HOW TO START YOUR OWN HOME NEWSPAPER CLIPPING SERVICE

Information is power!

     Yes, information is power.  And Now you can plug into that power with

your own newspaper clipping service!

     Newspaper clipping is a very lucrative business, and it's growing in

demand and popularity.    Thousands of people in all parts of the world are

making hundreds of dollars each week, just reading and clipping news items

in the privacy of their own homes.  The good news is that there is still

plenty or room for you to carve out your own niche and cash in on this

excellent work-at-home opportunity.  Your success and income will be

limited only by your desire to work hard and succeed.

     In this so called "Age of Information" we live in,  individual people,

government agencies, and private corporations have an almost unlimited need

for news and information about the topics that affect their daily lives and

transactions.

     Information is truly power, and especially for businesses,  the more

information they have, the better off they are.  That means they will pay

to get their hands on any tidbit that will help them do their jobs better.

     You can take advantage of this need and make your way into the

exploding world of information management, and, best of all, you can make

an excellent income with a minimum investment.

What is a newspaper clipping service?

     Many of you may harbor some misunderstanding about just what a press

clipping business is all about. If you explain to friends or neighbors that

you operate a press clipping business, most of them will think you pore

through obituaries, funeral notices and wedding announcements, and then

clip these and send them to friends and relatives for a fee.

    In reality, very few people make a living with this type of service

these days.  Successful press clipping services have contracts with

companies and organizations that want to keep current on any number of

matters reported in the papers.

     Some companies hire clipping services to keep track of what their

competitors are doing.  Other companies, including businesses of all kinds,

use clipping services as a means of locating sales leads and new customers.

National magazines and newspapers are always in need of different or

interesting material, and frequently employ home-based clipping services.

     Many government agencies also have a great need for information about

the tasks they need to perform.  For example, most agricultural states have

an agency whose job is to encourage proper soil and water conservation.  In

Minnesota, for example, the Board of Water and Soil Resources is charged

with making sure the thousands of farmers in its state are practicing

proper conservation tillage and other land preservation practices.

The Board of Water and Soil Resources has a great interest in any kind of

information that relates to soil conservation or water pollution.  In a

local small-town paper prints a story, for example, about a local farmer

who has achieved great success in growing crops while reducing his use of

chemical pesticides and herbicide, this would be an excellent item to clip

for the Board's information and public relations efforts.

What you need to get started

     To set yourself up in this kind of business, you'll need only a pair

of scissors and as many different newspapers and magazines that you can

subscribe to.  A visit to your local public library will be very informative

about the many kinds of publications - both newspapers and magazines - that

are on the market.

     You can reduce your costs by borrowing or trading used and unwanted

newspapers and magazines from everyone you know.  You might also ask the

library to let you have any documents they would otherwise throw out or

place in the recycling bin.

     You should also visit your local wholesale paper house, or make a deal

with the local stationary store to buy labels at a discount price.  You'll

want to attach these labels to the top of each clipping you send to your

clients.  On these labels, you'll want to print the name of the publication

the clippings came from, the date it appeared, as well as your name and

address.

     The next step is simply to start clipping articles that mention or

talk about specific companies or people.  File your clippings in envelopes

or boxes according to industries or types of businesses, by company name

and also according to the names of the people mentioned.

     Once you have ten or more clippings that talk about a particular

company or person, put them in an envelope and send them to that company's

owner or public relations director.  You should include a short letter with

the clippings explaining your service and fees.  One the next page is a

letter format you can use for your own business:

Jan. 1, 1993

Public Relations Director

ABC Corporation

P.O. Box 123

City, State, Zip

Dear Person:

Enclosed you will find several newspaper and magazines clippings that may

have direct and important relevance to your business and customers.

As an experienced information researcher, I can supply your company with

articles that may contain information on how to better serve your customers, improve your products or service, or help you keep abreast of what your competitors are doing.

I'm sure you will find this service invaluable.  My monthly fee is $50.  If

you do not find this amount acceptable, please feel free to call me and

I'll negotiate a fair price with you.

I look forward to hearing from you soon and discussing my service in

greater detail.

Sincerely,

Your name

Address

Phone number

     You should try to get your clients to agree to pay you a monthly

"reader's fee" for which you agree to look for anything in the newspaper

about him or his company or industry.  Every time you spot an article, you

clip it, and send it to your client.  A minimum monthly reader's fee is

usually $25, but it can vary according to the number of publications you

read and the number of clippings found.

What earnings are possible?

     Generally, a clipping service that scans statewide publications charge

about $50 per client, or $100 per client for those who want clippings from

national publications.  These fees are monthly, and you can easily see how

you could make very good money with just 20 or 25 clients.

     To promote and build your business, you can scan your local business

services directory and send out a solicitation letter to each of those

listed.  A couple of days after you've posted your sales letter, you should

follow up with a phone call.

     A short, to-the-point ad under "Business Personals" in your daily

newspaper will also bring in new clients for you.  As soon as you can

afford it, go with at least a small display ad in the yellow pages of your

telephone directory.

     You should definitely contact public relations firms, advertising

agencies and civic organizations in your area.  Explain your service and ask them if they have

any special clients or needs you can help them with.  You'll find many of

your local political and "cause" groups very interested in receiving

clippings about their opponents.

     Clipping services in one form or another have been around since the

advent of the printing press, and they are more in demand in our modern

"Age of Information" than ever before.  It is certainly the kind of

business anyone who knows how to read can set up and operate with an

absolute minimum investment.

     The ultimate success of the business will depend on your drive and

tenacity, your willingness to work hard and make your service the best and

most valuable it can be.

     One last bit of advice:

     Once you land your first client, that business or agency can lead to

more customers for your service.  After you have worked with a certain

company for three or four months, ask them for a recommendation, or an

evaluation of your service.  Here is a letter format you can use:

Jan. 1, 1993

Public Relations Director

ABC Corporation

123  4th Street

City, State   Zip

Dear Person:

I am writing to ask a favor of you.  You have been using my clip service

for three months now.   I would appreciate it if you could give me a frank

evaluation of the quality and value my service has provided to you business

and information needs.

Enclosed is a stamped, self addressed envelope for your reply.  I would

also like your permission to use your comments in brochures, ads or letters

used to market my newspaper clipping service.

Thank you your help, and I look forward to hearing how my service has

worked for you.

Sincerely,

Your Name

That's it.  You should really give this a try.  A newspaper clipping

service is a great home business opportunity for just about anyone.

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