Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
As we ramped up for this year’s MPA Convention, my friend Steve Rosenfeld with Bluefin Technology Partners stopped by Leader World Headquarters and asked a question I never really considered.
“Peggy,” he asked, “Do you still believe in classifieds?”
What? Of course, I believe in classifieds. We publish them every week, don’t we? Classifieds are real.
He said many publishers he talks with across the country have given up hope for classified ads. They take what comes in, but don’t really promote or market classified ads.
BlueFin is a white-label company that helps newspaper readers place print and digital ads from the comfort of their sofas, wearing PJs, whenever it’s convenient. I call it “self-serve” advertising. Our readers want this. We at the Leader want this. But what about my fellow publishers? Do you see the value in spending money to improve classifieds?
If I could magically take the world of classified advertising back in time – before the internet, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Zillow – I would. It was the heyday of newspaper classified advertising.
If our time-turner took us back to 2005, classified ads generated 30-40 percent or more of a newspaper’s annual revenue. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch called classifieds “rivers of gold.” Newspapers had a monopoly of sorts, especially when it came to advertising the big three – real estate, jobs and automotive.
I looked at our own Jefferson County Leader newspaper from September 2005. The paper had 23 pages of classified ads, including 15.5 pages of real estate ads. In total, our 2005 paper had 72 pages; 32 percent of the pages were classified ads. Wow! What would I give for that today?
By contrast, in September 2025, our weekly Jefferson County Leader had 6.5 pages of classified ads. The 2025 edition had 40 pages, and 16.25 percent are classified ads. That’s a 71 percent drop in classified advertising. No wonder publishers are giving up hope.
Has the ship sailed? Should we just give up on classified advertising? I say, “No way!”
First of all, every dollar is precious to the operation of a local newspaper. We can’t afford to give up anything. Second, local newspapers offer a service to advertisers and readers that can’t be found anywhere else.
Much of our classified section is dedicated to advertisements for small, locally owned businesses that offer services to our community. When readers need a plumber or a painter or a lawn-care pro, they flip to the classified pages of the Leader. Readers know these are legit companies who believe in the newspaper and themselves enough to spend real dollars on advertising. These are not fly-by-night operations trying to skate by with some free marketing on social media. These mom-and-pop companies are looking for a way to tell people what they offer. We can help.
As newspapers and marketing partners, we can help by making buying advertising as easy as possible. These classified advertisers don’t have time in their days to sit through long needs assessments (even if it would be in their best interest). During the workday, they are busy fixing things, installing things, making things. They want an option to make marketing and advertising decisions after hours, so we are doing our best to let them.
Will newspapers return to the glory days of classified advertising? Probably not. Times have changed. But we don’t have to give up. We can stake our place in the marketing landscape, help our small businesses succeed and give our readers access to quality businessowners.
Classified ads remain real for us, and we continue to look for ways to serve both our readers and our advertisers through the power of local press. I still believe.
