An Advertiser's Guide to Column

Before Column, placing a public notice meant endless emails, phone calls, and legal jargon. With Column, the process can be completed in a matter of minutes. To get started, follow our step-by-step guide on how to submit a notice through our platform.

Column is a software company that works with newspapers across the United States to facilitate the placement of public notices. 

Advertisers (like you!) looking to place a public notice can use Column to place notices in newspapers. Newspapers then use Column to manage all the notices they receive. Throughout the publishing process, Column handles billing, proofing, and affidavits. 

The Column Support team is available and happy to help with any questions that come up while using our platform. To contact the team, email help@column.us or reach out via the chat icon in the lower right-hand corner of your page. 

You can also find a wealth of helpful articles there, with answers to frequently asked questions and step-by-step instructions for common processes you will encounter while using Column.

1. To start, please create an account by clicking here. If you have any questions during registration, we have a step-by-step guide you may find helpful: How do I register?
   
   If you have already created an account, you can skip this step and instead log in at column.us/login.
   
   

2. Click Place a notice:
   

   

   
   
   

3. Select the publication in which you wish to place your public notice. You can search for publications based on location, filtering by state and county. Or, you can type the name of your desired publication into the box.
   
   Please note that if you navigated to Column from a specific newspaper's site, you will not see this step. That's alright! Rest assured, the newspaper is already selected for you. 

   
   

   

   
   

7. Next, create your notice content. Some publications offer preset notice categories with templates, such as Notice to Creditors or Fictitious Business Names. If you're prompted to select a notice type, choose the category that best matches the notice you're hoping to publish, then complete the form to create your notice (if applicable). If the system does not provide you with a template, then you can upload a file or copy-and-paste your notice content into the text box. You can find a preview of your notice in the right-hand side of the screen.

   

   
   

8. Next, schedule your notice. In this step, you can provide a name for your notice — this is used for tracking purposes only — and select publication dates. If you need to add additional publication dates, you can do that here. Plus, you can specify who should receive the invoice and affidavit when they become available.

   

11. Once you're satisfied with your order, Column will generate a proof for you to review. Click Submit to finalize your order and submit the notice to the publisher. If you don't click Submit, the publisher will not receive your notice. You can save a draft and return to submit your notice later, you can find it in the Drafts section of your Column account.

12. You're done for now! You can view this notice on your home page under "Active Notices."

1. Once the publisher confirms an invoice amount, you will receive an email notification prompting you to pay the invoice, with a link to pay online.
   

2. You can also always pay (or review past invoices) from column.us/notices. Click on the notice you're wishing to pay for, and then click Pay Invoice.

You can also always review your Invoice PDF by clicking "View Invoice."

1. You will receive an email notification once the newspaper uploads a digital affidavit. You can also view the digital affidavit, once uploaded, under the notice details screen.

2. If you opted to receive a print affidavit as well, you should expect to receive the notice by mail accordingly.