Consider checking whether the advertising manager at the publication can get businesses that relate to your column topic to advertise on the same page. My column, "Curios of Yesteryear," about antiques and collectibles, ran on a page with the ads from antique shops. This made a nice package for the advertising manager to promote when selling ads and justified, financially, the editor buying my column.

The same applied for my cooking column when the ad manager and editor used it on the page with the supermarket's ad.

Look At Your Column

Take a look at your column. What type of advertisers could be featured with it in a newspaper or magazine? Suggest that the ad manager coordinate this package.

Better yet, find out who the ad manager is and meet with him or her. There's a chance no one ever thought of something like this.

Contact Advertisers

Go directly to an advertiser. Perhaps they'd like to pay you to write a column to accompany their ad. This might not be a column about their business, but something to give readers more information in that field. Readers of your column will see their ad.

Perhaps you'll find a number of businesses that will go together and use your column in a flyer or joint advertising This could be:

• Travel articles for a travel agency or RV dealership.

• Collectibles or antiques information for an antiques shop.

• Gardening articles for a business that sells items related to plants and gardening.

• A consumer column for a supermarket.

• Home repair for a building supply company.

• Interior decorating for a furniture or home supply store.

  
  

Some businesses also might be interested in your providing a column for a flyer or newsletter they can hand out to customers. For awhile, my "Country Kitchen" column appeared in a newsletter distributed by our local supermarket. When it changed owners, the new management didn't produce a newsletter. However, this was an enjoyable experience while it lasted.

Take a look at your local businesses and organizations. Do they send out newsletters? Would they be interested in a column? Sometimes this might lead to your producing a newsletter for an organization.

Become Creative

Become creative in your thinking and promotion. Whenever you see magazines, newspapers, or newsletters, check to see if they use columns. It doesn't hurt to present them with the idea of your writing one that would help inform their customers/clients and promote their business.