• by Liz Tascio , April 24, 2007

A new loyalty program from The Washington Post spans the print and online worlds to reward people simply for reading the paper. But PostPoints also connects readers more closely with the paper’s advertisers, giving readers points for shopping.

Readers earn points by posting online, or by going to the Web site and entering information from that day’s print edition, says Candy Lee, president of loyalty services for the Post. They can earn points by shopping with the 61 advertisers enrolled, from big brands to local businesses, and by participating in community service.

Readers can keep track of points and what they can redeem online, Lee says. They’re alerted through ads in the paper, too, and “these two act like promotions for the advertisers in the program.”

The program’s cross-media reach dovetails with Live Online, the Post’s effort to engage readers online, and with the paper’s practice of allowing readers to e-mail Post reporters.