National Newspaper Association
Protecting, Promoting and Enhancing Community Newspapers Since 1885
Robert M. Williams, Jr.
Robert M. Williams Jr. is a longtime community newspaper publisher from Blackshear, Georgia. He was NNA president in 2013-14 and is now acting as NNA director of creative resources. He is available for consultation on how to create more revenue, help you deal with inevitable newspaper issues or be a sympathetic ear for NNA members looking for an experienced publisher to listen. Email him at robert@nna.org or call at (912) 281-5438 from 10 a.m -3 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday.
Looking for a way to give some spark to your next congratulatory sig page? Jeremy Waltner shows how it’s done!
The trick has often been how can our latest sig page be something our readers will not only notice, but will appreciate, even enjoy, and our merchants will be grateful they chose to be a part of it.
No photo goes unused or unsold with Cathi Utley’s newspaper
Cathi has created between $4,000 and $5,000 in new revenue in recent years through sponsorship of her collection of images taken at virtually any school function: ballgames, plays, you name it.
Community leaders step up to prove they support local merchants and buying at home
We’ve all seen and heard such campaigns many times. Never before, however, have I seen such a campaign so successfully implemented and carried out. And never before have I seen such a campaign done ...
Print, digital combo built around high school football is a popular sell in small towns
Advertisers are lining up for the features that showcase highlights from the previous week’s game, interviews with the top players and insight from the head coach. Each segment offers an introductory ...
Coloring books can be adapted for many occasions, situations!
Many businesses like to feature their location in advertising, and NNA Past President Susan Rowell, publisher of The Lancaster (South Carolina) News, has a sure-fire way to interest advertisers with a ...
'All I want for Christmas is' more great ad ideas like this one!
A conversation with Texas publisher, Randy Keck, of the 1,900-circulation The Community News of Aledo, Texas, caused him to snap his fingers and exclaim “I’ve got one” when I asked him ...
Our customers look to us for great ideas and we must keep them coming!
Community newspapers have to keep a variety of great ideas available for use any time of year and for almost any occasion. One Arkansas publisher shared with me his best ideas that bring in revenue throughout ...
Time for community newspapers to stand up as leaders in America’s economic rebound
Now is the time for newspapers to step back into this important role and lead the way in promoting unity and innovation as local businesses seek to re-establish themselves in the minds of their consumers. ...
Georgia real estate broker has a hit with his 'paper within a paper'
Roland Daniel, a savvy real estate broker in Georgia, took advantage of space offered to him at a great discount by brothers Buff and Vance Leavy of The Brunswick (Georgia) News and turned it into ...
As businesses adapt to pandemic and Americans get vaccinated, newspapers play crucial role
Cathi Utley, VP of Lakeway South and publisher of the Hermann (Missouri) Advertiser Courier, and Mike Kolbe, advertising director of Harlan Newspapers in Harlan, Iowa, share their recent successes ...
This special section is guaranteed to attract younger readers in your market!
It’s no secret that attracting younger readers, especially the 20-35 crowd, has never been an easy sell for newspapers. Jane Ashley Pace, publisher of The Oldham Era in Lagrange, Kentucky, ...
Sponsored content a hit with advertisers and readers
Regardless of what it’s called, sponsored content is simple for the newspaper to create and, best of all, it is popular with advertisers and readers. I first found keen interest in this type of ...
Innovative newspapers combine strong print and savvy digital for a hard-to-beat package
These are unusual times we are going through and, while there is always a need for good newspapers and good news coverage, this is also a time when businesses are looking for innovation and creativity ...
Magazines represent money left on the table if your newspaper isn’t providing one regularly
Part of being the ad professional is also creating unique and different opportunities to advertise a merchant’s products and services. That’s when our role as newspapers must be stretched to ...
The Palatka Daily News’ ‘Positively Putnam FL’ campaign underscores how the newspaper leads the community in good news
While a good community newspaper has many duties in its role serving its readership, one of the most important is reminding readers of the many good things there are to appreciate in the area around ...
Your readers will appreciate this promo that will touch virtually every family in your community
The importance and power of those two elements are demonstrated well in the annual year-end promotion put together in a tasteful and eye-catching manner by Rhonda Overbey and her staff at the Aiken (South ...
Print newspapers create a powerful, lasting and permanent image — never out of sight, out of mind
Print newspapers have no better champion than the articulate Minnesota publisher, Reed Anfinson, one of America’s foremost leaders in community newspapers. Anfinson has traveled the country espousing ...
Here’s a solution for everyone bored at home during this pandemic
Mike created an all-ad special section made up of nothing but half-page (tabloid) ads featuring unique word puzzles made up of the names and key words customized for a variety of local businesses. He had ...
Great Idea Exchange — Missouri's Dennis Warden has enough great ideas to keep us busy for a while! PLUS, members share ad plans for holiday season
Recently, a friend directed me to Missouri publisher and NNA member, Dennis Warden in Owensville. In short, Warden is delighting his readers and making his advertisers happy with both an innovative ...
