• by Ray Schultz , March 6, 2024

The New York Post, a conservative tabloid known for its sensational headlines, has another side.   

“We’ve shifted our sales strategy into leaning into Page Six and New York Post sports as their own verticals,” said Stephanie Kempadoo, director, brand strategy and insights, New York Post, speaking at the recent Publishing Insider Summit in Bonita Springs, Florida. 

Over the paper’s long history, it has realized "news can be polarizing,” Kempadoo added. “News at end of the day is a hot-button issue for most advertisers."

In contrast, “we found that celebrity entertainment, whether we’re talking about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, to Dune Two with their premieres that are happening all weekend long…to sports with Super Bowl coverage that don’t include any clips of Taylor Swift, to March Madness that is coming, these are engaging pieces that advertisers in turn want to be around," she continued.

Page 6 is a “heritage brand around for close to 50 years. It invented the modern gossip column,” Kempadoo said. Post reporters are “at the parties at the openings, speaking to the celebrities on the red carpet.”

And Post sportswriters who cover the major franchises of the Yankees and the Mets, have loyal followings not only in New York but elsewhere. However, they serve distinct audiences, a fact that is perhaps symbolized by the way print issues are typically shared. 

“They tend to share the paper,” Kempadoo said of these families. “Dad gets sports, Mom gets news, Page 6 goes to the teenager daughter sitting at the table.”

The opportunity here is to create an omnichannel strategy for brands trying to reach those audiences. For Page Six, the Post has an event series called Virtual Reali-Tea where they invite the cast of Reality TV onstage and have these events in-person. 

For  sports fans, there was an event in a New Jersey beer garden. Both events were sponsored by Cadillac.

Then there’s the issue that had the band Kiss on the cover: The Post distributed the paper and cookies for three days with brand ambassadors dressed in Kiss's iconic costumes and makeup.