Publishers Use Special Sections to Drive More Revenue

Healthcare in Iowa

Ted Borelli, senior advertising manager of sales for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said, "Typically, when we create new sections, we create them based off of conversations we've had with advertisers. . . . We create sections based on information we get out in the real world." Empower is a special section that spreads knowledge about health issues women could face at all stages of life and connects healthcare providers to women.

Editorial content-gathering starts about ten weeks before publishing. Written by a pool of about 35 freelance writers, the stories include local women and medical professionals as sources. To shape the editorial content, Special Sections Editor Maggy Dumas said the editors use medical websites to research potential stories, email freelancers describing the parameters of the publications and give them a choice of several topics.

The freelance writers are also responsible for providing photos, which Dumas said typically are obtained from the sources or are taken by the writers. Stock art is usually used on the cover of the tabloid. Dumas writes an introduction and edits the stories. Layout is completed by two of The Gazette's graphic designers. The tabloid is printed in-house and distributed within the Sunday newspaper, which has a circulation of 70,273.

"The special sections I work on are considered ‘content with an agenda,' content to sell advertising into," she said. Advertising appeals to a variety of health care providers, including hospitals, dentists, OB-GYN specialists, chiropractors, spas and retirement communities, as well as some non-healthcare businesses. Selling ads in Empower is open to all The Gazette's 15 sales reps and the publication brought in about $10,000 of advertising revenue in 2010.