Navarre Press tries new ways to gain subscribers

Sandi Kemp

When Sandi Kemp asked a local newspaper a dozen years ago if she could help them with graphic design, they declined. "So I started my own newspaper," she says.

"I didn't know what I was getting into," says Kemp. "I love it. I wish I'd discovered this earlier." She already had launched a graphics firm; she's now publisher and owner of Navarre Press. She's also a lifelong newspaper fan. Newspapers will survive, she says. "We can't hide behind a pseudonym or anonymity online. We are a trusted resource for news."

Navarre Press' circulation, between 5,000 and 8,000 (it goes up during the tourism season), is growing online and in print. In 11 years, the weekly newspaper has won more than 200 awards for writing and graphic design.

Kemp is incorporating new ways to gain subscribers: "We've created 67 online landing pages for organizations and non-profits, and when people subscribe from those pages, half the fee goes to the advertising bucket for that organization."

Tags: Northwest