With professional writers for hire across the globe, it is relatively easy to start a professional newspaper for a college. Running a school newspaper, however, is not as easy of a job as one may think. In many cases, a new endeavor fails during the starting phase. However, if you can set up and start a venture in newspaper printing, there is a higher chance that your business will succeed.
If this is the industry you desire to venture into and you are not sure how to go about it, here is a starter’s guide that will help you with the basics.
The Dream Team
It is essential to know that the members of your staff are willing to work with you and see your dream grow. Therefore, the first step is to find a team that will stick with you through thick and thin to ensure your business has a chance at succeeding.
Some of the main newspaper positions that are essential include:
The adviser- In most cases, this position is designated for the faculty member in charge. The primary purpose of an adviser is to oversee an entire project and ensure all financial considerations are taken care of. The adviser also acts as a liaison between the newsroom and the school’s administrations.
The Writers- It is fundamental to hire writers who are capable of providing good content. Since the articles will be for a school paper, you will be mainly reporting about the school activities and news that make headlines locally. Try sourcing your writers from your schools’ journalism class, and other students in the school interested in writing. However, if you have more content that needs to be covered and is somewhat overwhelming for students, you can hire professional writers locally.
The editor- This is the final person who approves what appears on the paper, and how it will appear. In most cases, an editor is a position for the student in charge of the newsroom. Editors have several responsibilities from directing writers, approving design and layout, approving graphics, pictures, and advertisements for papers, and occasionally writing articles. If you are unable to handle this task, there are authors for hire who can lend a helping hand and leave you with the supervision responsibility.
The Graphic and layout artist- This is the person who will ensure the paper looks organized and neat at all times. The artist is responsible for building ads for advertisers, creating artwork, and develop logos.
The Photographers- A newspaper is not complete without images of real-time events to support the article. However, before you start using any photo that fits your headline, it is essential to comply with privacy laws in schools. You must also ensure you have an image release form, which permits you to use the student image. Additionally, since there are times when the school will hold more than one event at a time, you may need to depend on other students for newspaper photos, even if they are not part of the photography team.
The distribution and sales team- If there is an intention of expanding the business, then having a capable sales and distribution team is critical. The sales team should ensure there is a constant market flow, and build a relationship between the news team and their audience. The distributors need to ensure that papers reach their intended market within a reasonable timeframe to keep the content relevant.
Cover everything
Now that the team is set and something is happening behind the scenes, it is time now to get start sourcing your content. In such a competitive industry, it is important that you are always the first to access information. A great source of information is directly from the board meetings, this allows you to report which direction the school will take for a particular academic year or semester.
Be ready to travel
Although this might be a significant challenge due to tight budgets, traveling can bring more opportunity to the paper and can set you apart. Therefore, for convenience, you may want to consider recruiting the supporting staff from various sports teams and clubs, as they will be able to gather information.
Even with all these steps in place, a college newspaper will still take time before it can be labeled a success. Therefore, you must be ready to sacrifice even more before you start enjoying the benefits of your hard labor.
For more topics on all things related to college life, check out the other blogs on College Basics.
