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Newspaper Idea Exchange
Welcome to Georgia Press Association’s Newspaper Idea Exchange, where creativity meets collaboration. We invite you to share your innovative concepts and successful projects from your newspaper and explore fresh perspectives that can elevate your publication. Whether you seek to freshen up newspaper’s traditional “Best of” promotion, need a new idea for a slow revenue month, want to exchange information about how to better work with a local post office or connect with fellow journalists, this is the space to ignite your imagination and foster meaningful discussions.
Please click here to share your idea!
No. 6. White County’s Unsung Heroes
From Erin Etris, General Manager
White County News, Cleveland
706-865-4718
publisher@whitecountynews.net
Describe the idea: White County’s Unsung Heroes is a glossy quarter fold new to the line-up of WCN’s 2026 special sections. The fold out not only allows readers to get to know their local law enforcement leaders with detailed bio’s inside, but business leaders can show their support for the people who keep the White County community safe in the form of ads on the inside and outside. The heroes can easily be swapped out to reflect those in your own community and new heroes can be spotlighted each year to keep the content fresh. Additionally, many of you may already do a Hometown Heroes special section in September. This idea could easily be implemented then as well with a focus on firefighters and EMS services instead.
How was the idea implemented? By looking at similar glossy fold outs WCN has done before, General Manager Erin Etris was able to determine desired ad count, ad layout, goal budget and rates first. A flyer was created once rates were set and selling began with great response. Managing Editor Denise Etheridge and Reporter Carly Henderson worked diligently with our community’s law enforcement offices to collect the background information and headshots of the leaders we chose to spotlight this year. Approved ads and content were uploaded to our Google Drive where extremely talented designer Jimmy Eden was able to access components and lay out the quarter fold with minimal direction from WCN staff.
What were the results of the idea? The idea was well received among our local law enforcement offices, local business leaders and the community at large. The fold out was a great success, allowing WCN to kick off 2026 on a high note instead of a low note as can happen in January.
Please click the links below to download the full PDFs.
WCN Unsung Heroes 2026 – QrtFold Inside – sales@whitecountynews.net
WCN Unsung Heroes 2026 – QrtFold Outside – sales@whitecountynews.net
Idea No. 5 – Games and Puzzles Special Section
From Rose Scoggins, Publisher
The Hartwell Sun
706-376-8025
editor@thehartwellsun.com
Describe the idea: The Hartwell Sun runs a weekly puzzle that you’re most certain to get calls about if it happens to get left out one week. With a readership that loves puzzles, we thought it would be a fun and simple revenue booster to create a Games and Puzzles special section.
How was the idea implemented? This eight-page section was created using mainly puzzles from MetroCreativeConnection (the cover/I Spy game was created in-house). We sold 6×2 and 6×4 banner ads that were placed on the top or bottom of each game/puzzle. With eight pages worth of puzzles, the advertising was sure to be seen over and over again as readers worked their way through the section.
What were the results of the idea? We sold 10/15 possible ads and brought in just over $2,000. Our readers gave us great feedback and seemed to enjoy it. For something so simple, it was a great product that gave us a small boost at the end of the summer!
Please click these links to download the pages pictured below:
Pages from HRT – Games and Puzzles R – Rose Scoggins
Pages from HRT – Games and Puzzles R-2 – Rose Scoggins
Pages from HRT – Games and Puzzles R-3 – Rose Scoggins
Pages from HRT – Games and Puzzles R-4 – Rose Scoggins
Pages from HRT – Games and Puzzles R-5 – Rose Scoggins
Idea No. 4: The Toccoa Record – Harvest Festival Spread
From Michael O’Hearn, Publisher
The Toccoa Record
706-886-9476
mohearn@thetoccoarecord.com
Describe the idea: Stephens County has some mainstay events throughout the year, such as Harvest Festival, Currahee Military Weekend, and Taste of Toccoa. We decided to do advertising with the first event mentioned above back in late October, providing readers with a two-page spread of festival information, a map, and anything else that they might want to know – from vendor offerings to entertainment. Because this was something we’d never implemented before, we did not know how this would turn out, but I would say we got a good response.
How was the idea implemented? Advertisers would buy ads to fill the edges of the double truck and we would fill in the rest with the editorial content about the festival.
What were the results of the idea? It was a modest success, especially for our first time trying it. We’d like to continue implementing the spread in future festivals and may ponder branching out to events, such as the aforementioned Taste of Toccoa.
Please click these links to download the pages pictured above:
A06-CTR-102325 – Michael O’Hearn
A07-CTR-102325 – Michael O’Hearn
Idea No. 3: The Clayton Tribune – Gunner Stockton UGA Spirit
From Enoch Autry, Publisher
The Clayton Tribune
706-782-3312
eautry@theclaytontribune.com
Describe the idea: The Clayton Tribune is located in Rabun County, the home to some amazing views of the Northeast Georgia mountains, but also home to some even more impressive people. This idea is about highlighting the individuals who make your community special. Rabun County is home to Gunner Stockton, who set multiple state records for passing and overall touchdowns as a high school quarterback. Now he is the starting quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. He has become well known in the Southeast for being his good-natured self off the field, while being a talented, tough hombre on the field. Heading into the 2025 Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff game — Stockton’s first career start at UGA — the Tribune created a share page to give businesses, organizations and individuals an opportunity to show their local support for Stockton, a lifelong Rabun Countian. The cost of the color advertisements were kept at a minimal price to afford groups the chance to wish Stockton luck and congratulate him on his accomplishments. The Tribune also did another version of the share page in honor of Stockton and the Dawgs for this season’s Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day 2026.
The is a double spread to promote The University of Georgia footfall team going to the SEC Championship, entering the College Football Playoff or a bowl game. There is a write-up of each game of the season. We have a photographer that goes to all home games, so we have photos from each home game. This could be named – Road to the Championship, Road to the CFP or Road to the Rose Bowl. Make it specific to the game(s) they are going to.
This is a bowl pick challenge that you can run in your newspaper. You can get some advertising revenue with the ads and produce a great readership contest at the same time.
How was the idea implemented? Gunner Stockton and the Stockton family are beloved in Rabun County. For the Tribune’s advertising idea to be successful for other newspapers, select a person, group or entity that people would like to praise within the pages of the paper. When we were assured Stockton would be the starting quarterback for Georgia in the 2025 Sugar Bowl, the Tribune’s sales associates kicked it into high gear and contacted as many people as possible through in-person visits, texts and emails to give them the opportunity to be part of this special advertising moment. The editorial staff also provided names of potential advertisers to be contacted for the share page. The share page was beautifully created by the Tribune’s designer to give it a certain hometown feel. The share page also included a playoff bracket for additional reader content. The editorial staff also crafted multiple articles for the paper to make the share page a concerted community experience.
Ads were sold to go around content. A small piece of content was written on each game of the regular season. The designer laid out the pages.
Selection Sunday will be the first Sunday in December. Selection Sunday will be when the final top 12 teams and the playoff bracket for the national championship will be announced. The bowl game match-ups will also be announced. Presale the ads on the page. You have room on the sides and the bottom. You can break down the space however you’d like. The page will run the following week and the games will likely start the next weekend. You can also add a digital component to the contest. Add a Google form so folks can turn in their picks electronically.
What were the results of the idea? The double-truck share page was an unscheduled financial gain for the Tribune, and the ad sales helped fund the newspaper’s sports editor’s trip to the Sugar Bowl, so Stockton’s hometown publication was on the sideline photographing and reporting his first career start in such an important college playoff game. The share page boosted sales; promoted the Tribune into being a go-to source for Stockton information and also the advertisement made its rounds on social media showcasing that Rabun County fully supported one of its hometown student-athletes.
The pages were a great success. Advertisers were a part of a quality section, and readers got some great content.
Results were good. Advertising sold out with 7 ads. There was good participation from readers.
Please click the link to the right to download the PDF: CLT Gunner UGA Spirit 122624 Full DT – Clayton Tribune
Idea No. 2: The Northeast Georgian – Bowl Pick Challenge
From Keith Barlow, Publisher
The Northeast Georgian, Cornelia
706-778-4215
kbarlow@thenortheastgeorgian.com
Describe the idea: This is a bowl pick challenge that you can run in your newspaper. You can get some advertising revenue with the ads and produce a great readership contest at the same time.
How was this idea implemented? Selection Sunday for the College Football Playoff will be the first Sunday in December. Selection Sunday will be when the final top 12 teams and the playoff bracket for the national championship will be announced. The bowl game match-ups will also be announced. Pre-sell the ads on the page. You have room on the sides and the bottom. You can break down the space however you’d like. The page will run the following week, and the games will likely start the next weekend. You can also add a digital component to the contest. Add a Google form so folks can turn in their picks electronically.
What were the results of the idea? The results were good. Advertising sold out with seven ads, and there was good participation from readers.
Click the link to the right to download the PDF: Northeast Georgian Bowl Pick 2025
Idea No. 1: The Northeast Georgian – UGA Road to the Championship
From Keith Barlow, Publisher
The Northeast Georgian, Cornelia
706-778-4215
kbarlow@thenortheastgeorgian.com
Describe the idea: The idea is a double spread to promote The University of Georgia footfall team going to the SEC Championship, entering the College Football Playoff or a bowl game. There is a write-up of each game of the season. We have a photographer that goes to all home games, so we have photos from each home game. This could be named – Road to the Championship, Road to the CFP or Road to the Rose Bowl. Make it specific to the game(s) they are going to.
How was the idea implemented? Ads were sold to go around content. A small piece of content was written on each game of the regular season. The designer laid out the pages.
What were the results of the idea? The pages were a great success. Advertisers were a part of a quality section, and readers got some great content.
Click the link to the right to download the PDF: UGA season 2024