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Expert Guidance

Retail Ad Guide & FAQ

Everything you need to know about booking, writing, and releasing successful retail advertisements.

Common questions

Advertising a shop or a sale — answered

Straight answers on cost, format and timing for a retail ad, whether it is your first one or your fiftieth.

Cost & format 03 QUESTIONS
What you pay and what the ad looks like
Q. How much does a retail ad cost in the newspaper?

There are two formats and they are priced differently. Classified text is charged per line, so a short announcement — sale dates, shop name, address, phone — is the cheapest way in. Classified display and full display are charged per sq.cm, so the price follows the size you take, and that is what lets you carry a logo, a photo of the product, a border or colour. Both are per insertion, plus 5% GST. The rate finder above shows the real figure for your paper and edition at official rates, lowest-price guaranteed, before you share anything.

Q. Should a shop ad be classified or display?

Ask what the ad has to do. If it only has to state a fact — sale from the 14th, new branch open, stock arrived — classified text does that for the least money. If the product has to be seen, or you want your shop's name and logo recognisable at a glance across the page, take display. Many retailers run a small display for the opening and cheaper classified lines on the days that follow.

Q. What should a sale or store-opening ad contain?

Keep it to what a reader needs in order to act: what the offer is, the dates it runs, the shop name, the full address with a landmark, and a phone or WhatsApp number. For an opening, add the day and the time. Send us these in any order — a photo of a handwritten note is fine — and we set it in the paper's format and show you a proof before it prints.

Reach & timing 03 QUESTIONS
Which edition, and which day
Q. Which edition will actually reach my customers?

An ad runs only in the editions you choose, and each edition covers specific districts — a city edition will not reach a reader two districts away, and there is no sense paying for readers who will never walk into your shop. Tell us your locality and the area you draw customers from, and we confirm which edition covers it before you pay.

Q. How far ahead of my sale should the ad run?

Print is read the morning it lands, so book it to appear a day or two before the offer starts rather than on the day itself — that gives a reader time to plan the trip. If the sale runs a week, many retailers take one insertion before it opens and a second midway through; each insertion is charged separately at the same rate.

Q. When is the booking deadline?

Most papers have a same-day or next-morning cut-off, so booking before the cut-off gets you into the next day's edition. Display space on popular pages books out earlier than classified lines, so leave yourself a day or two of margin for anything with a logo or photo. We confirm the exact cut-off for your paper and edition before you pay.

Booking & proof 03 QUESTIONS
Paying, and knowing it ran
Q. Can you write or translate the ad for me?

Yes — free. Send the details in any language and we draft the wording, trim it to the paper's line limit, translate it into the paper's language and show you a proof before it prints. If you already have artwork for a display ad, send that instead and we check it against the paper's size and format rules.

Q. How do I know the ad actually ran?

After publication you can view your ad in that paper's e-paper, or buy a local copy of the edition. You also get a GST invoice for the booking.

Q. How do I pay, and is this genuine?

Book and pay online in minutes — UPI/QR, card, net-banking or NEFT/RTGS via a secure link. releaseMyAd is the INS-accredited online booking platform for 280+ dailies and has booked ads since 2009.

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How to book · retail

How to book a retail ad in Retail.

Three things used to be hard: knowing the rate, composing the ad and picking the right release date. Here's what each looks like now.

Phase 01
Decide the rate.
Used to need a phone call to the classified desk.

Pick city and edition and the rate appears live. Weekday vs Sunday shown side-by-side. Multi-edition bundles auto-discount on three editions or more.

  1. 0:30

    Pick your category

    Select retail from the classified categories. Sub-categories narrow the section your ad appears in.

  2. 0:45

    Pick your city and edition

    All {edition_count} this newspaper editions listed with live rates. Bundles show on the same page.

  3. 1:00

    Weekday or Sunday?

    Sunday editions carry higher readership at a modest premium. The rate calculator shows both side-by-side.

  4. 1:15

    Bundle discount applied

    5% off three editions, 10% off five, 15% off eight. Pre-built bundles save up to 90% vs individual city bookings.

Phase 02
Compose the ad.
Used to mean copying an old classified from a previous issue.

The composer renders your ad in the exact column width and font the newspaper prints in. Templates let you skip the blank page entirely.

  1. 1:30

    Pick a template or write your own

    Pre-built retail templates available. Use as-is or edit to match your requirements.

  2. 2:00

    Type your copy with live preview

    Live preview re-flows your ad in the actual column width. Character count and per-line pricing update on every keystroke.

  3. 2:30

    Upload a photo (optional)

    JPG or PNG up to 5 MB. We auto-check resolution and warn if it's too low to print cleanly.

  4. 2:45

    Add enhancements

    Tick mark, border, bold — each priced live next to its toggle. You see the final number change before you commit.

Phase 03
Book & confirm.
Used to require a separate call to confirm the booking.

Choose release dates from the calendar, pay your way, and receive instant confirmation. Editorial approval and tearsheet PDF are on us.

  1. 3:00

    Pick release dates

    Calendar shows available dates with deadlines highlighted. Multi-date bookings get a single invoice.

  2. 3:15

    Pay your way

    UPI, credit and debit cards, net banking, wallets. Corporate accounts can pay by NEFT or cheque. GST invoice in your inbox within 5 minutes.

  3. After payment

    Editorial check

    this newspaper checks the ad for category fit and standard wording. ~98% pass on first review; any issue is flagged same business day.

  4. Publication day

    Prints, SMS, tearsheet

    Your ad appears in the edition you booked. SMS with page and section number on publication day. Tearsheet PDF in your inbox within 48 hours.

The whole booking takes about three minutes; the rest runs without you.
Copy, formatting and release dates can be edited free up to 24 hours before press.
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See your rate instantly — the official newspaper rate, lowest-price guaranteed.

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