By: Staff Reports Newspaper Hopes For Singly-Copy Sales Spike
After publishing last month a five-part series on the deadly
effects of asbestos exposure in the local shipbuilding industry,
The Virginian Pilot in Norfolk, Va., has published another
series and launched an accompanying campaign to hold onto the
single-copy sales buyers.
The Virginian-Pilot began a seven-part series on Sunday
about a meteor that hit eastern Virginia 35 million years ago.
The series, "A Cosmic Tale,"
is written by Diane Tennant, who explains how a meteor
left a crater over 56 miles wide that currently sits under the
Chesapeake Bay. The series will appear everyday this week.
"We had success with single-copy sales after the six-part series
'Shipbuilding's Deadly Legacy' about the disastrous effects of
asbestos exposure in our area," said Beverly Mason, promotions
manager of the paper. "Our intent is to generate more interest
among non-subscribers and retain loyal readers in the long run,"
she said.
The last series sparked single-copy sales by more than 4,000 in
six days.
This time the accompanying marketing program will include
newspaper ads, radio spots, rack cards, and single-copy sales
promotions with Hardees rolled out in three phases: pre-
publication, during publication, and post-publication.
The report also appears online, a strategy that other Web sites
have used to attract unique visitors. A single news event or
series often results in a traffic spike that is maintained even
after the news has passed, report several newspaper Web sites.
Copyright 2001, Editor & Publisher.
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