What Are the Different Types of Newspaper Advertising Costs?

Newspaper advertising costs usually fall in the categories of marketing or public relations. Along with advertising goods and services to consumers, portraying a business positively in any community is a legitimate reason for a business to spend advertising money. Among the different types of newspaper advertising costs are costs for advertisements on certain days, in particular parts of the newspaper or with color included in the ads.

Driven by circulation numbers, print newspaper executives set newspaper advertising costs. These costs depend on the day of the week it’s printed, the page or website position or whether the ad is printed in color or black and white. Online newspaper advertising costs are often set according to how many visits the website has per day.

Prices for display newspaper advertising costs in print newspapers are typically figured by the width and height of the ad. Classified prices are charged on a per-line or per-word basis. Historically, print newspapers charge more for placement on the back page, and depending on the season, in select inside pages such, as the garden, arts or sports sections.

Most newspapers charge as much as 20 percent more for spot color and as much as 30 percent more for full color. Although newspapers often allow a discount to regular advertisers, political candidates are often bound by law and must be charged the full rate; they also must pay up front. National advertisers usually pay a lot of money for ads in larger papers. A small community newspaper might make any deal it can get.

To understand newspaper advertising costs or prices, the access that’s provided and the audience need to be determined. Certain demand factors — circulation, location and audience, demographics and competitors — relate to advertising costs and underlying prices. Another factor that affects newspaper advertising costs is the cooperation from the advertising department. The amount of commission being paid to an advertising salesperson or advertising network is another factor.