Newspaper buys have been under close scrutiny. With rates continuing to increase, largely due to the cost of newsprint and distribution, print media needs to ensure it delivers results.

If newspapers are still in your media mix, we suggest that placement can have a huge impact on your ad's effectiveness. It's called "readership courting", and it's a successful strategy when booking newspaper ads. Local news and announcements rank high in popularity with readers, as do articles concerning health, home and food. So it makes sense to book into these high profile sections.

Like all businesses in today's world, newspapers have to change or fade away. Media pundits tell us that the newspaper industry is under threat of technological changes in readership. It is these changes that cause their readers to look elsewhere for information.

Many savvy print publishers are targeting "urban creatives", an audience that prefers technology-based sources of news and information. They are successful by creating websites that report the news, but deliver so much more like blogs, videos and special offers.

When negotiating your newspaper buy, include the value-added component of a presence on their website. You will not only speak to the traditional newspaper reader, but also be exposed to their on-line audience.

In Canada, NADbank reported that newspaper readership bounced back marginally in 2009. On-line readership actually increased by 2%. NADbank (Newspaper Audience Databank) is adamant that the rhetoric about the demise of newspapers is nothing more than that. But remember, the industry lines NADbank's pockets, so it is in their best interest to toe the company line.

Regardless of the instantaneous and free flow of Internet news, people will eventually come to once again appreciate the reliability, quality and geographical applicability of newspapers.