Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-09-17
VOL. XXXIIl.
SUBSCRIPTIONS TO NEWSPAPERS.
A Paper Read by Mr.. r. NJ. White at
the Meeting of the Missouri Press
Association in st. Louis.

OF the Missouri Press ASSOCIATION IN
st. Louis. The discussion on the
paper was led by Col. NJ. A. Fan
ming, Of the st. Louis Mirror, and
was participated in by Col. VIM. F.
Switzler, Maj. Ethan Allen and 9TH
er prominent editors
MIR. President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the
|. Convention:
As understand the matter, our
executive committee expects the sub
jeet assigned me to be treated under
the twin departments, viz :"How to
Secure Subscribers and "How to
Hold Them After They are Secured" ="
OF course, all present agree to keep
out of my territory, otherwise |
could not afford to unbosom myself
on these two vital points. The first
portion of my subject is much easier
to handle than the last-in brief,
the way to get subscribers is to go
out and get them.
| The people Of this country are all
readers young and old, men and
women, rich and poor, all love to
read. Any person who reads at all
reads the newspapers.
| Again, | say, when you want sub
scribers just go out and get them. If
a man gets mad and stops his paper
because you forgot to say he was
married last week Or did say he came
home drunk yesterday and kicked
his wife, go out and get half dozen
new subscribers to take the place of
the one lost. If a "tin-horn" poll
tician stops your paper because he
cannot edit it, just get mad and go
out and get dozen new subscribers
who are not politicians and who will
pay you for their papers. If half a
dozen fanatics who are wrong
(some fanatics are right and some
editors are wrong) endeavor to wipe
you off the face of the earth be-
cause you don't go off with them in
their isms, go out and don't come
back until you get one hundred sub
scribers. Don't shakeI your head :;
you can do it. There ia no trouble
! in getting new and cash Aubscribers
every day in the week if you will
only try. Don't stop when you get
as many as your contemporary has ;
don't stop when you have as many
as you expected to get don't stop
when you have your book full !; get
another book. No live newspaper
man will ever stop getting new SUBJ
scribers until after he dies, and those
editors who have conducted the right
kind of papers for people on earth
will have plenty of admirers in the
next world.
These statements, you say, are
glittering and you would like to
have some details. That's different.
| have had a good deal of Experience
in this line and some SUCCESS. l
never go into details when after new
subscribers, but will have to state
few points which | think are worthy
OF your attention.
In the first place, you must own
and conduct good, clean paper.
You must be known as its editor
its controlling spirit you must be
known to the people among whom
you live. They must know you as
the news man, the item man, or the
Mexico LEDGER man, as the case
may be. You have something to
sell and it is worth more than You
ask for it. The people want it and
desire it as much as you want them
to have it. You must know and feel
this to be a fact and the rest is easy.
Mix with your people. Go to the
pienics, to the hangings go to the
church fairs, go to the school meet
ings, go to the public meetings.
Use your influence and spend your
money for and devote your space to
all matters which are a benefit to
the public. Go everywhere you can
find people gathered together get
subscribers everywhere you go.
That's what you are there for. Yes,
ask people to take your paper Tell
them to "refuse all substitutes" and
that there is not another equally
as good;' and labor night and day
to make your paper as you represent
it. If you are conducting paper
which you are ashamed to ask the
public to take, don't do it. Go into
some other bunco business. F'akirs
have long since either dropped out or
been kicked out Of the newspaper
business in Missouri.
| A very good plan for a political
paper is to offer close rate during
a campaign. Don't offer any prizes
or chromos, but give a slight reduc-
tiou in price to new subscrlbers-for
three months, say. have found this
plan to work well, and out of five
hundred campaign subscribers, dur
ing a hot campaign, held over and
have yet more than IS per cent. of
them.
! l wish could tell you as easily
how to hold all the new subscribers
secured in this way. In the first
place, you must give them value re-
ceived-all you promised and more.