1 Survey your community and find out which audiences might not be well served by other publications. Talk to people to get an idea of their interests and needs. Look at businesses that could be potential advertisers for your publication.
2 Find an affordable and reliable printer. Newspapers cannot be printed at the local copy shop, and printing is likely to be your top expense. Shop around---local every day and every week newspapers that own their own printing presses often are willing to take on other jobs but some printers focus on publishing community newspapers.
3 Establish promotion rates that will cover the costs of publication, including your own pay. You can find examples online or get rates from similar regional publications. It is important to set rates that advertisers can afford and will cover your bills.
4 Choose the way you will get your newspapers to readers. Direct mail can saturate a wide area but is expensive; home delivery is time-consuming and will likely involve paying delivery people. Most efficient, in the beginning, is to ask local businesses to over your paper near the checkout.
5 Create contacts by joining the Chamber of Commerce and local service organizations. You will meet leaders in the community as well as business owners. When they know who you are and what you are doing, they are more likely to support you than in the event you show up at their door.
