One of the most common questions we receive is why not every business qualifies for free advertising in our magazine. It’s a fair question and the answer really starts with the basics.
Producing a print magazine costs money. A lot of money. Printing, distribution, mailing, website maintenance and the countless hours of work that go into each issue all come with real expenses. So if we offered free advertising to everyone, a simple question has to be asked: where would the money come from to actually produce the magazine?
Our magazine exists because of paid advertising, sponsorships and the support of our subscribers. That support allows us to do something many publications simply cannot, which is provide a significant amount of free advertising to qualifying small businesses in our community. Sponsorship and subscribers are not nearly enough to cover the large expenses.
From day one, our mission has been to support the local, independent small businesses that make St. Pete and the surrounding area so unique. That’s why we provide free advertising opportunities like our local coupon section, along with regular local spotlights, recipe features, articles and social media promotions that highlight businesses in our area.
However, our free coupon section is reserved for businesses that meet specific criteria.
They must be a local brick-and-mortar small business open to the public in St. Pete, Gulfport or St. Pete Beach.
When we say “small business,” we truly mean small and independent.
That means businesses that have built their brand from the ground up without the marketing power, recognition and support system that typically comes with a national or international brand. This is why franchises do not qualify for free advertising. Franchises benefit from established branding, national marketing, built-in customer recognition and corporate support systems that independent businesses simply do not have access to.
The same goes for larger corporations or ownership groups that operate multiple restaurants or multiple brands in the area. We genuinely celebrate that level of success. It takes hard work to build something that big. But when it comes to free space in the magazine, we believe those opportunities should be reserved for businesses that truly need the extra visibility.
At the end of the day, our free advertising is for the “little guys.” The independent shop owners who are paying rent, managing overhead, working long hours and trying to build something of their own. The businesses that may not have thousands of followers on social media, but still deserve to be discovered.
We understand that people can make arguments for many different types of businesses and why they should qualify for free advertising and many of you have. We’ve heard the cases for franchises, online businesses, businesses outside the immediate area and companies with multiple locations. In many situations, those arguments can absolutely make sense. But at the end of the day, we have to draw the line somewhere. These are the guidelines we’ve chosen and they are ones we feel strongly about sticking to.
Not everyone will qualify for free advertising in a magazine that costs money to produce. Our criteria exists so we can stay true to our mission while still keeping the magazine sustainable.
The good news is that we also offer very affordable paid advertising options for businesses that don’t meet the free criteria and want additional exposure. Our paid opportunities cost far less than what other publications charge for paid space. We work hard to keep our advertising accessible because we know marketing budgets can be tight.
We also want to acknowledge something candidly. Sadly, many businesses who do not qualify for free advertising become upset with us… sometimes very angry. While we understand that disappointment, the reality is that we will never be able to please everyone. Our responsibility is to stay true to our mission and operate in a way that allows the magazine to continue existing and serving the community.
If you do come across another publication offering comparable free exposure or significantly lower rates, we genuinely encourage you to take advantage of that opportunity. Every business deserves to find the marketing solutions that work best for them.
At the end of the day, everything comes back to sustainability. We are deeply committed to supporting local independent businesses and that commitment is reflected in the amount of free exposure we already provide. But for the magazine to continue existing and serving the community, there has to be balance. So if we offered free advertising to everyone, a simple question still has to be asked: where would the money come from to actually produce the magazine?
