Advertise with Us
Advertising Overview
Publication Overview
The Inkspot serves as the official student-run and student-produced news publication of Normal Community High School, a four-year secondary school with an enrollment of over 2100 students and 180 staff members.
In its 74rd year as the official news source of Normal Community, the publication aims to represent the diverse interests and perspectives of NCHS students. Writing and reporting with a focus on school and community news, the Inkspot aims to cover the stories and issues that concern the high school demographic, emphasizing the NCHS student perspective in our reporting.
Today, the Inkspot is primarily a multimedia publication, updated multiple times a week at NCHSinkspot.com.
Through the website, the staff offers livestreaming coverage of athletic events, school assemblies, and select concerts and performances.
Additionally, the Inkspot produces 5 print newspaper issues a year.
The award-winning publication has an active social media presence on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube at the handle of @NCHSinkspot.
Advertising Revenue
Advertising revenue helps to support the journalism education process at Normal Community High School. Ad revenue is used to cover reoccurring costs such as: attending local and national journalism competitions and conventions; purchasing and maintaining equipment; covering the cost of web-hosting and the printing cost of the newspaper.
Since the Journalism program is self-funded, this money allows students to compete in the IHSA Sectional and State tournaments – where, in 2018, the publication finished 5th in the state and produced the state champions in Advertising, Editorial Cartooning, and Video News Reporting.
Circulation & Audience Reach
Historically, NCHSinkspot.com averages 8,000 unique viewers and over 35,000 page views.
From August to October 2020, NCHSinkspot.com has experienced 3,331 unique visitors and 10,017 page views.
Inkspot social media accounts directly reach upwards of 2,000 subscribers/followers daily.
Advertising Options and Rates
Prices for online and print advertisement packages are included on the following pages. We are willing to customize any package to fit your needs.
Additional Support Options
If you would like to support the Inkspot but are not interested in an advertisement, we gladly accept donations and contributions. Your generous support would be recognized on our Friends of the Inkspot page.
For more information or to purchase an ad contact:
Brad Bovenkerk, Inkspot Advisor
email. [email protected]
email. [email protected]
phone. 309.336.6127
fax. 309.557.4540
Advertising Options: Rates & Placement
The following prices are for full color advertisements that will be a direct, one-click link to your business’s website. The prices reflect upload-ready artwork or images that can be quickly adapted for the Inkspot’s layout. Advertisements will be displayed on all devices – desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Digital advertising locations are sold on a year-long basis, you may swap the advertisement image four times during the contract run.
Included with each ad purchase:
• Advertisement will be displayed during commercial breaks of livestreaming events
• Advertisement will appear 5 times on the Inkspot’s Twitter and Instagram accounts
• Static Leaderboard Ad Placement
Full color, one click to your website, 728px wide x 90px – tall – $750/year
Your static ad will appear at the top of the NCHSinkspot homepage, above the header. It will not rotate with any other ads.
• Right Panel Static Ad Placement
Full color, one click to your website, 250px wide x 250px tall – $500/year
Your static ad will appear underneath the top stories carousel – to the right of the news section on the main landing page of the site. It will not rotate with other ads.
• Right Panel Rotating Ad Placement
Full color, one click to your website, 250px wide by 250px tall – $300/year
Your rotating ad will appear next to the news story section on the homepage of the website. It will rotate with no more than two other advertisements on the main landing page of the site.
• Rotating Leaderboard Ad Placement
Full color, one click to your website, 728px wide x 90px tall – $500/year
Your rotating ad will appear in the middle of the
NCHSinkspot homepage, above the multimedia story section. It will rotate with no more than two other advertisements.
• Ad Design
$100 – our staff will design a full color, high resolution advertisement for you for a flat fee.
If you are interested in an option (placement,size, etc.) not currently offered, please contact us and we will try to accommodate the request.
Print Advertising
Specifications
The following prices are for black and white (grayscale) advertisements on newsprint. The Inkspot will print a minimum of 1000 copies of the paper. The Inkspot prints on tabloid (11×17) paper. Ad sizes are based on column measurements.
Artwork should be submitted in .JPG format – with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
Prices
• Full Page – 10×16 – $350
• Half Page – 10×8 – $175
• Quarter Page – 5×4 – $95
• Eighth Page – 2.5×4 – $50
• Insert – 8.5×11 –
$100 – B&W or Full-Color Inserts supplied by advertiser;
$200 – B&W Inserts printed by Inkspot Staff
If you are interested in a size option not currently being offered please contact us and we will try to accommodate the request.
Placement
Ads will not appear on the front or back page of the Inkspot.
Ads will be placed within the newspaper at random, based on a first-come, first-served basis.
Web Advertisement
With the purchase of a print ad – for an additional $50 you can have your ad appear on the publication website for a full year. The site is updated daily. Placement will vary.
You will receive a complimentary copy of the edition of the Inkspot that your ad runs in.
Inkspot Ad Contract Link