Print is still a popular option at student media organizations around the country. Here’s what you need to know.
While a regular print product isn’t a fit for everyone anymore, print isn’t dead. In fact, it is one of our “Core 5” products and can still be an effective component of a surround sound campaign.
Even if a regular print product isn’t feasible for your organization, there are many ways to integrate print media into your strategy for reaching students and bringing in revenue.
We think of print as a daily, weekly or monthly newspaper — but in fact, print products in student media can take many forms. Print products are any tangible, physical item that contains your news and information, is printed on paper and is distributed to readers.
This could look like:
There has been a resurgence of print material popularity in recent years, with many people seeking a more purposeful way of interacting with information that is less reliant on algorithms and screen times. It’s not the same way readers interacted with print 20 years ago, but people are still picking up print editions.
Print is also incredibly important for brand awareness — both your student media organization’s brand awareness and for brands that are advertising in this medium. Seeing your student media organization’s name, masthead and newsracks as they go about their day cements your organization in a college student’s understanding of their campus community.
We’d be lying if we didn’t say getting started with print has a few more obstacles to clear than some of our other “Core 5” products. You’ll need to have a relationship with a printer, and print can be expensive to get started as well.
If you’re already producing a regular print product, you’ve already cleared a lot of the obstacles.
If you aren’t already producing a print product… here are some questions you’ll need answers to:
Most print ads come in modular sizes — a full page ad, of course, takes up a full page, while a half-page ad takes up — you guessed it — half a page of your newspaper. Some organizations offer all the way to a ⅙ or ⅛ page ad, while some limit the print ad options to make it easy to understand.
At a minimum, we recommend offering full pages, ½ pages and ¼ pages, as well as a front page banner.
The dimensions should be based on the dimensions of your particular print product.
While the value of print has evolved over the years, print still comprises over 20% of all revenue Flytedesk sends to student media organizations.
You should use this formula to price a regular full-page ad:
Circulation x 3.1 / 1000 x 75 = the rate you should charge
Divide this number in half for a ½-page rate, and again for a ¼-page rate. For a premium full-page ad, like a back-page ad, you can add 10% to the price of a regular full-page ad.
Note: This is a recommended average across all student media. You may need to adjust these prices up or down based on local market conditions, or if your campus is unique (like if you’re representing a ‘name brand’ campus, or a particularly affluent student body).
A note about color: Color costs should be included in all ads. Black and white ads simply don’t see the same results and can drag down the visual appeal of a page. For national brands, Flytedesk no longer offers black-and-white advertising.
Print advertising isn’t the right fit for every local client, and that’s OK. We consider print a valuable resource for brand awareness.
Stress the shelf life. Unlike digital ads that disappear after a few moments of scrolling, print ads have staying power. Students often keep issues as reference materials or mementos, giving your client extended visibility that digital simply can't match.
Know exactly who you’re reaching. Student readership represents tomorrow's professionals and community leaders — people who will be making purchasing decisions for years to come. These aren't random clicks from across the internet; these are engaged local readers who live, work, and shop in your client’s immediate area.
No distraction or clutter. Print ads are guaranteed to be seen. There's no "skip ad" button, no competing pop-ups, and no risk of your message being filtered out by changing platform policies. A client’s investment delivers consistent, unfiltered access to your entire readership.
Interested in adding print advertising to your local and national media kit? We’re here to help.
Reach out to Flytedesk your account manager today if we can help you get started.
We’re here to help with whatever you need, from navigating our resource hub to unlocking more training and support for your student media organization. Reach out to us via email, or set up a 1:1 coaching session.
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