The question we get asked most frequently when we talk to newspaper people is "What are other newspapers doing?" We created these galleries to help answer that question.

Here you will find numerous examples of the best practices that newspapers big and small are using to increase readership. We have also included some innovative prototypes developed for us by journalism students at Ball State University. Some of these ideas may stir your own thinking; others you may just want to steal.

We will continue to add to these pages as we see new examples. If your newspaper is doing something new, unusual, or particularly effective in growing readership, please contact us with examples to include in these galleries.


Obituary Best Practices Gallery
The Impact Study showed that improving obituaries is one of the most effective ways that newspapers can increase readership. Here are some examples of how this can be done.

Ordinary People Best Practices Gallery
This gallery includes easy ideas for getting ordinary people into the newspapers pages, techniques for delivering the "what it means to me" factor, and scores of story ideas editors can replicate at their own papers.

Community Announcements Best Practices Gallery
Community announcements are another high potential area for growing readership. This gallery contains both examples from newspapers and student prototypes of "better" community annnouncments - a humble but extraordinarily useful and important type of news.

Go and Do Best Practices Gallery
Go and do information helps readers take action on the stories they read in the newspaper. It is also an important factor in driving reader satisfaction in a newspaper being "easy to read."

Advertising Best Practices Gallery
The Impact study found that better advertising content can improve readership of the newspaper over-all, just as improvements in editorial content can. Here are some examples of advertising designed to attract and connect with readers.

Content Promotion Best Practices Gallery
Improving content promotion is the "low-hanging fruit" of the RI findings. It is easy and inexpensive to do a better job. As a consequence, many newspapers have increased the quantity and quality of their editorial refers.

Readers' Guides Best Practices Gallery
Feedback from users of this site indicated widespread interest in "readers' guides": features that help readers understand newspaper policies, how to get items in the newspaper, and sometimes how to use the newspaper. Here are some examples.

 

Impact Study: Overview Page

Impact Study: Editorial & Advertising Content

Excellence in Small Newspapers Galleries
Galleries of examples of best readership-building practices from nine small newspapers.

Brand Prototypes Gallery
Prototypes from our work on newspaper brand building.