Newspapers Are not Going Away Anytime Soon – Book Your Newspaper Classifieds!

For centuries, the humble newspaper has been not just been a source of the latest stories happening in a country and around the world, but a treasure trove of a host of other information, such as health tips, opinion pages, short stories, recipes, puzzles, events in and around a city, horoscopes, interviews and of course, advertisements.

Even to this day, as the easy accessibility to a wealth of information has been made possible within seconds thanks to the internet, the newspaper is still widely regarded as an authentic, trustworthy and dependable source of news and other information. Newspapers have, over centuries, been a channel for the widespread dissemination of information, for influencing public opinion and as a medium of advertising.

A less obvious reason that newspapers will still remain a popular form of media in the foreseeable future is because of the sheer aesthetics of the newspaper itself. Nothing beats the look and feel of a newspaper in print, regardless of the ease and swiftness of finding all the necessary information online. The sheer feeling of holding a newspaper in one’s hands and turning each page one by one, reading text on paper and the ability to keep it as an object for posterity are impossible to be substituted by information presented on a screen.

Additionally, in a country like India, a large number of people are still technologically challenged and unfamiliar with the internet. The newspaper is the default choice for them.

The very purpose of advertisements has always been to educate, inform and encourage prospective customers to purchase a product or service. Newspaper classifieds are a very common form of advertising that are significantly cheaper than other advertisements in a newspaper which take up a lot more space and are more elaborately designed. As the name suggests, classified ads are called so because they are arranged on the basis of their specific ad category, such as matrimonial, education, property, retail, public notice, etc. Classified ads have existed for over two hundred years and is one of the most popular forms of advertising even today.

Newspaper Classified

These ads are usually very short, and they are typically charged on the basis of number of lines or number of words. They are one column wide and contain all the relevant information in a small space as well as details of how to get in touch with the person or organisation who placed the ad. 

That being said, newspapers are here to stay, even with the raging digital revolution. So don’t worry, book classified ads online through releaseMyAd and get your message across to your chosen audience. Whatever your message is, you can always rely on a newspaper classified to make yourself more visible. releaseMyAd is India’s largest self-service ad booking platform with over a decade of experience in the ad booking industry. Whichever newspaper you want to advertise in, releaseMyAd makes booking online classified newspaper ads a seamless and hassle free experience. With its network of advertising partners located across the length and breadth of India, releaseMyAd is proud to guarantee you the lowest rates for all your advertising needs.

Newspaper Classifieds: A Lifeline for Millions!

Classified advertisements are a form of advertising that is most commonly seen in newspapers. These advertisements are much cheaper than other larger advertisements (such as display advertisements, which take up a lot more space and contain more elaborate designs). Classified advertising has existed for over two hundred years, and still remains one of the most popular forms of advertising. 

Classified advertisements are typically short, as they are charged on the basis of number of lines or number of words used. These ads are one newspaper column wide and an average classifieds page in a standard broadsheet newspaper can contain over 60 classified ads.

Classified advertisements are very easy to book as all one requires to do is compose a short copy of the advertisement, containing all the relevant information as well as one’s contact details. For those seeking to design more complex advertisements or with more elaborate designs, many publications and agencies offer specialised services.

Classified Advertisement

The ease of booking a classified ad helps individuals as well as small business owners reach their respective target audiences by focusing on the specific ad category, such as property, vehicles, retail, public notice, matrimonial, business etc. This makes the advertisements attractive to people who are serious about transacting with you. Another major advantage of classified ads is that of localised targeting. If you want to sell machinery or car parts in Kochi, placing such an ad in the Kochi edition of a national newspaper or a local newspaper that is circulated in Kochi is most effective as your customers are located there.

In India, a very large number of people run family businesses, small proprietorships or are traders. Classified ads are an extremely important medium for them to advertise as they often lack the budgets for advertising in other media spaces such as billboards, TV or radio. Classified ads are also extremely helpful for a host of other purposes such as personal ads, lost and found ads as well as ads that must be published as a legal requirement such as change of name ads. These ads all appear in the classifieds section in a newspaper.

Book your newspaper classifieds through releaseMyAd, India’s largest self service ad booking platform with a strong nationwide presence and a wide network of advertising partners across India. releaseMyAd, with its more than a decade of experience in the ad booking industry, helps you reach out to your target audience in your chosen location. Offering you guidance and support with booking your ad right till the time your ad is successfully published, releaseMyAd helps to make booking your newspaper classified ads online a simple and seamless process.

How to Compose a Good Classified Advertisement

Classified advertisements are divided into Classified text ads and Classified Display ads. Classified text ads publish in standard running text format and charge as per character, word or line. Enhancements like color, underline, bold, tick etc can be added to classified text ads. Classified display ads are charged as per sq cm and contain image, color, logo etc. Both are specifically published in the Classified page of the newspaper. 

releaseMyAd is the most cost effective way of booking classified ads online. It is India’s number one ad booking platform which provides customers the most easy and hassle free experience of advertising.

I am going to share some tips and ideas about writing a successful classified advertisement here.

  1. Appropriate newspaper selection: Selecting the appropriate newspaper is the basic need to successfully publish a classified advertisement. Choose a local or national newspaper according to your need for advertisement.
  2. Preferred edition selection: Edition needs to be selected according to the target reader. For eg, if you want to sell a flat in Delhi then selecting Delhi edition of any newspaper is the best option. Thus you can get the maximum response.
  3. Specific category selection: Before publishing an classified advertisement in a newspaper you must know what is the best suited category for your advertisement. Selecting the perfect category helps to get the proper response because readers can easily open that particular section and see the ad without wasting much time.
  4. Ad creative composition: For personal/ individual requirements such as matrimony, selling property, selling automobiles, or change of name, newspaper classified ads are a more suited solution. 

Composing ad matter is the most important job in terms of the effectiveness of the published advertisement. It is very important to maintain proper space, punctuation and spelling for generating a sense of authenticity, dependency among readers. In case of matrimonial ads, it is very necessary to mention age,  height, educational qualification or professional details and sharing if any special preferences are there like divorcee, non-divorcee, separated, NRI, physical disabilities and medical conditions etc.

  • While composing a name change ad, one must keep in mind to clearly mention the old name and new name in the matter.
  • While composing Lost and Found advertisements, mentioning your contact details allows the public to return the lost object if found by anyone. 
  • In the Obituary and remembrance ad do not forget to mention the name and date of death of the deceased person and strictly not mention the reason of the death because that is not acceptable in most of the publication. Obituary and remembrance ads are usually published in classified display format. releaseMyAd has their expert designer team to compose the creative in such a way that will surely catch the eyeballs of readers.

While composing an ad matter, the most common mistake people make is they skip mentioning their contact details. It is very important to mention that for obvious reasons otherwise people won’t be able to get in touch with you or your product or service. 

  1. Selecting the release date: After creating your ad creative the next stage is selecting the insertions, i.e; publishing dates. You can choose one or multiple insertions. releaseMyAd provides offers on release date time to time for their clients.
  2. Upload necessary documents: To publish some classified ads publication requires certain documents. It is mentioned in our website. So after selecting the release date in case of certain ads you have to upload the documents which are required. For eg, to publish a name change ad, one needs to provide a notarized affidavit.
  3. Payment: Last step is making the payment. You can make the payment by Debit card/ Credit card, Net banking, UPI, Cash deposit, Cheque deposit. A confirmation mail will be sent to the client’s registered email address after payment. 

For more information feel free to call or WhatsApp our helpline number 9830629298  or write us to book@releasemyad.com.  We have our 24*7 chat system to help you with any query which one can avail by visiting our website.

The History of Classified Advertisements

Classified advertising is a form of advertising which is commonly visible in newspapers, magazines, periodicals and over the internet. They are short advertising messages, generally grouped under specific headings (known as classifications, classes or categories), in a separate section, and may be charged or distributed free of cost. 

Newspaper Classified Ad

Generally, termed as “want” ads, classified advertisements are relatively cheaper as the content is short and are charged on the basis of characters, words or lines. The following is a brief history of classified advertisements :

  • Public Notice Carving :

The oldest form of classified ads can be traced back all the way to 2000 BC, when the Ancient Egyptians invented outdoor advertising as they carved public notices into steel. They also made use of papyrus to create sales messages and various wall posters.

Later, in around 59 BC, the Roman Empire started publishing Acta Diurna (Daily Acts) or government announced bulletins, as ordered by the then Roman general, Julius Caesar. They started carving the notices in stone or metal (since these were the most commonly used materials back then) and posted them in public places.

  • Handwritten News Sheets :

During the Imperial China period, court officials made use of news sheets, referred to as “Tipao”, which were produced by the government. This was during the late Han dynasty. Tipao, which literally meant “reports from the official residences,” were a publication issued by both the local and the central governments in imperial China. These publications dated as early as 206 BC – 220 BC (Han Dynasty).

News Sheets were handwritten on silk and strictly meant to be read by government officials only.

  • Public Poster Advertisements :

The first handwritten notices date back all the way to the 15th century. These notices used to appear in various public places, nailed on numerous posts and walls in England.

During the mid 1600s, notices for lost property had become extremely common. Also, it was during this period when the handbill emerged in England. The handbill used to be a small printed ad, notice or announcement distributed by hand.

  • Newspaper Classifieds :

The form of classified advertisement which is known to us today, was first recorded in the year 1704, when the very first newspaper advertisement was placed in the Boston News-Letter, on the lookout for a buyer for an Oyster Bay, Long Island, Estate. This ad literally marked the birth of newspaper classifieds. About 14 years later (in 1718), the weekly Jamaica Courant followed the trend in Kingston.

By 2007, about 6,580 daily newspapers in the world selling around 395 copies a day already existed. The newspaper industry continued to grow until 2008, when economic recession posed a setback to the entire world. The worldwide economic crisis, coupled with the rapid growth of internet-based alternatives, saw a serious decline in newspaper advertising and circulation of diurnal newspapers. In fact, most papers had closed business while others had cut back operations.

With the continuation of increase in online classifieds, newspaper’s revenues from classified ads continued to drop. In 2007, classified advertising for some of the largest newspaper chains had dropped by a good 14-20 percent, while traffic to classified websites grew by 23 percent, clearly showing how online classifieds were gaining more popularity than the newspaper classifieds.

According to NAA, between 2002 and 2012, classified advertisements suffered a major decline accounting to around 71 percent (from $15,898 to $4,626 in revenue). This decline was mostly attributed to the emergence of web-based classified alternatives.

  • Online Classifieds :

By the year 1995, the internet disruption of classified ads started. Two new companies were established in 1995: AdOne and Craigslist. AdOne is known to be one of the oldest classified websites in the world.

Craigslist is another site held responsible for popularizing online classifieds. Craigslist is a classified ad website where the ads are classified into different sections. Today, there are hundreds of alternatives and free online classifieds to choose from.

  • Social Classifieds :

Multiple social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, and others started offering a platform for social classified ads. These social networks enabled their users to promote sales for products and services within the social network.

In May 2007, about 3 years after the launch of Facebook, the Facebook marketplace was introduced, allowing users to post classified advertisements without being charged. These free ads fell within the following categories – Housing, For sale, Jobs, and Other.

In March 2009, a new version of the Marketplace application was launched. Oodle, an online marketplace based out of California, powered the new version.

  • Classifieds on Mobile Phones and Tablets :

With the introduction of smartphones and tablets, posting and searching on online classified platforms became a growing trend. Currently, there are over 300 mobile apps for classified advertising on the iPhone and Android alone, competing for a strong clientele base. Responsive websites like www.releasemyad.com adopt any device, irrespective of the size or orientation. The mobile application further enhances the process of booking classified advertisements online.