Why More Businesses Are Moving Away From Local Magazines and Newspapers (And What’s Replacing Them)

For years, local magazines and newspapers were the default way to advertise locally.
You placed an ad, hoped the right people saw it, and trusted that it would do something for your business.

That model worked when most people consumed their local news in print.

But how people discover businesses has changed.
And how business owners measure results has changed even more.

Today, more businesses are choosing not to advertise in local magazines and newspapers. Not because print has no value, but because it’s becoming harder to justify the cost when attention has moved elsewhere.

Fewer People Are Consuming Print Media

This is about behaviour, not opinion.

People now discover local businesses through:

• Google search

• social platforms

• recommendations in group chats

• local Facebook groups

• short-form video

Local magazines and newspapers are still read, but they no longer dominate attention in the way they once did. For many audiences, print is no longer the first place they go to discover what’s happening locally.

If your customers are spending more time online than in print, your marketing needs to meet them there.

Businesses Want Clear Return on Investment

One of the biggest changes in local advertising is the shift from hoping to knowing.

With print advertising, it’s difficult to answer:

• How many customers came from this ad?

• Did anyone take action because of it?

• Was the spend justified?

With digital marketing, measurement is built in:

• unique URLs to track clicks

• coupon codes to track redemptions

• UTM links to see which channel performed best

• tracked enquiry forms

• booking links tied to campaigns

This turns marketing from guesswork into learning.

Digital Advertising Gives You Control

Once a magazine or newspaper is printed, nothing can be changed.

With digital, you can:

• test different messages

• change offers quickly

• pause what isn’t working

• scale what is working

• target specific towns, postcodes, or interests

• control budgets day by day

This level of control is especially valuable for small and local businesses where every pound needs to work harder.

It’s Not Print vs Digital – It’s About Outcomes

This shift isn’t about declaring print “dead”.

Local magazines and newspapers can still support awareness and credibility.
But digital channels are being prioritised because they answer a question business owners now ask more than ever:

“What am I actually getting back for what I’m spending?”

When you can see:

• clicks

• enquiries

• bookings

• sales

• email sign-ups

• footfall driven by specific campaigns

Your marketing becomes something you can improve over time, not just repeat and hope.

Build a Simple, Trackable Local Marketing Funnel

Modern local marketing works best when it’s connected:

Attention → Click → Action → Relationship

For example:

• A local social post links to a dedicated page

• That page includes a clear offer

• The offer uses a unique code

• The follow-up builds long-term value through email

This turns advertising into a system.
Not just a one-off placement in a publication.

The takeaway:
Local magazines and newspapers built awareness for years.
But modern local marketing is built around measurement, control, and continuous improvement.

The businesses seeing results today aren’t necessarily spending more.
They’re choosing channels that let them see what works – and build from there.