If it bleeds, it leads to sales
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 7 November 2007 at 17:56
Tags: Croydon Advertiser
The harder the news, the higher the sales. That seems to be the message in the most recent post on the always-entertaining blog of Croydon Advertiser editor Ian Carter.
Some local authorities, it seems, would prefer Carter’s paper to stop reporting on the less pleasant aspects of life in Croydon. But the fact is, Carter says, hard news on the front page shifts units at the newsagents’. The harder, the better, in fact.
Carter suggests sales figures aren’t related to interest other media show in a particular story: One recent splash, a “quirky” story about Croydon bakeries taking on security guards, was picked up by Radio 4 and Johnny Vaughan on Capital radio. But it was a poor seller. But contrast, “a fairly unexceptional story about a bus stabbing” the following week did far better. But another week later, a story about three teens killed in a crash was the biggest sale for well over a year, Carter reveals.
The figures aren’t back yet, but Carter predicts that last week’s splash, “Tiger Tiger Sex Attack” will “sell like hot cakes”.
Tags: Croydon Advertiser
