Fort Dodge school calendar generates $10,000 in revenue

Advertisers know this is a great year-round opportunity to get their business in front of the faces of parents throughout the entire community.”

David Jakeman, advertising director

The Messenger of Fort Dodge, Iowa, generated more than $10,000 with its Fort Dodge School Calendar this past year.

The paper's school calendar is distributed entirely by the school district.  It is filled with all of the information families need to know about for the upcoming school year.  Picture day to athletic events to early outs – everything is in the calendar.

He offers the following advice to other newspapers that want to produce a similar calendar in their markets:

• "Do not limit yourself to the typical advertisers for ad support – think outside of the box and remember that the publication will be highly visible at schools, homes and offices throughout the community as parents hang it up to keep track of activities and events.
• "Make sure to get the information from your local school in enough time to allow multiple proofs to the school to ensure the accuracy of all the information; our local school works on the information throughout the year and gets it to us in early summer to start putting the publication together for a late July or early August delivery."

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