With Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and countless other digital marketing options available, it is reasonable for a business owner to ask: does print advertising still work?
The short answer is yes – particularly for local businesses. But that does not mean every print advertisement works, or that print should replace digital marketing. Print is most effective when it reaches the right audience, appears consistently and works alongside your wider marketing.
Why can print still work?
Digital marketing has transformed the way businesses reach customers, but it has also created an enormous amount of noise. Emails disappear down inboxes. Social media posts can have short lives. Online advertising competes with dozens of other messages on a screen. A printed community magazine creates a different experience. It physically arrives in the home, can be picked up more than once and may be shared between members of a household.
What does the Links readership research tell us?
In the 2024 Links Magazines Reader Survey, 97% of respondents said they use the magazines to find businesses, 99% said they find the advertisements useful, 81% said they keep their copy for more than one month, 95% rated the quality of Links Magazines as good or excellent, and 99% said Links Magazines are helpful to them. These figures are particularly useful because they describe the behaviour of our own readership rather than general attitudes towards print.
Reaching an audience with purchasing relevance
Reach is not simply about numbers. Who you reach matters. Links Magazines are consciously written and produced for a predominantly 40-plus readership. We are not trying to create publications for every age group. Our editorial content is deliberately aimed at an established local audience interested in their homes, communities, local people, food and drink, gardens, heritage, walks, events and local businesses. This is particularly relevant for advertisers selling significant household and lifestyle purchases. Kitchens, bathrooms, carpets, flooring, sofas, beds, property, home improvements, cars and many professional services are considered purchases where the right audience matters enormously. This is why audience value can be more important than headline audience size.
Local targeting matters
A national company may need millions of people to see its advertising. A local business does not. It needs the right local people to see it. If you are an estate agent, electrician, solicitor, restaurant, care provider or home improvement company serving a defined area, somebody 200 miles away is unlikely to become your customer. Links Publishing produces seven bi-monthly community magazines across Plymouth, Tavistock, Okehampton, Dartmoor and surrounding communities, with 68,600 copies delivered each issue.
Repetition builds recognition
Advertising is not only about generating an immediate response. It also creates familiarity. You may see a local kitchen company, estate agent, flooring specialist or solicitor several times before you actually need them. When the need arises, the familiar name can have an advantage. One advertisement can produce a response; a sustained campaign can build recognition.
Is print better than Google or social media?
No. They do different jobs. Google is extremely powerful when somebody is actively looking for something. Social media can create awareness, demonstrate personality and keep a business connected with customers. Print can put a business in front of local people before they are actively searching. A website then provides information and reassurance once they start investigating. The interesting part is how those channels work together.
Print can trigger online behaviour
A homeowner notices your advertisement. Weeks or months later they need your service. They remember your name, search for you on Google, look at your reviews, visit your website and telephone. Ask how they found you and they may simply say ‘Google’. But Google was not necessarily where the journey began. This is one reason measuring advertising solely by immediate responses can give an incomplete picture.
What makes a good local print advert?
Being in print does not automatically make an advertisement effective. A good advert should quickly communicate who you are, what you do, why someone should choose you and how to contact you. Good photography, a clear headline, strong branding, relevant benefits and an obvious call to action all help. Trying to squeeze every service you have ever offered into one small advert usually does not.
So, does print advertising still work in 2026?
For the right business, audience and campaign: absolutely. But perhaps the better question is: what combination of marketing will give my business the best opportunity to be seen, remembered and trusted by the people I want as customers? For many local businesses, targeted print deserves to remain part of that mix.
