By giving them an effortless way to request the paper, you are catching them at the right moment

Katelyn Mary Skaggs

Oct 1, 2025

In today’s world, much of our effort to reach new readers takes place online. Digital tools have become some of the best ways for us to grow our reach in the community and connect with readers.

The Leader newspaper is a free direct–mail requester paper; we just need people to subscribe once every three years to keep getting that paper. However, we still have to collect their name, address and a form of contact. The moment they hear that, people often look at me with suspicion. They think a bill is hiding in the fine print or that I am going to trick them later.

I promise our readers that we are not mailing anyone a surprise bill. But that little bit of doubt means we cannot just coast along and wait for readers to find us. We have to work at building and maintaining circulation every single day.

Let me walk you through a few ways we have used digital strategies to build circulation.

USING QR CODES IN PRINT TO DRIVE DIGITAL SIGN UPS

This one is almost so simple it feels silly, but it works. We started placing QR codes in our print product that link directly to our circulation form. Readers might not sit down at a computer to fill something out, but if the code is in front of them while they are flipping through the paper, it takes just seconds to scan and sign up. The easier you make it, the more likely people are to act.

USE YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER TO DRIVE NEW READERS

If you are not actively linking to your circulation request form inside your email newsletters, you are missing an easy win. Every single edition of our email newsletter includes a link for people to request the paper. Readers may sign up for a newsletter first and enjoy getting news delivered to their inbox, but at some point they want the full experience of holding a paper in their hands. By giving them an effortless way to request the paper from the newsletter itself, you are catching them at the right moment.

BUILDING CIRCULATION THROUGH COMMUNITY FACEBOOK GROUPS

I know every newsroom staffer is already in local Facebook groups. We join them to keep up with community chatter, spot news tips or just see what neighbors are fussing about. But have you thought about using those groups as a place to invite new readers to sign up? I make a point once a month, or at the very least once a quarter, to post in our community groups reminding people that they can get the Leader delivered for free.

Sometimes I do not even have to post directly. If someone shares a story we covered and I see a conversation building around it, I hop in with a friendly comment. I drop the link and then remind people that they can request the paper with just a few clicks. It feels natural and conversational, and it puts our paper right in front of people who are already interested in our work.

HAVE YOU POSTED TO YOUR OWN FACEBOOK PAGE?

This one feels obvious, but we all have lots going on. Do not forget to remind people from your own Facebook page that they can sign up for the paper. Readers are forgetful. They might think about requesting the paper one day but lose track of the link the next. A gentle nudge from your own page keeps the circulation message top of mind. We have even had success boosting posts that promote circulation. A small spend can push the reminder in front of thousands of potential readers in your coverage area.

HOW TO USE PROGRAMMATIC ADS TO EXPAND CIRCULATION REACH

With programmatic ads, you can target households in your coverage area and place digital ads that remind people to request your paper. These ads can show up on phones, tablets or desktops while people are browsing other websites. We ran a campaign like this and reached thousands of people who had never engaged with us before. It is another way to meet readers where they already spend their time.

Part of programmatic ads is retargeting your website visitors. If someone visits your website, you can retarget them with digital ads. That means the next time they are scrolling online, they see a reminder to sign up. They are already familiar with your paper because they came to the website, so a follow–up ad is often enough to push them across the finish line.

I know it can feel odd to talk about using digital tools to build print circulation, but the two go hand in hand. Readers move between platforms all day long. They read your Facebook post in the morning, scan your newsletter at lunch and flip through the paper at night.

Even though we are a free paper, we treat circulation with the same seriousness as any subscription model. That means meeting readers where they are, making it as easy as possible to sign up, and using every digital tool available to keep growing.

So, do not wait for readers to stumble onto your circulation form. Put it in their inbox. Place it in their Facebook feed. Drop it into community conversations. Nudge them with ads. The digital world gives you countless ways to remind people that your paper is there for them.

Katelyn Mary Skaggs is the digital marketing manager for Leader Publications, a group of four papers in Festus, Missouri. Skaggs, a Southeast Missouri State University graduate, joined their ranks in January 2019 as a reporter. Email katelynmaryskaggs@leaderpublications.biz