Who? Laurie Hafner, pastor, Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ, Cleveland, OH

What? High impact newspaper advertising
If a color ad is too expensive, many of the posters work well in black and white. (There are small format and black and white newspaper ads on the Graphics Toolkit 3.0, at UCCR or www.stillspeaking.com at The Stillspeaking Store)

Where? Place your newspaper ad where and when it’s not expected.
Use the Friday entertainment section, or the metro or living pages. Stay away from the religion section.

When?
Target the 3 weeks before the holiday. Avoid the days right before the holiday. People have usually made their plans by then.

How? Get to know your local ad sales people
Develop a relationship with the ad sellers at your local paper. They can help guide you and keep an eye out for the most effective placement of your ad. You want your ad to be amid news stories, and not near other ads. Take time to tell them a bit about your church’s story. Follow up a great placement with a thank you card, or flowers. (Chocolates are good too!) 

More...Place ads everywhere -- local newsletters, flyers, concert programs, etc.

Radio and print ads reinforce one another, so try to combine media. People hear a quirky radio ad and see a cool print ad – they remember. And if there’s an invitation from a friend ... (See Ideas that Work)

Newspapaper ads #2

Who? Hal Cutler, moderator, Memorial Congregational Church UCC, Sudbury, MA

What? Joint newspaper advertising

When? Any time

Where? In a daily or weekly newspaper

Why? Ad purchasing power grows exponentially with more participants

How? Research the options with your local paper. Use the free headlines (see Advent tool #5) or the Stillspeaking Graphics Toolkit (customizable headlines). Recruit partners and arrange the placement details.

More…Memorial spearheaded joint advertising in the Metrowest Daily News:  1) Determining the coverage of the newspaper, the desired days to advertise and the budget available, 2) Creating a sample ad and contacting the nearby UCC churches to participate in a group purchase, allowing for variable contributions, 3) Running the ad(s) with the names, addresses & phone numbers of each church. This spirit of cooperation allows for a much bigger impact than one church could have alone, and sends a positive message about fellowship among local congregations. Also, Townsend Congregational Church, UCC placed an ad in The Coffee News, a free weekly distributed at coffee shops and the like; Mattapoisett Congregational Church, UCC put an ad in the local bargain buster; and First Congregational Church Brimfield joined with First Church of Monson, UCC to run a color ad in the shopping guide that’s mailed to every home in both church areas.