by' at the top, and then potentially featured event, featured job. That's just what I do."

What's on my standard ad menu?

1. Primary newsletter ad. Near the top, longer copy, with a GIF of several photos.
2. Secondary ad. About 75% of the way down, less text, one photo.
3. "Brought to you by" logo. At the very top. Sold alone, or thrown in with the primary.
4. Featured event in the newsletter.
5. Featured job in the newsletter.
6. Website featured event and featured job.
7. Website banner ads.
8. Paid stories and expert editorials, clearly labeled sponsored.
9. Social posts.

Where should the ad link for advertisers go?

At the top of every issue. I found inconsistent, missing and broken "Advertise Here" links across my own newsletters and made fixing them a priority. If a business owner wants to buy, the path has to be obvious.

How many slots do I actually need at the start?

Fewer than you think. When we planned the ad system in lightbreak, I wanted the menu editable for every operator, with starter templates:

• Just a primary ad
• Primary plus secondary
• The full standard menu
• Blank, build your own

A brand-new newsletter can run primary plus secondary and nothing else. Add slots when you have buyers for them.

Which slot is the most underrated?

The featured event. I run one at the very top of the newsletter, big. I know it works because it gets tons of clicks. I haven't put the effort into selling it to venues, even though I think I could and should. That's money sitting on the table. More in how to monetize an events calendar.

What other sections can I sell?

• A restaurant deals section. The plan I described: $1,000 a year per restaurant, one deal a month, room for about 20 restaurants. That caps out around $20,000 a year for one section.
• A real estate section. Readers get used to a section that's always there and always the same, like the real estate pages in an old newspaper.
• A classified section at the bottom. I run mine free for now, so it can convert to paid later without changing anything for readers. See whether to run free ads.

Should ads stay in the same place every issue?

Yes. Put them in the same spot every issue so the slot becomes a fixture. Readers stop noticing it as an interruption and start reading it as part of the newsletter. That's what you want, for you and for the advertiser.