Pits ‘n’ Pots, a Stoke-on-Trent-based newspaper with a political slant, has only ever existed in the digital realm up until now. The site was created and is maintained by students from Staffordshire University on the journalism course that is taught there. The site was originally intended as a marketing tool but its readership has grown considerably since launch and now acts as a news hub.
Mike Rawlings, the editor of the Pits ‘n’ Pots website, was recently approached about creating a Print edition by The Journalism Foundation, the organisation that is run by the editor of The Independent newspaper. The Journalism Foundation aims to create a culture of journalism that focuses on being independent and free.
Rawlins commented on the first Print edition of Pits ‘n’ Pots, saying:
“Having seen the quality of journalism from the students I wouldn't be adverse to producing another copy.”
50,000 Copies of the Print version were created and distributed, which in turn drove more people to the website, more than doubling the traffic to the site. The 50,000 Copies meant that the online news site could reach most of the households in Stoke-on-Trent, giving maximum exposure to Pits ‘n’ Pots.
Using Print to drive online activity is something that is becoming more and more commonplace. Businesses that are based online could take a leaf from Pits ‘n’ Pots’ book and use flyer printing to drive Stoke-on-Trent customers online.
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