The Salem Gift Guide | Advertise with What's Happening Salem

01 — What it is

One guide. Two channels. The one week Salem is actively shopping local.

Most holiday ads fight for attention in a crowded week. A gift guide is the thing people open on purpose.

Inbox

A dedicated email

Not an ad inside the Thursday roundup. A standalone send to 9,100+ subscribers with nothing else competing for attention: local gift ideas up top, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals below.

Feed

An Instagram carousel

The same guide, rebuilt as a save-and-share carousel for 46,000+ followers. Deal listings get a spot on the deals slide; the Presenting Sponsor gets slide one.

Timing

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving

It arrives while people are planning and before they've spent. Your deal is in their hands when Black Friday opens and still there on Small Business Saturday.

02 — Two ways in

Pick the spot that fits.

Every listing is written and placed by us, in the WHS voice. You send the logo and the deal; we handle the rest.

Most accessible

Black Friday Deal Listing

$150

For any Salem business with a Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Small Business Saturday offer.

Your logo in the deals section of the email
Your deal, dates and one link
Included on the deals slide of the Instagram carousel
Listed on the Salem Gift Guide web page

What we need from youSquare logo (400×400 or larger), business name (up to 40 characters), deal text with dates (up to 200 characters), one link.

Claim a listing

One available

Presenting Sponsor

$1,500

For one business that wants to own the guide and the weekend.

"Presented by" at the top of the email and in the preheader
Banner, headline and blurb up top with the details of your Black Friday promotion, plus a button straight to it
A reel from Jacob announcing the guide and walking through your promotion on camera
Slide one of the Instagram carousel
An Instagram story the day the guide goes out
Featured at the top of the Salem Gift Guide web page

What we need from youLogo or banner, headline (up to 60 characters), blurb (up to 500 characters), one link.

Ask about presenting

03 — How it works

Three dates to know.

Friday, Nov. 13

Deadline to get in

Fill out the form below and we'll confirm your spot and send a payment link. Send us your logo and deal text by this date so we can build the guide around it.

Tuesday, Nov. 24

The guide goes out

The dedicated email lands in 9,100+ inboxes and the carousel posts to Instagram the same day. The Presenting Sponsor's reel and story go out too.

Nov. 27 – 30

Black Friday weekend

Your deal is already in Salem's hands when the weekend starts. Afterward, you get a report with opens and clicks on your link.

04 — FAQ

Questions we're hearing.

My deal isn't technically "Black Friday." Does it still fit?

Yes. Small Business Saturday specials, Cyber Monday offers, holiday gift card deals, early-bird pricing that opens that weekend, anything with an offer and a date. If it runs between Friday, Nov. 27 and Monday, Nov. 30, it belongs here.

Do I need to write anything?

Just the deal itself. Send us the offer, the dates and a link, and we'll write and format the listing. You approve it before it goes out.

How many deal listings will there be?

We're capping it so the guide stays skimmable. Once the cap is hit, that's it until next year, so the deadline is a real one.

How do I know it worked?

Every link in the guide is tracked. After the weekend you get a report with total opens and the clicks on your listing.

How do I pay?

Once we confirm your spot, we send a payment link. Your listing is locked in when payment comes through.

Claim your spot in the Salem Gift Guide.

Tell us about your deal. We'll confirm availability and send a payment link within one business day.

🎁

Got it. Talk soon!

Your request is in. We'll confirm your spot and send a payment link within one business day.