How to advertise in a newspaper, and what newspaper advertising costs
Newspapers price ads by the column inch. Online, you can price them by the readers.
Facts checked 15 Oct 2026 · by the AdSworn team
To advertise in a newspaper, get the paper's rate card, pick a display ad (priced by the column inch: columns wide × inches tall × the rate) or a classified (priced by the word or line), book an issue before its deadline, and send your artwork. Published 2025 and 2026 rate cards for small US papers list $7.50 to $15 per column inch, so a 2-column, 5-inch ad runs about $75 to $150 an issue. Many papers also sell ads on their website. For anything sold online, a sponsored post inside an article people find on Google lets you see the readers and the searches before you pay.
How to advertise in a newspaper
- Get the rate cardPapers publish one, often as a PDF on their advertising page, or send it on request. It lists rates, sizes, circulation and deadlines.
- Choose display or classifiedDisplay ads sit beside the news and are priced by space. Classifieds sit in their own section and are priced by the word or line.
- Size the adPick the number of columns and the height in inches. Multiply them to get column inches, then multiply by the rate.
- Book before the deadlineA weekly can close days before printing; a monthly can close weeks ahead. Miss it and you wait for the next issue.
- Send artwork to the specsUsually a press-quality PDF at the exact column width. Some small papers will design the ad for a fee.
- Ask about the websiteMany papers also sell ads on their site, priced separately from print.
How newspaper ads are priced: the column inch
A column inch is one column wide and one inch tall. An ad 3 columns wide and 5 inches tall is 15 column inches. At $7.50 a column inch that's $112.50, exactly what the Valley Falls Vindicator and Oskaloosa Independent list for a 3×5 ad on their January 2026 card. Column widths differ by paper (1.75 inches at the Vindicator, 2.375 at the Granby Drummer), so the same column count can be a different physical size.
| Paper (published rate card) | Display, per column inch | Other prices listed | Circulation listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River County Herald Star, Hot Springs, SD (weekly, 2025) | $7.50 open; $5.00 to $6.75 with an annual contract | Spot colour $75, full colour $175; word classifieds $8 for the first 20 words, then 25¢ a word | 1,650 (1,450 print + 200 e-edition) |
| Valley Falls Vindicator & Oskaloosa Independent, Kansas (2026) | $7.50 in one paper; $13.00 in both | Full page $945 in one paper; half page $475.50 | Not stated on the card |
| The Granby Drummer, Granby, CT (2026) | $11 black and white; $15 colour | Full page in colour $930; $40 to design an ad | 5,700 per issue, mailed to every address in town |
| Anglican Journal, Canada (national monthly, 2026; the card doesn't name a currency) | $65 black and white; $81 colour | Full page black and white $4,720 once; classifieds $10 a line, $50 minimum | 34,929 |
Two patterns hold across these cards. Commitment buys a discount: the Herald Star drops from $7.50 to $5.00 a column inch for $10,000 a year, and the Anglican Journal cuts its full-page price for 5 or 10 insertions. Colour costs extra, as a flat charge or a higher rate. Larger papers set their own rates; if a card isn't published, ask the ad team for one.
Display, classified, inserts and the website
- Display ads: boxed ads with images, placed beside news. The main product, priced by column inch or by fraction of a page.
- Classified ads: text in the classified section, priced by the word or line, with a minimum. Classified display (a boxed ad in that section) is priced by column inch.
- Inserts: flyers tucked into the paper, priced per piece. The Herald Star lists 12¢ a piece for a single sheet.
- The paper's website: banners on the homepage or inside articles. The Anglican Journal lists $500 for one month, or $375 a month on a 12-month commitment.
- Sponsored articles: an ad written like a story, which must be labelled as an ad. See what is an advertorial.
A newspaper website ad like that one is priced by the slot and the month, not by who reads the page it sits on. You get the whole site's readers, whatever they came for.
Is newspaper advertising worth it?
For a local business whose buyers live in one town, often yes. The Granby Drummer is mailed to every home and business in three ZIP codes, so a $110 black-and-white ad (2 columns × 5 inches) reaches the whole town once. Run the sums the same way for any paper: price ÷ circulation × 1,000 is the cost per 1,000 copies (see the CPM calculator).
For a business that sells online or nationally, print has three gaps. Circulation counts copies, not readers of your page. A printed ad can't be clicked, so you need a QR code or a web address to count anything. And the ad lasts one issue. The buyers you want are already typing what they need into Google and reading the articles that answer them. That's where the ad money works hardest.
The online version: sponsor the article your buyers read
Instead of buying space in an issue, buy a place inside one article people find by searching for what you sell. On AdSworn, every listed page shows its traffic, read from Google Search Console and Google Analytics, and the Google searches that bring its readers. You see the audience before you pay.
| Page | Audience, last 4 weeks | Banner / 4 weeks | Featured / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Best Freelance Marketplaces (UPDATED 2026)hatchwise.com | 225 page views | – | $470 |
| Flocksy Reviews (2026): My Honest Take on the Servicelogodesign.org | 51 page views | – | $160 |
| My Honest Review of DesignCrowd's Graphic Design Company [Updated for 2026] – Logo Design Magazinelogodesign.org | 70 page views | – | $165 |
| How Unlimited Copywriting Services WorkFlocksy | 112 page views | – | $175 |
| Best UK Unlimited Graphic Design Services (Reviewed & Compared, 2026)Flocksy | 78 page views | – | $120 |
| Design Pickle Reviews (2026): My Honest Takelogodesign.org | 73 page views | – | $230 |
- Sponsored post: a briefing about your business inside an existing article that ranks, labelled "Sponsored post" in the page's HTML, where AI assistants read it too, checked daily. 12 weeks or a year, paid once. Orders from $75 for 12 weeks or $150 a year.
- Sponsored page: a whole new page about you on a site that ranks for what you sell, live at least 12 months, from $1,000.
- Your money is safe: you pay nothing until the site approves, AdSworn holds payment until the ad is verified live, and you get a full refund if it never runs.
The 12 Best Online Video Editors of 2026 (Free and Paid)
- Sponsored post$2,000 / year
Prefer magazines? The same steps apply: see how to advertise in a magazine.
Straight answers
How much does it cost to advertise in a newspaper?
It depends on the paper and the size. Published 2025 and 2026 rate cards for small US papers list $7.50 to $15 per column inch, so a 2-column by 5-inch ad (10 column inches) costs $75 to $150 an issue. Larger papers set their own rates; ask the ad team for the current card.
What is a column inch?
A unit of newspaper ad space one column wide and one inch tall. Multiply the columns by the inches for the column inches, then multiply by the paper's rate per column inch to get the price.
What's the difference between a display ad and a classified ad?
A display ad is a boxed ad with images placed beside the news, priced by space. A classified ad is text in the classified section, priced by the word or line, usually with a minimum charge.
Can I advertise on a newspaper's website?
Often, yes. Papers that sell website ads price them separately from print; the Anglican Journal's 2026 card lists homepage and in-article ads at $500 for one month or $375 a month on a 12-month commitment.
Is newspaper advertising good for small businesses?
It suits local businesses whose buyers read a local paper, especially one mailed to every home. Businesses that sell online usually get more from sponsoring articles their buyers find on Google, where traffic and clicks can be checked.