Most advertisers know that readership of their newspaper advertising can be improved with a good position on the page. Statistics confirm that ad readership improves when the ad appears higher on the page - especially above the horizontal fold. (Readership can also be affected by choosing the right newspaper section for the audience you are trying to reach but that's a subject for another time).

Here's something to keep in mind when choosing the size of your newspaper ad - especially if that newspaper utilizes a broadsheet format (full size newspaper page compared to a smaller tabloid newspaper page). First, imagine a double page newspaper spread. On the LEFT PAGE, an imaginary line runs from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. With rare exception, the upper triangle is filled with news or non-advertising material. The remaining space (the lower triangle) is filled with ads. These ads are stacked by size, from the bottom of the page, large to small. (In most cases, the advertising triangle on a RIGHT PAGE runs from the upper right of the page to the lower left of the page with news in the upper triangle and advertising in the lower triangle). Put another way, news on both pages are placed adjacent to the "gutter" or vertical center of each two-page spread. By wisely choosing the size of the ad, advertisers can enhance the likelihood of their ad being placed above the horizontal fold of the newspaper page where readership is usually higher.

Knowing this, some newspaper publishers demand a "premium page position" of 15 to 35% or more of total ad space. To avoid this extra cost, an advertiser can "request" that their ad appear in an upper page position while also choosing an ad size that is most likely to "stack" at the top of the triangle. In most cases, larger ads are placed at the bottom of the page, smaller ads above.

So why does page position affect readership? Simple. Full size or broadsheet pages are invariably read while the paper is partially folded. If your ad appears in a lower position on the page that is folded, readership can suffer. (Ad page position is less important on smaller tabloid page format newspapers - it's still important, but less so). See for yourself. Open up a broadsheet newspaper. With the exception of editorial pages that can be 100% editorial - see if you can't see the split between news and paid advertising. Next, notice the size of the ads that appear above the horizontal fold of each page. You'll discover a not-so-obvious stacking procedure that, once understood, can greatly affect the readership of your ad - without premium position costs.

Ad size and its affect on newspaper page position - definitely something to think about.