Morning/Afternoon Edition Sales Tips

Speakers: Sherry Stevenson, Triad Business Journal. Casey Kiesewetter, Houston Business Journal. Jason LaCroix, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Michelle Laczkoski, Boston Business Journal. Kyrsten Ziolkowski, Phoenix Business Journal

Michelle Laczkoski: Hi, my name is Michelle Laczkoski I'm an account executive at the Boston Business Journal. 2024 will be my 10th year here in terms of selling Morning and Afternoon Edition newsletters, It's not for everyone as it's a pricey offering that we have digitally. But for those that do have budget, when you get into the numbers of the open rate and the click through rates being so high above industry standards, it really does provide an incredible value.

Casey Kiesewetter: Hi, my name is Casey Kiesewetter. I am a senior account executive at the Houston Business Journal. The main benefits that I share with my clients on why they should sponsor the Morning or Afternoon Edition newsletter is because it gets them, it aligns their brand and their message alongside a trusted and reputable industry news organization that distributes leading content. It also gives them an effective share of voice and gives them a great visibility and increased exposure for a good period of time.

Sherry Stevenson: Hi, I'm Sherry Stevenson, senior account executive at the Triad Business Journal. Advertising in our Morning and Afternoon newsletters. This provides a unique opportunity to connect with our opt-in subscriber base business, key decision makers, advertising in our newsletters ensures that your message reaches a targeted audience. And this is a prime opportunity for clients to deliver messages at strategic points through the day. And this puts your brand top of mind.

Jason LaCroix: Hi, my name is Jason Lacroix with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Some of the key benefits that have helped me to sell Morning and Afternoon Edition newsletters. You reach a highly engaged opt in audience alongside some of the most timely relevant business news. They're highly visible, they're high performing, and they're great for building brand awareness and providing measurable results.

Kyrsten Ziolkowski: Hello, my name is Kyrsten Ziolkowski and I'm an advertising account executive at the Phoenix Business Journal. When it comes to our Morning and Afternoon Edition newsletters, there are three main benefits that I typically share with clients when considering this product. First off, these newsletters are essentially our second home page. These newsletters feature our top stories and news from that day or the day prior to that readers don't want to miss out on. Second, the client gets exclusive ownership of their ad space for one week, allowing for an excellent brand awareness opportunity. And lastly, especially with the top banner placement, your client's ad is sure to stand out the top banner placement allows for your client's ad to be front and center to our newsletter subscribers.

Michelle Laczkoski: For a client that's rebranding or has something they want to promote, the newsletters are a great offering because they go straight to our readers inbox every single weekday.

Casey Kiesewetter: Whenever I have a client that says, I need to know where my ad will appear and where it's guaranteed to appear during a specific time frame. That's when I'll use the Morning or Afternoon Edition newsletter because it's guaranteed to be in a position of either the top or middle banner ad unit during any particular given week.

Sherry Stevenson: When clients express the need for a timely message, impactful with a focus on branding, the Morning and Afternoon newsletters become an ideal pitch.

Michelle Laczkoski: This year, I work with Santander Bank on a sponsorship of Five Things to Know and that included visibility in our Morning Edition every single day where they promoted Five Things as well as some of their small and commercial business line offerings. So they received an incredible amount of promotion and impressions over the course of the year.

Sherry Stevenson: One noteworthy campaign was centered around a new speaker series for this client. The Morning newsletter played a pivotal role in delivering on the client's KPIs. We strategically had engaging visuals, a compelling message, and a call to action for the sign up. This was a measurable success for the client. It exceeded their expectations and they are continuing to get receive inquiries if they will do this again.

Kyrsten Ziolkowski: One client in particular that loves our newsletter product is a local law firm, Osborne Meldon with their goal of brand awareness and content alignment. We typically reserve newsletter banners each time that there's an editorial calendar alignment. For example, next year, every time that we run Inno coverage, they run a newsletter banner promoting their start up and early stage company practice area.

Michelle Laczkoski: I know in Boston and in a lot of our markets, the newsletters are very popular and often sold out. So it does create some FOMO. So I definitely would mention that as you're looking to create campaigns in the year ahead and having a close eye of inventory and what may be available.

Jason LaCroix: Ultimately asking good questions to really drill down and find out what a client is trying to accomplish is really the key. So, you know, using this as, as one piece and as part of the whole campaign to really drive reach and drive visibility and frequency is a great option.

Kyrsten Ziolkowski: Really try to push that. It is our second home page featuring coverage that subscribers don't want to miss out on. When you hear the keywords of brand awareness or exposure include it in your product mix. I also always try to have a few examples on hand of newsletters from that week so I can show the client exactly how their ad could look.