Fortunes in Printers’ Ink–Value of the New York _Herald_ Plant–Story of Mr. Pulitzer’s Struggles–From a Park Bench to a Newspaper Throne–Alfred Harnsworth, the Greatest Paper Man within the World–Serving the News Hot–Secret of the Springfield _Republican_ Success–A Prophet as Well as an Editor–How Reporters Earn Big Salaries–Motto, the Penny Reform–Seven Papers in One–Some New Advertising Schemes–Magazines for the Million.
A newspaper endeavor is a superb monetary danger, however on the identical time it is among the richest lodes of success if the proprietor has the capital and the qualities wanted. Mr. Whitelaw Reid has amassed numerous prosperityin the New York _Tribune_. James Gordon Bennett, proprietor of the paper originated by the senior of that title, estimates his plant as price $22,000,000. Mr. Pulitzer, of the New York _World_, was a poor boy who slept on the park benches. He acquired an concept, a bit of fortune, fashioned new plans, and struck out on an untrod path. He rattled the dry bones of his contemporaries, and he’s to-day a millionaire many instances over. Dana made his prosperityon _The Sun_ by his fearless, outspoken editorials, utilizing the plainest Anglo-Saxon. Hearst, of the New York _Journal_, succeeded by his sensationalism. Alfred Harnsworth, an Englishman and a really younger man, started the publication of a paper referred to as _Answer_ with very small capital. Before the age of thirty he turned a millionaire. Now at thirty-two he’s the chief proprietor of seven dailies and twenty-two different periodicals, and is the top of the biggest publishing agency on the planet, with a complete weekly output of greater than 7,000,000 copies. The writer of this work has formulated over 200 plans for newspaper success. He is certain that almost all of those plans are completely new and completely possible, however the scope of the work won’t allow of the insertion of greater than ten. The following ten are chosen with the agency perception that if they’re adopted up with peculiar zeal and ability the paper can not fail to have a really giant circulation.
803. THE NEWS IN ONE MINUTEWe stay in electrical instances; males should have their information served sizzling. We wish to swallow the day’s doings whereas we cross the ferry. Have an index on first web page containing each merchandise of reports, and displaying in what columns it may be discovered. Then, one can get the abstract in a minute, whereas if he likes he can spend hours within the particulars.
804. NUTSHELL NEWSYou could make sure that the paper which can provide the information the quickest and neatest goes to the entrance. Some folks care extra for amount than high quality. An unlimited number of information from all elements of the nation, and every merchandise condensed into a couple of traces, makes extra impression on many individuals than a web page dedicated to a single tragedy. The Springfield _Republican_ owes its success to its outstanding variety of small gadgets.
805. THE BULLETIN FORECASTMost each day papers give out a bulletin. Thousands stand on the road and skim the free bulletin, however don’t purchase the paper. Have a forecast bulletin to learn, “To-morrow’s News.” Then a hypothesis or prediction of what it should most likely be. Put it in a sensational and fascinating approach. Thus: “The _Bugle_ will tell you all about it to-morrow. Buy the _Bugle_.” In the paper, conclude every essential merchandise of reports with the editor’s forecast of how the matter will prove, thus giving it the curiosity of a continued story. Editors typically deal with a information merchandise in an editorial, however an unlimited proportion of the readers by no means take a look at that web page. Put the cream of the editorial, and particularly a number of pointed questions, after the information merchandise, with the data that the paper will attempt to clear up the issue to-morrow.
806. BOTTOM FACTSReaders need info, not reporters’ fancies nor gildings. It is well-known that in lots of papers reporters are allowed to invent after they don’t have any info within the case, and as they’re paid by the piece it’s for his or her curiosity to make as a lot of an merchandise as they’ll. Hence, our information is adulterated, distorted, and infrequently falsified. We know some reporters who’ve invented columns of so-called “Facts;” others who’ve made sensational, highly-colored tales out of probably the most insignificant occurrences; and nonetheless others who’ve invented faux reviews of sermons, lectures, and different public utterances, after they had not time to acquire the originals. Have it clearly understood in giant headlines as part of the coverage of the paper that no reporter shall be allowed to invent or exaggerate, that he shall be immediately discharged if it may be proven that he has in any approach distorted the chilly info. In this way tens of thousands who at the moment are disgusted with what’s dished up for them as information however know not the place to show for higher service, shall be drawn to your paper, and you’ll set up the fame for absolute truthfulness of assertion and bald exactness of type.
807. THE PEOPLE’S PAPERLet or not it’s understood that your sheet is distinctively a folks’s paper, and isn’t the organ of any social gathering, class, or company. Announce that you’ll publish letters from anyone, no matter grammar, sentiment, or place, with the one limitation of decency and character. Advocate persistently low cost and sincere public service. Let one in every of your mottoes be: “A penny a letter and a penny a mile,” that’s, the conviction {that a} letter must be despatched wherever within the United States for a penny, and {that a} man ought to have the ability to journey everywhere in the nation on the price of a penny a mile. Have such mottoes as: “All the People Well Off,” “Equal Rights for Everybody,” “No Nepotism, no Partiality, no ‘Pulls.’”
808. THE BIG SEVENWe have heard of the “Big Four” in railroading. Let your paper be seven sheets rolled into one, having one complete title. Let the seven sheets every have a particular and peculiar title as if of a separate paper, and let every be dedicated to a specific area. The _Art Mirror_ will comprise the images; the _News Bureau_ will comprise the crispiest information; the _Sword and Pen_ will comprise probably the most pungent editorials; the _World Joker_ or the New York _Clown_ will comprise the comical issues. Then there needs to be a “stock paper,” a “sporting paper,” and many others. Let or not it’s identified that when a person buys _The Earth_ for 3 cents, or for a penny, because the case could also be, he actually will get seven papers.
809. FREE WANTSIn establishing a paying paper you lose nothing by what you give away. You can effectively afford to present away area that prices you nothing. Before your circulation is giant sufficient to draw advertisers, you will need to devise another technique of attracting them. Advertise that on a sure day you’ll insert all people’s needs free. This will introduce your paper to numerous individuals, who won’t solely purchase the copy wherein their need seems, however will in lots of circumstances be able to pay a bit of after they subsequent want the providers of your sheet.
810. BARGAIN BUREAUHave a cut price bureau on the primary web page or in another distinguished place, and let or not it’s understood that you’ll every day on this bureau name consideration to the bargains particularly marketed for that day, and to any new or particular function contained within the promoting columns. You will thus please and draw advertisers, and on the identical time entice readers who wish to know what, the place, and when to purchase.
811. RESERVE SPACEHave a big clean sq. or rectangle with the announcement that “This space is reserved for —- —-.” After two or three days folks will start to marvel who will fill the good clean. It turns into by far probably the most distinguished and priceless promoting area within the paper, and may command spherical sum. Make a worthwhile cut price for a month or 12 months for the filling of the area. If withdrawn, announce, “This space will now be filled by —- —-.” The first advertiser’s rival will fairly absolutely need it, a end result which No. 1 will hardly allow if he might help it, and so between opponents in enterprise your clean will at all times be crammed and you’ll increase your value if competitors turns into sharp.
812. THE PAGE CONTRACTWhen your promoting patronage turns into giant and you discover it essential to make use of assistants, you can see it to your benefit to let the promoting out in contracts to your subordinates. Instead of paying your helpers a wage, you inform them that they’ll have a web page for $50 or $500 (in response to the scale of the web page and the variety of the circulation). They then safe the commercials themselves and make what they’ll. _They_ and never _you_ take the danger. Many assistants wouldn’t be prepared to do this, however others would favor the chance to work for themselves on this approach.
