Promote in house sales?

Direct ad sales scale when the publisher can prove audience value and make outreach easy. As @Dani asked about LinkedIn and @bobchrist suggested social networking (Ryze), treat social sites as prospecting channels — not the whole plan — and combine them with a media kit, simple pricing, and a repeatable outreach workflow.

Start with a one‑page media kit and an "Advertise With Us" landing page: monthly uniques and pageviews, audience demographics, newsletter size and open rate, ad formats and specs, a short case study or pilot result, and a clear contact/booking option. Put pricing in tiered packages (sponsorship, homepage + newsletter, content sponsorship) and offer a limited pilot so prospects can see results without long commitments.

Build a target list from current readers, complementary advertisers, local businesses, and industry verticals. Use social networks (targeted LinkedIn searches, industry groups, local business forums) to find decision‑makers, then send short, personalized outreach: 1 sentence why the audience fits, 1 sentence offer (pilot or special placement), and a clear next step (call or calendar link). Follow up by phone when possible.

Sell value, not just a discount: emphasize guaranteed placements, faster turnaround, creative help, and straightforward reporting. Track every lead in a CRM, send prospects a UTM‑tagged landing page for each offer, and report impressions, clicks, leads, and conversions. Run short pilots, convert winners into case studies, and use those numbers to justify regular rates.

Cautions: avoid long‑term heavy discounts that devalue inventory; be honest about measurement; and keep agency relationships in mind if agencies currently buy from the site.