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Start A Newspaper Clipping Service

This document provides instructions for starting a home-based newspaper clipping service business. The business involves scanning newspapers and magazines to find and clip articles relevant to specific clients and industries. Key points: 1) Newspaper clipping services experience demand from companies, organizations, and government agencies seeking information on various topics. 2) The business requires minimal startup costs and involves clipping articles, filing them by topic, and sending clippings to clients on a monthly subscription basis for fees of $25-100 per month. 3) With 20-25 clients, significant earnings are possible. The business is promoted through direct mail, phone calls, ads and referrals from satisfied clients.

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Pratyoosh Dwivedi
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376 views5 pages

Start A Newspaper Clipping Service

This document provides instructions for starting a home-based newspaper clipping service business. The business involves scanning newspapers and magazines to find and clip articles relevant to specific clients and industries. Key points: 1) Newspaper clipping services experience demand from companies, organizations, and government agencies seeking information on various topics. 2) The business requires minimal startup costs and involves clipping articles, filing them by topic, and sending clippings to clients on a monthly subscription basis for fees of $25-100 per month. 3) With 20-25 clients, significant earnings are possible. The business is promoted through direct mail, phone calls, ads and referrals from satisfied clients.

Uploaded by

Pratyoosh Dwivedi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Start Your Own Home Newspaper Clipping Service

Information is power!

Yes, information is power. And Now you can plug into that power with
your own newspaper clipping service!

Newspaper clipping is a very lucrative business, and it's growing in


demand and popularity. Thousands of people in all parts of the world are
making hundreds of dollars each week, just reading and clipping news items
in the privacy of their own homes. The good news is that there is still
plenty or room for you to carve out your own niche and cash in on this
excellent work-at-home opportunity. Your success and income will be
limited only by your desire to work hard and succeed.

In this so called "Age of Information" we live in, individual people,


government agencies, and private corporations have an almost unlimited need
for news and information about the topics that affect their daily lives and
transactions.

Information is truly power, and especially for businesses, the more


information they have, the better off they are. That means they will pay
to get their hands on any tidbit that will help them do their jobs better.

You can take advantage of this need and make your way into the
exploding world of information management, and, best of all, you can make
an excellent income with a minimum investment.

What is a newspaper clipping service?

Many of you may harbor some misunderstanding about just what a press
clipping business is all about. If you explain to friends or neighbors that
you operate a press clipping business, most of them will think you pore
through obituaries, funeral notices and wedding announcements, and then
clip these and send them to friends and relatives for a fee.

In reality, very few people make a living with this type of service
these days. Successful press clipping services have contracts with
companies and organizations that want to keep current on any number of
matters reported in the papers.

Some companies hire clipping services to keep track of what their


competitors are doing. Other companies, including businesses of all kinds,
use clipping services as a means of locating sales leads and new customers.
National magazines and newspapers are always in need of different or
interesting material, and frequently employ home-based clipping services.
Many government agencies also have a great need for information about
the tasks they need to perform. For example, most agricultural states have
an agency whose job is to encourage proper soil and water conservation. In
Minnesota, for example, the Board of Water and Soil Resources is charged
with making sure the thousands of farmers in its state are practicing
proper conservation tillage and other land preservation practices.

The Board of Water and Soil Resources has a great interest in any kind of
information that relates to soil conservation or water pollution. In a
local small-town paper prints a story, for example, about a local farmer
who has achieved great success in growing crops while reducing his use of
chemical pesticides and herbicide, this would be an excellent item to clip
for the Board's information and public relations efforts.

What you need to get started

To set yourself up in this kind of business, you'll need only a pair


of scissors and as many different newspapers and magazines that you can
subscribe to. A visit to your local public library will be very informative
about the many kinds of publications - both newspapers and magazines - that
are on the market.

You can reduce your costs by borrowing or trading used and unwanted
newspapers and magazines from everyone you know. You might also ask the
library to let you have any documents they would otherwise throw out or
place in the recycling bin.

You should also visit your local wholesale paper house, or make a deal
with the local stationary store to buy labels at a discount price. You'll
want to attach these labels to the top of each clipping you send to your
clients. On these labels, you'll want to print the name of the publication
the clippings came from, the date it appeared, as well as your name and
address.

The next step is simply to start clipping articles that mention or


talk about specific companies or people. File your clippings in envelopes
or boxes according to industries or types of businesses, by company name
and also according to the names of the people mentioned.

Once you have ten or more clippings that talk about a particular
company or person, put them in an envelope and send them to that company's
owner or public relations director. You should include a short letter with
the clippings explaining your service and fees. One the next page is a
letter format you can use for your own business:
Jan. 1, 1993

Public Relations Director


ABC Corporation
P.O. Box 123
City, State, Zip

Dear Person:

Enclosed you will find several newspaper and magazines clippings that may
have direct and important relevance to your business and customers.

As an experienced information researcher, I can supply your company with


articles that may contain information on how to better serve your customers,
improve your products or service, or help you keep abreast of what your
competitors are doing.

I'm sure you will find this service invaluable. My monthly fee is $50. If
you do not find this amount acceptable, please feel free to call me and
I'll negotiate a fair price with you.

I look forward to hearing from you soon and discussing my service in


greater detail.

Sincerely,

Your name
Address
Phone number

You should try to get your clients to agree to pay you a monthly
"reader's fee" for which you agree to look for anything in the newspaper
about him or his company or industry. Every time you spot an article, you
clip it, and send it to your client. A minimum monthly reader's fee is
usually $25, but it can vary according to the number of publications you
read and the number of clippings found.

What earnings are possible?

Generally, a clipping service that scans statewide publications charge


about $50 per client, or $100 per client for those who want clippings from
national publications. These fees are monthly, and you can easily see how
you could make very good money with just 20 or 25 clients.
To promote and build your business, you can scan your local business
services directory and send out a solicitation letter to each of those
listed. A couple of days after you've posted your sales letter, you should
follow up with a phone call.

A short, to-the-point ad under "Business Personals" in your daily


newspaper will also bring in new clients for you. As soon as you can
afford it, go with at least a small display ad in the yellow pages of your
telephone directory.

You should definitely contact public relations firms, advertising


agencies and civic organizations in your area. Explain your service and ask
them if they have
any special clients or needs you can help them with. You'll find many of
your local political and "cause" groups very interested in receiving
clippings about their opponents.

Clipping services in one form or another have been around since the
advent of the printing press, and they are more in demand in our modern
"Age of Information" than ever before. It is certainly the kind of
business anyone who knows how to read can set up and operate with an
absolute minimum investment.

The ultimate success of the business will depend on your drive and
tenacity, your willingness to work hard and make your service the best and
most valuable it can be.

One last bit of advice:

Once you land your first client, that business or agency can lead to
more customers for your service. After you have worked with a certain
company for three or four months, ask them for a recommendation, or an
evaluation of your service. Here is a letter format you can use:

Jan. 1, 1993

Public Relations Director


ABC Corporation
123 4th Street
City, State Zip

Dear Person:

I am writing to ask a favor of you. You have been using my clip service
for three months now. I would appreciate it if you could give me a frank
evaluation of the quality and value my service has provided to you business
and information needs.

Enclosed is a stamped, self addressed envelope for your reply. I would


also like your permission to use your comments in brochures, ads or letters
used to market my newspaper clipping service.

Thank you your help, and I look forward to hearing how my service has
worked for you.

Sincerely,

Your Name

That's it. You should really give this a try. A newspaper clipping
service is a great home business opportunity for just about anyone.

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