The Rate Card Introduction Basic calculations Frequency discounts Volume discounts Combination discounts Modular rates Contracts Ad agencies Market info Readership and Circ. Promotional messages Co-op information Color charges Electronic ads Deadlines Special sections Column widths Line screens Odd sizes Legal disclaimers Ad acceptance guidelines Billing and Credit The fastest way to increase sales! Participate in this award-winning, newspaper-specific ad sales course on-site or in a Webinar.  • Get past upfront stalls and objections without any pushing  • Make the account believe he really needs you  • Get better information from your prospect  • Develop quick ad strategies that work the very first time  • Eliminate size, frequency, content, cost and most other objections before they ever arise  • Get dramatic responses for all kinds of advertisers  • Never have to push an advertiser to run again click here

One of the most useful things in a rate card, besides the rates, is the deadlines. At least initially, deadlines are one of the most overwhelming things about selling advertising. There are up to three different deadlines for each issue and product: the proof deadline, the copy deadline, and camera-ready deadline.

The proof deadline would be for any advertiser who wants a proof. The production department needs additional time to create the ad and give it back to you, so that you have time to bring it to the customer, and he can make any changes he needs to make. Then you give the changes back to production, and they make the changes and get it into the newspaper. Proof deadlines are usually a few days before the copy deadline, which is when an ad is due that needs no proof.

The camera-ready deadline would be for agencies who are making up their ad completely and don't need your production or creative services department to work on the ad. This deadline is the closest to the actual date of printing. Depending on whether you have your presses in the same building, whether you're a weekly or daily newspaper, and other considerations, this camera-ready deadline might be as late as 5pm the night before publication.

Unfortunately, you'll find that some of your advertisers will want to put off preparing their ad for you until the last minute. In fact, don't be surprised if your advertiser agrees to have his ad ready on deadline day, at a specific time, but when you stop by to pick it up the advertiser says, "Oh, the ad's due today? I better get working on that! Could you come back later?" You've got to be firm with advertisers about deadlines or they'll drive you crazy. Although we can't recommend it, I've seen the really tough abusers of deadlines only change when eventually an ad doesn't make it into the newspaper in time.

My advice is: be firm and be careful. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an ad rep reserve space in the newspaper for a camera-ready ad that shows up 5 hours after deadline. In cases like this, either the press runs without the ad, meaning the newspaper has to print a larger newspaper than necessary, or the press people wait for the ad (if it's a big advertiser), which means the newspaper is printed and on the newsstands late, meaning lost circulation.

In either case, a late ad can very easily cost the newspaper lots of money and get you in big trouble. The strange thing is, some advertisers will take advantage of you as much as you let them. If they haven't gotten around to finishing their ad at the agreed time and you tell them that's fine and you'll be back later, then they'll continue to abuse your deadlines. Again, if you're firm, they'll usually be more cooperative.

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