Increase Revenue and Coverage with Group Senior Ads

Encouraging school groups to submit group senior yearbook ads in addition to selling individual senior ads provides a great way to keep revenue coming in year after year.

About 12 years ago, the band boosters asked if they could do an ad for all the band seniors. One mom took charge, communicated with me, organized the photos, and got all the names. They provided a uniformed group photo they took on senior night (the only night “band buns” were not required) then additional photos of each instrument group. After working with the band, I also reached out to the drill team and cheer sponsors. Both those sets of parents decided to submit one, as well.

After that first year, things took off. Football, baseball, volleyball and most of the other sports as well as choir, theater, senior class council, etc., they all wanted one. In 2024, we had over ten pages of school group senior ads. Some groups were very large, like the band with over 50 seniors and they buy a full spread! Other some groups have been small, like last year’s track girls with just four members. Either way, we welcome them returning year after year.

Group ads allow you to increase your coverage, bring in more revenue and offer a more affordable way for students to get recognized for their accomplishments.

Tips I’ve learned along the way:

LIMIT THE PHOTOS:

We tell groups they can send in up to HALF the usual number of photos. Normally, we allow a full-page ad to have up to nine photos. We design with one dominant, and the rest are smaller. When every photo is a group, that’s just not possible though. So a GROUP full page ad has room for up to five images and we’ll take up to three photos for a half page.

REACH OUT EVERY YEAR:

You can’t expect a new group of senior parents, and often new coaches and sponsors, every year to know this is a tradition. Send them a copy of last year’s ad (or another group’s ad) and let them know that you’d love to showcase their seniors. Keep asking until you get an answer. All it takes is one “Yes” to start a tradition that will benefit yearbook for decades!

BE FLEXIBLE:

Normally, we have a strict deadline and require all senior ads to be purchased and photos uploaded online through yearbookforever.com, but I have allowed groups to email me their photos (maybe even a few weeks late), drop off a check, and one year the cross country kids showed up in my classroom with a baggie of cash and their photos on a flash drive. That’s ok! I took it all and did my best to cater to their needs. Making sure they are all happy with their ad is not only affecting THIS yearbook, but it also affects all those in the years to come as we are setting traditions in place.

If you are offering group ads for the first time, be ready to show then an example. Use THIS CANVA LINK to edit our flyers; send emails to every coach, director, sponsor you can think of; then ask them to forward to their booster club or parents.  Post on all your social media pages to be sure the seniors see the examples, as well. You might also consider offering a yearbook staff member to take their photos, and offering to reach out to that coach or director for a sweet sentiment to include in the ad.

Making sure your senior groups are happy with their ad will not only affect THIS yearbook, but it also affects all those in the years to come as you are setting new traditions in place. Don’t be afraid to try something new – it just might be the change you’ve been waiting for to revitalize your senior tributes.