Portsmouth’s daily newspaper The News has launched a new way for businesses to promote themselves and help them bounce back from Covid. The regional title, which covers a large part of Hampshire and has an online readership of more than one million unique users, plans to start its Business Bounceback scheme on July 12. The initiative will give firms and entrepreneurs the cheapest and easiest way to appear in its pages.
Editor Mark Waldron said: ‘We’ve seen how tough the past year has been on businesses and we’ve done what we can to support them and our local economy. We’ve decided to continue our help by offering a new way for businesses to market – and at a lower cost. Traditionally the costs of advertising start at hundreds of pounds. Hiring a PR agency can be a pricey gamble as it’s not guaranteed that their work will ever see the light of day – hundreds of press releases reach our newsdesk each week and often end up in the bin. And hiring a marketing executive as a permanent role can be a massive commitment. Why not cut out the middlemen? As the full force of the pandemic ends, there’s never a better time to promote local businesses and make them stand out. So we have launched this as a way for people to have direct access to our expertise.’
The promotion will give firms a one-time only opportunity to appear in the area’s biggest news outlet with a 75% discount on normal advertising rates – with no contract and no further fees.
The price guarantees a published article in The News and online at portsmouth.co.uk. The scheme will be coordinated by business editor Kimberley Barber, who has been helping businesses to stand out for 10 years.
Kimberley and her team will help people identify the thing their business needs to shout about, in order to get it noticed. They will then produce an engaging and eye-catching article.
Kimberley said: ‘Whether that’s a new product, an expansion to your team, an award win, or even just simply a change to the way the business operates – there are many reasons that a business would need to shine a light on itself. I’m excited to help businesses find their “top line”. Writing interesting and attractive articles is what we do, day in, day out, so this is a great opportunity for businesses to have direct access to the professionals. A scheme like this has never been done before, so we are delighted to be able to offer it, especially at such an important time when businesses have had such a tricky 16 months.’
As well as appearing in the print edition of The News, which has a daily print audience of more than 32,000 people, articles will also appear on The News’ Facebook page – instantly reaching a following of 120,000 people. They may also appear on The News’ Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts if requested.
Businesses will also get further access to special advertising packages and discounts, should they wish to further promote their message.
Email Portsmouth-based advertising rep Liz Wiffin on liz.wiffin@jpimedia.co.uk to sign up.
