Make your special sections special

All the newspapers run special sections. It’s part of our routine. For some, it seems, there’s a special section every other week. For others, not so much.

Most are tied in with community events. Question: What community newspaper doesn’t do a high school football section? Answer: That newspaper in a town that doesn’t have a high school football team (or teams).

Special sections let us give readers content that differs from the normal flow of news, features, sports, ads and other content in the newspaper.

But there are some key elements to remember when dealing with special sections. Following are ten points I think are important:

1. Be proactive. Advertising, news and production departments all need to be part of the creative and planning process for special sections. It’s a mistake for the newsroom and production personnel to sit and wait for…