Nuptials and New Revenue: A Very Happy Marriage

Kathleen Coleman, Director Business Operations and Product Development for The Spokesman-Review 

Reported for INMA

Here comes KisstheBrideNW.com.

Sometimes the obvious can provide paid content home runs for our newspaper properties. Ask yourself this question: During what life stages or around what milestone events do people spend money?

Check out the digital television lineup for hints:

Platinum Weddings. Bridezillas. Say Yes to the Dress. Four Weddings. Masters of Reception. My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. Amazing Wedding Cakes. And my personal (and admittedly dark) favorite: I Married a Stranger.

Yes, weddings are a big deal, whether the guest list is four or 400.

And newspapers have always recognized this. Here at The Spokesman-Review, it was our practice to publish through the editorial department a set word-count, templated wedding announcement with a photo. We ran engagement announcements, too, but no photos with those. These offerings were free, though most brides-to-be entered our offices with checkbooks open, wondering how much the announcements would cost.

We heard from many brides who wondered why they couldn't publish an engagement picture. They wondered why they couldn't write their own free-form copy, with details they chose versus fill-in-the blanks like "the bride is employed at XYZ widget-makers." Our publication cycle for announcements was less than timely, with announcements running on a space-available basis.

Read full story