Advertise with us

Who reads it

People who want to know what is actually happening in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie: the council decisions, the projects reshaping the city, the budgets and the datasets, each story read from the primary document and linked to its source. It is a considered, local readership rather than a scrolling one. We do not publish audience figures we cannot stand behind, and we will not quote you an inflated one; if reach matters to your decision, ask and we will tell you honestly where the site is at.

Two ways to advertise

Clearly labelled display advertising. A defined advertising slot on the site, marked as advertising and kept separate from the journalism. It is your message in your words. It does not sit inside a story pretending to be one, and it never changes what we cover or how we cover it.

Sponsored content. A piece with a commercial arrangement behind it, written and fact-checked by us to exactly the standard of everything else on the site, and labelled as sponsored in plain words. Every factual claim in it still links to a primary source. This works when there is a real, true and genuinely useful story to tell: a service the city did not have, work you have actually done, a thing you know that a reader would be glad to learn. It does not work as a page of adjectives.

What we will not do

The Ledger’s independence is the thing you are actually reaching readers through, so we protect it. We do not write fake or paid-positive reviews, we do not run product-flogging or spin dressed as reporting, and advertisers get no say in news coverage: an arrangement buys a clearly labelled placement, never favourable coverage or a soft edit of our news. Anything that would require us to overstate, mislead or hide a commercial interest gets a polite no and a link to how the site works. We would rather keep the reader’s trust than take the booking, because the trust is what makes the booking worth anything.

Disclosure, every time

Anything with a commercial relationship behind it is disclosed as such, in plain words, where it appears. That protects you as much as the reader: honestly disclosed advertising that meets a real standard is worth more than a plant a reader can smell. It is also simply the law we work under, and we would keep the rule regardless.

Rates and how to enquire

We tailor advertising to the business and the campaign rather than selling a fixed package, and we are glad to talk it through, including a discount for not-for-profits and community organisations. There is no obligation in asking. Use the advertising enquiry form, tell us a little about your business and what you have in mind, and we will come back to you.