In 2024, the average newspaper ad cost for a one-inch column, black-and-white print ad is $756.40. Meanwhile, an ad in an online publication can cost between 3 cents and $5 per click. However, the average cost of newspaper ads depends on factors like location, the size of your ad, and how long your campaign will run. They also depend on the newspaper’s audience and whether you place them in a print or digital publication.
If you’re looking for new ways to expand your local audience but don’t know where to start, we’ve broken down the newspaper advertisement costs in 2024 and the factors affecting them. Already printing ads? Skip to the end for tips on maximizing your newspaper ad spend.
Newspaper Advertisement Costs (Print & Digital)
Newspaper ad rates vary greatly for print and digital newspapers because it’s a different ecosystem. Print newspapers follow the traditional ad pricing scheme where you pay a set price for your ad at the beginning of your campaign depending on the size of your ad and how long it’ll run. Meanwhile, ads in online publications, like other forms of digital advertising, operate on a pay-per-click basis where you only pay for each click your ad gets.
Newspaper Ad Cost for Print Publications
As mentioned, the average print newspaper ad cost for a one-inch column, black-and-white ad in a major publication is $756.40. However, this also varies with each publication. Advertising in a national newspaper can have a starting price of well over $1,000. Meanwhile, a paper that only circulates in your state can only cost a few hundred dollars.
Newspaper | Estimated Advertising Cost (1 Column Inch, Black-and-White Ad)* | Average Circulation (Sept. 2023) |
|---|---|---|
Wall Street Journal | $1,576 | 555,200 |
New York Times | $1,196 | 267,600 |
New York Post | $711 | 131,200 |
Washington Post | $807 | 127,700 |
USA Today | $861 | 121,600 |
Los Angeles Times | $865 | 105,700 |
Star Tribune | $117 | 86,900 |
Newsday | $710 | 83,500 |
Chicago Tribune | $755 | 73,000 |
Seattle Times | $365 | 71,700 |
Honolulu Star-Advertiser | $68 | 71,600 |
Tampa Bay Times (Tampa Tribune) | $422 | 62,600 |
Boston Globe | $577 | 56,900 |
Dallas Morning News | $783 | 52,200 |
San Francisco Chronicle | $613 | 50,800 |
*Prices are taken from Gaebler, a third-party media purchasing outlet. Approximate circulation numbers are taken from Statista.
It’s important to note that the prices above are only the estimated costs of newspaper ad rates for a column-inch size, black-and-white ad. They can quickly go much higher for full-page ads, full-color ads, or multiday campaigns.
If you plan to do a major campaign of this scale, expect to pay upwards of $1,000 or even more than $10,000 for several-week campaigns. To know the exact pricing for each publication, contact their media relations team.
Alternatively, consider advertising in your local newspaper instead for a less expensive option. While you’ll get a much narrower circulation, it also means a more focused and targeted audience, which can be more effective for growing your local brand presence.
Newspaper Ad Cost for Online Publications
Aside from knowing the ad costs for print publications, also consider advertising in online publications. Not only are online publications growing more prominent in our digital-first world, but they’re also often more cost-efficient because they don’t require ink and paper expenses.
However, pricing for ads in online publications functions differently from ads in print publications. Online ads are usually priced on a CPC or cost-per-click basis, meaning you’ll only pay for each click your ad gets instead of a set price. On average, online ads cost anywhere from five cents to $3 per click. You’ll know the exact price of your ads when you set up your campaign.
Meanwhile, here are some of the top digital publications in the US by monthly visits:
Online Publication | Number of Visits (May 2024) |
|---|---|
nytimes.com | 503.4 million |
cnn.com | 419.2 million |
foxnews.com | 261.9 million |
msn.com | 261.3 million |
people.com | 165.3 million |
Source: Press Gazette
Many publications have a combined print and digital presence, and most give you the option to place in both or just one. Placing in both gives you a wider audience scope, but will, of course, cost more. Before placing your ad, consider if your target audience will more likely read the publication’s digital or print edition.
Newspaper Ad Price Structures
Newspaper ads are priced according to the size they take up on the page.
Once you’ve chosen the perfect newspaper to advertise with, the next decision is your ad size and placement. Size is one of the primary factors affecting your overall newspaper advertisement cost. It can be calculated based on price per column inch or modular pricing.
- Price per column inch: A column inch is a unit of ad space, meaning a one-inch height by a one-column width. So, for example, if a newspaper charges an ad price of $5 per column inch, an ad measuring four inches and two columns would cost $40. This is calculated by 4 inches × 2 columns = 8 column inches × $5 per column inch = $40.
- Modular pricing: With this type of pricing, newspapers charge based on set modules, such as full-page, half-page, quarter-page, and eighth-page. Although the modules can be also described in column inches, they are easier to understand as set shapes or sizes.
Factors That Affect How Much Newspaper Ads Cost
Many factors determine how much it’ll cost to advertise in a newspaper. The biggest factors are its audience size (and therefore its circulation), the section of the paper where your ad will be placed and its edition, and the length of your campaign.
- Circulation: The wider the circulation (the number of subscribers to print editions, online viewers for digital newspapers, email distribution, and so on), the higher the ad cost, because this means more people will see your ad. Some publications also list their readership size instead of circulation on the rate card, on the assumption that several members of each household will read the paper.
- Size/color of the ad: The bigger the ad, the more it will cost. You may also pay more if you want your ad to run in color vs. in black and white.
- Number of times your ad runs: If you run your ad multiple times, you will pay more overall, but your cost-per-ad will usually be discounted. Many newspapers offer deals that scale with the number of runs you purchase.
- Day of the week/section of the paper: Expect to pay the most for an ad that runs on Sunday. You will also pay more if you have your ad in the main section of the newspaper instead of the sports or travel section. Likewise, advertising on high-traffic online newspaper landing pages will usually cost more.
Other variables can affect newspaper advertising rates. For example, some papers have more niche audiences that may yield higher rates, while others may have a seasonality that leads to pricing fluctuations by season or time of year.
The largest variables affecting newspaper ad costs are the publication you choose and the type of audience you can reach. These two variables can quickly increase the cost of your ad. However, there are ways you can lower your newspaper advertising costs.
- Advertise multiple times: The number of times you advertise in a newspaper may change how much you pay per column inch. These discounts should be listed in the newspaper’s rate card and can be broken down by the amount you spend or the number of column inches you purchase annually.
- Ask for discounts: Introductory rates are often available for new advertisers. You can also ask to feature your ad in a seasonal or special insert for lower-than-average rates. Sometimes, newspapers offer a remnant space rate that can be discounted off the list price.
- Try local publications: If your business caters primarily to your local community, advertising in local or regional newspapers instead of national publications may yield better results for a lower cost. Plus, it also gives you a more targeted audience and less competition from bigger brands. To find local papers, visit USNPL (United States Newspaper Listing).
Tips on Creating Effective Newspaper Ads
You can have the best ad spot in the most widely read newspaper, but if your ad isn’t attention-grabbing, readers will skim over it. First, choose the right publication and ad placement to ensure your ads attract leads. Next, write a great ad copy that speaks to your audience and uses eye-catching visuals. Finally, track your ad’s performance to see how you can improve.
- Choose the best publication for your business. The publication where you place your ad plays the biggest factor in your campaign’s success. Make sure the publication’s readers match your target audience and its content matches your brand identity and values.
- Give a call to action that’s hard to resist. You can’t add clickable buttons to a print ad. Therefore, you’ll need to add a call to action that piques your audience’s interest and invites them to take another action after seeing your ad, like making a call or scanning a QR code.
- Combine your print ad with other marketing platforms. In today’s ultracompetitive advertising landscape, reaching your customers on just one platform is no longer enough. To get your message across effectively, consider combining your print ad campaign with other marketing strategies, for instance, social media ads or local SEO.
- Offer benefits (not just your product or service). If there’s one adage that works in all of advertising, it’s to offer people benefits and value. This means telling them how they can benefit from using your brand, instead of simply telling them about what your product or service does.
- Track your campaign’s effectiveness. While print ads don’t offer concrete metrics, you can still track your campaign’s effectiveness in your own way. For example, track your number of sales, foot traffic, or event sign-ups after your campaign. This helps you determine whether newspaper ad campaigns are effective for your business in the future.
- Hire an experienced ad designer. Having the best ad space won’t matter if your ad isn’t interesting. Since print ads won’t allow you to edit your campaign once it’s live, you only have one chance to get it right. Therefore, hiring an experienced professional graphic designer for advertisements is a much safer bet than going at it alone.
Newspaper Advertising Pros, Cons & Statistics
For decades, big and small businesses have reaped the benefits of newspaper advertising. But you should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages to ensure that you get the leads needed to justify the expense. Newspapers can get you wide exposure in your area. But they also tend to have high competition and costs—and no effective means of tracking impact. Consider the other major pros and cons of newspaper advertising.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Newspapers reach a large local audience. | The number of newspaper readers is steadily decreasing every year. |
| It’s an effective way to attract new customers. | There is no concrete way to measure campaign performance. |
| Newspapers target based on broad interests. | You may have to compete with bigger brands, making it difficult to stand out. |
| Newspaper ads have more engaged audiences than digital ads. | They’re not as affordable as digital ads. |
| Audiences see newspaper ads as more trustworthy than digital ads. | |
While you decide whether the pros outweigh the cons, consider these newspaper advertising statistics to see if it’s right for your small business.
- Newspapers reach a large audience. They have a total daily circulation of 20.9 million for weekday and Sunday papers.
- 82% of customers trust print ads the most when making purchase decisions. In a digitally saturated world, print media still holds the most credibility (i.e., there are fewer concerns over privacy, data leaks, or false advertising with print).
- 31% of Americans get their daily news from local print newspapers—meaning there’s still an opportunity to reach a substantial engaged audience with your print ads.
- While newspapers have a large circulation, their readership skews mostly toward older generations. In 2024, the majority of people (35%) who follow local news closely were aged 65 and above (meanwhile, only 9% who said the same were below 29 years old). When considering print ads, make sure they’re the best match for your target audience. Otherwise, consider other ad formats, like digital or broadcast.
- Studies find that print ads have a 78% recall rate—48 points higher than digital ads. This means people will more likely remember your ad if they see it in print than on a screen.
Newspaper Advertising Alternatives
Newspaper ads have some good and bad points, as outlined above. On one hand, they have a wide circulation and higher trust than other advertising formats. On the other hand, newspaper ads cost more than other alternatives like digital advertising. Before finalizing your print ad, here are some other alternatives to consider and how much they cost:
Advertising Format | Estimated Advertising Costs |
|---|---|
Billboard | $73,887 for a four-week campaign |
Radio | $200 to $5,000 per week |
TV | $500 for local TV, $200,000 for national TV |
Search Engines and Websites | |
Social Media |
Curious to learn more about these advertising formats? Check out our other resources.
- Like local newspapers, billboards give you a large audience in a specific area. Find out the average billboard advertising costs by state and the factors affecting them.
- Radio ads are another alternative in local advertising, especially for targeting audiences of a certain interest (i.e., news, music, and so on). Deep dive into the costs of radio advertising.
- Want to make a bigger splash with sight and sound? The best answer is TV advertising. Uncover everything you need to know about TV advertising costs and how to get a commercial on TV.
- Advertising on search engines and websites is known as PPC or pay-per-click advertising. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise your business. Explore what PPC advertising is and how it works.
- If you want an inexpensive way to get your brand noticed by the online community, consider placing ads on the top social media advertising platforms, which can get you visibility and engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The average cost for a print newspaper ad in 2024 is $756.40 for a one-inch column, black-and-white ad. Meanwhile, the average cost of a billboard ad is $73,887 for a four-week campaign and $200 to $5,000 per week for a radio ad. You can expect to pay much more for TV ads—$500 for a local ad spot and up to $200,000 for a national ad spot. Digital ads typically cost less than 50 cents per click.
The best way to calculate advertisement charges in newspapers is by calling your target publication and inquiring about their ad prices. You can also check the publication’s media kit on their website, which usually lists the starting prices for ads by column inch. Then, multiply the starting price by the number of inches and columns you want for your ad to calculate your estimated newspaper advertisement cost.
Advertising in newspapers is worth it if your target audience skews mostly older, specifically people aged 65 and up. It’s also a good option to increase your brand’s credibility, as people tend to trust advertisements in print more than online. Print ads are also good if you have a physical location and want to raise brand awareness, as local newspapers can get you wide visibility in a specific region.
Bottom Line
Print ads aren’t dead. In fact, with the growing saturation of online media, print ads offer a valuable avenue to grow your brand awareness and credibility. To get the most out of your newspaper ad costs, carefully research the best publication to place your ad in, the most effective ad format (print, digital, or both), and hire a designer to create an eye-catching and easy-to-understand ad that communicates your message effectively.
