Table of Contents

Step 1: Confirm the Advertisement Stage You're Publishing For

Step 2: Get the Ad Matter Drafted and Approved by Your Lead Manager

Step 3: Select the Required Newspapers

Step 4: Confirm the Ad Format and Size

Step 5: Check the Publication Deadline for Your Target Date

Step 6: Submit the Ad Matter for Design and Translation

Step 7: Make Payment and Confirm the Booking

Step 8: Verify Publication and Retain Proof

What Should You Do If the Ad Doesn't Run as Scheduled?

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Publishing an IPO Ad

FAQ: Publishing an IPO Newspaper Ad — Questions Answered

Conclusion: A Compliance Process, Not Just a Booking

Get Help Publishing Your IPO Newspaper Advertisement

Publishing an IPO ad in a newspaper isn't a single action. It's a coordinated process involving your lead manager, legal drafting, publication selection, and strict SEBI timelines. This guide walks through the actual steps. In order, from the moment your DRHP is filed to the final basis-of-allotment notice.

Step 1: Confirm the Advertisement Stage You're Publishing For

Before anything else, identify which of the four SEBI-mandated advertisement stages. We are handling it. Each segment has different content, timing, and newspaper requirements:

• Public announcement — published within two working days of filing the DRHP
• Pre-issue / price-band advertisement — published on filing the RHP, or separately if the price band wasn't disclosed in the RHP
• Issue-closure advertisement — published once 90%+ subscription is verified
• Basis-of-allotment advertisement — published after allotment is finalized

Getting the stage wrong is the most common early mistake — each has its own SEBI-prescribed content and deadline, so confirm this with your lead manager before drafting anything.

Step 2: Get the Ad Matter Drafted and Approved by Your Lead Manager

IPO advertisements are statutory notices. Their content is legally sensitive. The merchant banker (lead manager) and the company's legal counsel must draft or approve the ad matter before it goes anywhere near a newspaper. The lead manager's responsibilities specifically include drafting publicity material such as newspaper ads. We ensure no misleading or incorrect statements appear in any public communication.

• Never send ad content to a newspaper or agency without lead manager sign-off
• Ensure the content matches what's disclosed in the DRHP/RHP exactly. We provide consistency between the prospectus and the ad is a compliance risk
• Confirm the required disclaimer language is included if you're advertising before the DRHP is formally filed

Step 3: Select the Required Newspapers

Once your ad matter is approved. You should choose our publications according to SEBI's language requirements:

• One English national daily with wide circulation
• One Hindi national daily with wide circulation
• One regional-language newspaper circulated at the location of the issuer's registered office (required specifically for the public announcement stage)

Many issuers keep the same publications across all four advertisement stages for consistency. Though this isn't strictly required. See our detailed guide on choosing the right publications for more on how companies actually select between qualifying options.

Step 4: Confirm the Ad Format and Size

IPO ads are published as display advertisements, not classified text ads. We are charged per square centimeter. Before booking:

• Confirm the required dimensions with your lead manager or the newspaper's ad sales team. The size requirements can vary by stage (a public announcement is typically smaller than a full pre-issue price-band ad)
• For book-building issues, note that a full-page advertisement is a common requirement in the days before the issue opens, distinct from the smaller public announcement notice
• Request the newspaper's standard specs for high-resolution PDF submission — low-quality creative files are frequently rejected at the printing stage

Step 5: Check the Publication Deadline for Your Target Date

Newspaper booking deadlines are strict and vary by publication. Most newspapers require booking at least one day before the intended publication date, commonly by early afternoon, with premium placements (front page, specific spots) needing a longer lead time. Given SEBI's own two-working-day window for the public announcement after DRHP filing. There's little room for delay:

• Confirm the exact cutoff time with each newspaper or your booking agency
• Build in a buffer day wherever possible, especially for multi-language bookings that need separate translation and design
• For urgent same-day or next-day releases, contact your agency's booking desk directly rather than relying on standard online booking flows

Step 6: Submit the Ad Matter for Design and Translation

Once the drafted, lead-manager-approved content is finalized in English. It needs to be translated and formatted for the Hindi and regional-language publications:

• Use a translator or agency familiar with financial/statutory terminology. A literal but imprecise translation can create disclosure inconsistencies
• Confirm the design fits each newspaper's column format and specifications
• Request a proof or preview before final submission wherever the newspaper or agency offers one

Step 7: Make Payment and Confirm the Booking

Most newspapers and booking platforms require payment before confirming the release slot. At this stage:

• Retain the payment confirmation and booking reference for your compliance records
• Request written confirmation of the publication date and edition (city-specific editions can differ even for the same newspaper title)
• If booking through an agency, ask for a "confirmed for release" notification, which most professional booking services provide once the newspaper accepts the ad

Step 8: Verify Publication and Retain Proof

After your ad runs, verification and record-keeping matter as much as the booking itself:

• Check the physical copy or the newspaper's e-paper edition on the scheduled date
• Retain the published clipping or a digital scan — this is required documentation for your compliance file and may need to be submitted to SEBI, the stock exchange, or referenced in later filings
• Cross-check that the published version matches the approved ad matter exactly, since even minor printing errors in statutory content can require correction

What Should You Do If the Ad Doesn't Run as Scheduled?

If your IPO advertisement doesn't publish on the intended date due to a missed deadline, a printing error, or a newspaper-side issue. Notify your lead manager immediately. Given SEBI's fixed timelines (like the two-working-day window for the public announcement). A delay can affect your overall issue timeline. So, this needs escalation rather than a quiet resubmission.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Publishing an IPO Ad

• ❌ Sending ad content to a newspaper before lead manager approval — creates compliance and consistency risk
• ❌ Missing the newspaper's booking deadline — most require confirmation the day before, sometimes with an early cutoff
• ❌ Submitting low-resolution creative files — a frequent cause of rejection or delayed printing
• ❌ Assuming the same ad size works for every stage — public announcement, pre-issue, and price-band ads can have different requirements
• ❌ Not retaining published proof — compliance records require it, and it's harder to source after the fact

FAQ: Publishing an IPO Newspaper Ad — Questions Answered

Conclusion: A Compliance Process, Not Just a Booking

Publishing an IPO ad in a newspaper involves far more coordination than a standard advertising booking. It requires lead manager approval, exact-stage content, correct newspaper selection, tight deadlines, and careful post-publication record-keeping. Treating each step as part of a compliance process, rather than a marketing task, is what keeps the timeline — and the disclosure — accurate.

Next steps:

• Confirm which of the four advertisement stages applies to your current filing
• Get ad matter drafted and approved by your lead manager before contacting any newspaper
• Lock in your publication list and booking deadlines with a buffer day built in

Get Help Publishing Your IPO Newspaper Advertisement

Coordinating lead-manager-approved content, multi-language translation, publication booking, and proof retention within SEBI's tight windows is exactly the kind of process a specialist media agency manages routinely. Riyo Advertising handles IPO and statutory newspaper advertisement bookings across English, Hindi, and regional-language publications nationwide, with drafting support, deadline management, and confirmed release scheduling. Call +91 9821984000 or visit riyoadvertising.com to plan your next IPO advertisement stage.