Seven days a week the classified section of your local newspaper is full of For Rent ads. If you look at them regularly, you'll notice that the Sunday paper seems to have more listings than any other day. One reason there are more ads in the Sunday classified section of your newspaper is that landlords and other advertisers realize circulation goes up on Sundays, simply because people have more time to spend reading the newspaper.

As you read through the ads, you'll also notice that some landlords list their property for one day only, others run the ad three times, and occasionally you'll see an ad for a full week. You'll notice ads of different lengths, some more specific than others. Obviously there are choices to make when placing an ad. Consider the following points to come up with a newspaper ad that will attract the tenants you want.

Cost Is a Factor

A major decision is how much you will spend. Classified ads are a profit zone for newspapers. So when someone — like you — has something to sell, the charges can mount up quickly. Cost will be affected by how many times you want the ad to run and how many words you will use.

At one newspaper in a medium-sized city, if you ran your ad for only one weekday, you would pay $21; that same ad on Sunday would cost $24. However, discounts are applied if your ad runs for more than one day in the newspaper. Thus a basic ad in some cities — fifteen words and three lines — would cost about $100 for a full week of insertions. (If you rent the unit before the end of the week, you can cancel the ad, but you probably won't get a refund.)

You might want to call the classified department before you place an ad. Ask about their rates. Is it more expensive to run the ad in the Sunday paper? If it is, how much? It's likely to be only a couple of dollars higher, and it has the potential to reach more readers. Once you have the pricing information you need, thank the customer service rep and hang up. Then figure out exactly what you want to say and what you can leave out to reduce the cost of placing the ad.

Which Paper?

In addition to the major daily newspaper in your area, you may have a weekly newspaper in your community. If the weekly is distributed in a wide circulation area, consider advertising there. Generally the rates for classified ads in a weekly newspaper are lower than what the daily newspaper charges, although it may be a mere couple of dollars' difference.

Other newspapers to consider are the alternative publications in your community, student newspapers at nearby colleges and universities, and shoppers. (Shoppers are the tabloid newspapers dropped off each week on your doorstep. Unless you're looking for a used car or furniture, or an apartment to rent, you may not even glance at the paper before you throw it out.) Running ads in any of these publications is likely to be less expensive than the daily, but there's no guarantee how many will actually see it.

How Specific Should You Be?

The less you say in your newspaper ad, the more people are likely to call asking about it. But then you may be inundated with calls. Do you want the phone to ring off the hook, day and night, only to have them hang up once you've told them what the rent is, where the apartment is located, how many bedrooms it has, or whether utilities are included? Do you want to take these calls and weed out unqualified buyers yourself? Do you know what to say to the callers? (If you don't, Chapter 11 will help you with this.)

On the other hand, if you say too much in the ad, will that eliminate prospects who have decided not to spend that much on rent? Some landlords believe that if the callers actually see and like a higher-priced apartment, they are willing to pay more. These landlords want a chance to sell the apartment on the phone, then show it to prospects who have been hooked.

Basic information in an ad that is not too wordy should include: