Media Buying Best Practices

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Purchasing or negotiating discounted or free advertising space can be a daunting task, especially if you are new to media buying. Here are a few tried-and-true tactics to use when promoting Avoid Opioid messaging materials.

Leverage Public Service Status (PSA)

The Avoid Opioid brand was developed in response to the ongoing national opioid crisis. The primary intent of this messaging is to build public awareness and to:

• Educate South Dakotans about the public dangers of opioid use, misuse, and addiction
• Inform communities about preventative measures they can take to keep families safe
• Direct families and loved ones to available services and resources

Radio and television stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are required to provide a certain percentage of on-air public service announcements. Newspaper and magazines are not required to adhere to the same standards. But, many local newspapers and publications are owned and operated by individuals who have been affected by the opioid crisis. They may have seen the damage opioid misuse and abuse have caused in their community. South Dakotans are known for coming together and being supportive at the community level. Often, local media outlets will be willing to discuss editorial coverage, discounted rates, and/or free advertising options.

Let them know that you have done the legwork for them and point them to AvoidOpioidSD.com for South Dakota-specific information and key data.

Remind them that providing prevention strategies and evidence-based educational information can help improve the overall health of our communities and save lives.

Addiction is a preventable disease. Local media can play an instrumental role by sharing fact-based information.

Individuals are encouraged to share Avoid Opioid branded video messaging on social media platforms. For details on how to share our evidence-based messages, visit the Share Digital Media page.

Broadcast television and radio stations are encouraged to run pre-produced Avoid Opioid branded messages as PSAs as often as possible. This will help raise awareness, promote prevention, and point people to available services. Sharing these messages helps reframe the discussion around addiction. Contact us for more on how to access broadcast quality spots.

Share Digital Media

Print media sizes vary from publication to publication. A quarter-page newspaper ad can be different in size and shape from one publication to another. Why? Because newspaper space is sold by the “column inch.” The width of a column inch can vary from publication to publication. Magazine space is often sold in fractions of a page—full page, half, or quarter page sizes, for example.

Sizing

• Choose the ad you want to run. Ask your newspaper or magazine representative about sizes that are close in shape to ads from the media library. Ask them to provide corresponding price proposals.
• It’s best to let the newspaper size your ad for you if you haven’t done it before.
• Please refer to the brand standards section for guidance.

Pricing

• Ask your sales representative if the publication has any special “flight rates” or “TOMA” (Top of Mind Awareness) discounts. If so, have them show you how much more cost-effective they are when compared to their standard rates.
• Ask if they are willing to provide discounted rates or a buy-one-get-one option to help increase visibility.

Section

• Request “forward news” or “local” sections of the paper or publication. Ask to be on a right-hand (odd-numbered) page or back cover. These sections are the first or most-read.

Download Newspaper and Magazine Ads