SPONSORED NEWS ITEMS:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1.) How much does it cost to run a Sponsored News Item? And where can I buy one?
Non-Sponsors can run a Sponsored News Item in any issue of Access Information News for just $50 USD by filling out this short form.
Current Sponsors can run a Sponsored News Item in any issue of Access Information News for just $25 USD by filling out this short form.
2.) What do I get when I purchase a Sponsored News Item?
You get scheduled, measurable access to the second most-visited position that the Access Information Newsletter has to offer.
3.) Where will my Sponsored News Item be placed within the Access Information Newsletter?
Sponsored News Items will be placed as numbered Access Information News items, in the order they are received that week, just under the #1 News Item, which is always titled, "The Top 5 Most Clicked Access Information News Articles From Last Week".
Each Sponsored News Item will be clearly prefixed by the words "Sponsored By" so that readers can easily distinguish them from editorial news items.
4.) What can I include in my Sponsored News Item?
Each Sponsored News Item must include A-E:
A.) ONE (1) Sponsored News Item Publication Date
This is the issue date (which must fall on a Monday) in which you want your Sponsored News Item to run.
B.) ONE (1) Sponsor Name
This is the name that will appear after the words "Sponsored By:" which will come just before the Title of your Sponsored News Item.
C.) ONE (1) Sponsored News Item Title
256 characters or less including spaces. Check your character count quickly and easily from right inside the submission form.
D.) ONE (1) Sponsored News Item Description
1000 characters or less including spaces. Check your character count quickly and easily from right inside the submission form.
E.) ONE (1) Sponsored News Item Primary Link
Required. The text for this link will be visible within your ad text. This is the only link within your advertisement that will show its full link text directly within the advertisement.
We encourage you to use a tracking link that allows you to monitor the number of clicks that your Sponsored News Item receives. You can easily track all of your links by signing up for a free account with the https://bit.ly link shortening service. Once you've signed up, just shorten your link using your new free account and you can then use that account to monitor the number of clicks that each of your shortened links receive over time.
F.) THREE (3) Sponsored News Item Secondary Links
Optional. The text for these links will not be visible within your advertisement but may be hyperlinked to keywords and/or phrases that you select from within the description that you provide.
Submitting Your Ad Materials:
Submit your ad materials directly within the submission form prior to making your payment. Please be sure to gather your assets, as outlined above, prior to clicking the purchase button.
5.) Can I include a tracking link in my Sponsored News Item?
Yes you can. And we encourage you to do so. Tracking links allow you to monitor the number of clicks that your Sponsored News Item receives in real time. You can do this easily by signing up for a free account at https://bit.ly. Just shorten your link using your free https://bit.ly account and then you can use your free account to monitor the number of clicks that each of your shortened links receive over time.
6.) Are there any restrictions on what I can advertise as a Sponsored News Item?
Yes there are. In addition to adhering to all US and international advertising laws Access Information News also reserves the right to refuse any paid advertisement that it deems not related to accessibility, disability and/or adaptive / assistive technology. In these cases your Sponsored News Item fee will be refunded within 24 hours.
7.) How many Sponsored News Items can I run in each issue?
Only one. Each advertiser may purchase only one Sponsored News Item per weekly issue. Any subsequent purchases will be refunded within 24 hours.
8.) If anyone can submit a news item for free, why would I want to run a Sponsored News Item?
While it is true that anyone can submit a news item for consideration at no charge using this form, the key phrase here is "for consideration". When you submit a news item for free it's position within the newsletter, as well as whether or not it appears at all, is decided solely by our editors based on feedback that we use to keep readers happy and engaged with the publication.
When you run a Sponsored News Item (A-C):
A.) Your Sponsored News Item is published exactly as you provide it, with no changes from our editors.
B.) Your Sponsored News Item is guaranteed to run on the date you specify.
C.) Your Sponsored News Item is guaranteed to run at the very top of the publication.
9.) Why can't I use mainstream advertising platforms like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok to reach access-specific or disability-specific audiences?
We're not sure, but we do have a theory. And we know for sure that you can't because we've tried.
We would very much like to grow the Access Information News audience, and have allotted advertising dollars to do so, but alas, there is simply nowhere for us to spend those dollars. None of these platforms allow you to choose an audience that is specific to accessibility, disability or adaptive technology.
We believe this may be the result of the large advertising platforms trading accessibility for risk mitigation. If these platforms were to allow advertisers to "include" an audience based on accessibility, disability or adaptive technology, then the possibility arises that an advertiser could also "exclude" an audience based on this very same information. And that would be a very bad look for them.
So it would appear that they choose instead to be completely inaccessible to the access community.
10.) As an advertiser, how can I use Sponsored News Items to drive traffic to my access technology initiatives?
Sponsored News Items were designed to be used just like Google Ads, Twitter Ads, LinkedIn Ads or Facebook Boosts, but at an absolute fraction of the cost for the size and specificity of the audience that you can reach.
When you boost a product, service, event or fundraiser using any of these mainstream platforms, you are presented with a list of choices that allow you to determine what kind of audience you would like for your product, service, event or fundraiser to reach.
Unfortunately, as we have already outlined above, you cannot select an audience within any of these online platforms that is specifically related to access, disability, or adaptive technology. Nor can you select any individual persons with these interests.
That's where Access Information News comes in. While we do not have access to the thousands of different audiences and interests that these mainstream advertisement platforms do, we do have access to one specific audience that they do not. And I don't need to tell you that the Access Information News audience is a passionate one.
So whether you're looking to boost exposure to an upcoming access related event or fundraiser, or boost sales of a particular access related product or service, Sponsored News Items can drive the access specific traffic you need to meet your marketing objectives.
Here are some examples of how Sponsored News Items can be used to drive revenue (A-D):
A.) Drive traffic to the purchase page of a new or existing access technology product or service.
B.) Drive traffic to the sign up page of a new or existing access technology newsletter.
C.) Drive traffic to the donate page of a new or existing access technology fundraiser.
D.) Drive traffic to the registration page of an upcoming access technology event.
So, in summary, Sponsored News Items drive traffic to a 10,000 subscriber weekly audience whose specific interests are accessibility, disability and adaptive technology. That is what they were designed to do. And statistically speaking, they do it incredibly well. Just remember to always use a tracking link in your Sponsored News Item so that you can measure your progress in real time.
11.) Does Access Information News collect any personal information about me?
Yes we do. Your first name and your email address. That's it. And we mean it. All of your payment information is stored securely with our payment processors and since we have no large advertisement platform in place, we have no means by which to collect data about you or your advertisements.
This is done on purpose and is the primary reason that we encourage all advertisers to user their own tracking links, so that they, and only they, can see the results of their advertisements.
The sole purpose of Sponsored News Items is to provide access technology professionals with even better digital marketing tools than their mainstream counterparts currently enjoy, at a fraction of the cost.
