From Amber Nettles
Senior VP, Growth & Strategy There’s always a LOT going on here, and as we move into warmer months, things are heating up! (Sorry, I can’t get help myself on the puns). Here are the three big things you need to know:
1. We’re offering free audition notices for a limited time, in print and online classifieds. We haven’t yet announced this, so you’re the FIRST to know. Go to chicaogreader.com/auditions and click “Create a listing” to try it out! If you submit by noon Wednesdays, your notice will make it into the following week’s print issue. We’d love to offer this permanently, and are seeking sponsors to help make this a reality. (E-mail us for information on monthly and quarterly sponsorships).
2. For the first time since 2019, the Chicago Reader is hosting an in-person celebration of Best of Chicago, and you’re invited! This year’s big blowout is at Metro on June 1, and will feature food, drink, AND entertainment curated from nominations from the Best of Chicago ballot. The party kicks off for VIP ticket holders at GMan Tavern. and continues for general admission at Metro (with the “afterparty” at smartbar).
Additionally, a few sponsorships and vendor tables are still available. If you have interest having a table for sampling or demonstrations, contact us for information.
3. It’s almost June, which means it’s time to make your reservations for our annual Pride Issue. This year’s Pride issue will once again feature our Windy City Times insert, with a focus on travel. We have a few premium positions still available, and all regular ad sizes as well! The Pride issue is one of our biggest and brightest print issues of the year, and we hope you’ll celebrate Pride with us by taking out an ad (and attending our Pride kickoff party, the Best of Chicago afterparty at smartbar on June 1). Booking deadline for the Pride Issue (June 15) is noon Wednesday, June 7. |
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Calling all book authors!
Discounted rates for advertising your book on the Platform
We relaunched the Platform in print last issue, and are specifically gearing it toward highlighting not just services for our readers, but also goods available and produced “locally.” We’ll continue to test out new offers and sections that make sense for our readers, and are offering a discount to book authors to start off. Contact us for information about advertising your book on the Platform!
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Your message sent directly to our subscribers
Newsletter ads and direct emails are available!
Besides advertising in our email newsletters, we also offer the opportunity for our partners to send “dedicated advertiser messages” to our subscriber lists. We have a limited quantity available per month, and they’re a great way to directly reach our readers. Contact us for information about including direct emails in your advertising campaigns, or specials on prebooking email advertising for the rest of 2023!
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Branded content in 2023
Tell Your Story to our Readers
The Reader loves to work with businesses and individuals with great stories to tell, and we’re happy to discuss the various options for branded content series! For an example, check out Cityscape, a branded content partnership of the Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago History Museum, and Wrightwood 659, along with the Reader’s architecture coverage. You can also see examples from LaLaMove, DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago, along with our Bull Horn series (sponsored by Red Bull in 2021) and our Poetry Corner (created in partnership with the Poetry Foundation). Contact us to talk about telling your story!
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The Reader, en español
Sponsors sought to support Spanish translations
To better serve our Spanish-speaking communities, the Reader is now translating and publishing some of its stories into Spanish. We’re seeking sponsors to help underwrite the cost of this endeavor. Sponsorship packages (click here to view) include print and digital tags, as well as additional media placements. Contact us today to partner in this project.
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The solution for small business: The Platform
Your business, in every issue
Looking for a way to be in every issue? Get your business or service printed in 60,000 copies across Chicago, every other week, which means that Reader readers never forget your name. Click here for information. (PDF)
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Top Stories from the Chicago Reader
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In Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon, renegade lovers are on the lam
Actor, writer, composer, musician, lyricist, visual artist, short film director, and stop-motion animator Matthew C. Yee is no still water. But he does run deep. Yee is currently playing the lead male in Lookingglass Theatre’s Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon, a country-and-western musical about an Asian American couple on the lam from the law. MORE
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A new life for Carol Day
This is the tale of an unlikely trio who came together to save the legacy of a brilliant artist nearly lost to history, British illustrator David Wright. It’s also the origin story of Lance Hallam—an oversize, exquisitely bound book of glorious artwork destined to be displayed. MORE
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Enterprising Chicago rapper Kayo drops an optimistic, ambitious debut
If you like hip-hop that foregrounds reflective lyrics, sumptuous production, and a heady mix of youthful optimism and ambition, Kayo may be your new favorite emerging rapper. MORE
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Issue of
May 18-May 31, 2023
Vol. 52, No.16
(PDF)
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