A practical look at the additional options that often appear alongside core advertising.
So the media pack has the main options covered and then there’s a page of extras: show dailies, directory entries, awards packages and social media posts. Some of these are genuinely useful. Others are there to make a deal look bigger. This guide runs through the most common ones so you can tell which is which.
Key takeaways
- Extras work best when they match something you’re already doing, such as exhibiting at a show or entering an award.
- If the budget is tight, a directory listing or a modest show presence can be good value, provided your buyers genuinely use them.
- Ask what each extra costs on its own, even when it’s offered as a bonus.
- Only accept extras you have the time and material to use well.
Show daily and exhibition catalogue advertising
Many trade titles produce a daily publication or official catalogue at major exhibitions, handed out to visitors at the venue. Advertising in it puts you in front of people who are actively walking the halls, which makes it useful if you’re exhibiting and want to drive visitors to your stand. It’s much less useful if you aren’t there.
Directory listings
Some publications run annual or online supplier directories, where companies pay for an entry or an enhanced listing. A directory can help buyers find you when they’re actively looking for a supplier. Ask how the directory is promoted, how often it’s used and whether the listing includes a link back to your website, since a directory nobody consults is just a line of text.
Event and awards sponsorship
Publishers often run conferences, roundtables and awards. Sponsorship can mean a logo on materials, a speaking slot, a table at the dinner or presenting an award category. These packages are about presence and relationships. They work best when someone from your company attends, meets people and follows up afterwards. Paying for a logo and sending nobody is rarely money well spent.
Social media posts and other bolt-ons
Packages increasingly include posts on the publication’s social channels. Ask how large and how relevant the following is, whether the post will be organic or paid promotion and what you need to supply. Other bolt-ons can include sponsored sections, reprints of articles and logo placements on the website. The same test applies to each: does it reach your buyers, and can you use it properly?
How to judge a media pack extra
The useful question is not whether an extra is free. It’s whether it does anything for you. Extras cost the publisher little to add and they make a deal look generous, so they’re often where packages get padded. Ask for a plain explanation of each item, what you need to provide and when. I’ve written about this in more detail in whether everything in that marketing package is actually necessary.
Common pitfalls
The commonest mistake is saying yes to everything and then finding there’s no time to supply the material. A second is booking show advertising for an event your sales team won’t attend. A third is forgetting to measure. A dedicated landing page or code for each extra tells you whether it earned its place.
Are media pack extras right for you?
If an extra lines up with something you’re already doing and reaches the people you sell to, it can add real value at modest cost. If it doesn’t, leave it out or ask to swap it for something you’ll use. For the core options these extras sit alongside, start with the guides to print, digital and newsletter advertising.
Why listen to me on this?
I have spent around ten years in B2B publishing as an editor and content strategist, working across national and international titles. I currently edit an industry-leading international journal, played a central role in launching its sister title and previously edited a leading retail publication. My work has covered print magazines, digital content, newsletters, social media, audience growth (taking one title’s LinkedIn impressions from tens of thousands to over a million a year), staff training, AI-assisted workflows and regular contact with senior industry and government figures. I’ve worked on show issues, judged industry awards and seen plenty of package extras from both sides of the table, including the ones that were never used. My About page has more on the publications I’ve edited.
If you have a question about any of these extras, or you’ve had a different experience, I’d be glad to hear from you. You can get in touch here.