Why dog food and ankle weights are suddenly front-page news

recent reports would suggest it has risen from its papery grave with new stories to tell.

Newspapers, ~3.5k of which have disappeared since the mid-2000s in the US, are experiencing a revival — but this time, they’re taking on new life as consumer brands’ favorite marketing tools.

A fresh-off-the-press strategy

Brand marketers are printing their own issues to “announce product launches, decorate pop-ups, and build community with their customers,” per Inc. Some are even using the physical format to drive engagement online.

• In July, D2C dog food brand Maev posted a photo on Instagram of a newspaper it created to tease its new Nordic fish formula and saw a 87% increase in social media engagement compared to its previous product launch. (It also distributed copies at dog parks, in PR mailers, and at Nordic cafes.)
• Last year, ankle-weight maker Bala, whose self-described “retro” vibe works well with the nostalgic format, produced its second-ever newspaper to promote a collaboration with Dunkin’ on social media…

It sold out in 48 hours, making it the brand’s fastest-selling collab to date — all for $36 and 24 hours of work, thanks to Canva and Office Depot printers.

But not everyone knows how to DIY a professional-looking periodical…

Breaking news: a printing press is actually making money in 2026

Scotland’s Newspaper Club — a small-batch, on-demand printing press — has benefited from the trend, which CMO Kaye Symington told Inc first took off in 2024, when it saw a 50% increase in business.

The company has since seen demand from brands like New Balance, Maev, Stella McCartney, and Linktree, as well as individuals looking for creative ways to announce personal news, like engagements, graduations, and births.

• Today, it has 10 staffers and has printed 40m+ newspapers since launching in 2009.
• Customers can print anywhere from one copy to 1k.
• Newspaper Club offers four different formats, premade templates, and worldwide shipping in 2-9 days.
• Pricing ranges from $67 for one to ~$1.2k for 1k.

Not cheap. But Newspaper Club is dedicated to making printing more affordable and sustainable — it uses eco-friendly ink and paper (and it’s working on the affordable part) — so that, hopefully, print media doesn’t return to the proverbial ditch it was recently resurrected from.