The Santa Barbara Independent is the most effective way to get the word out about your business, event, restaurant, nonprofit, and everything else to the greater Santa Barbara community. Here’s everything you need to know about why and how to get started with your own advertising strategy today!
Download information below or email advertising@independent.com to be connected to an advertising representative.
Upcoming Special Issues & Events
Our 2026 Media Calendar is available here.
2026 Best of Santa Barbara® Readers' Poll Nomination Round: June 4 to July 1, 2026
2026 Active Aging Issue: Publishing July 23, 2026
Why We Work
The Independent’s readership ranges from top-tier decision makers with extensive means all the way through to those high school students who have grown up seeing the paper in their homes since childhood.
Our broad coverage of the community — including everything from hard-hitting investigative reports and this morning’s breaking news to last night's rock show at the Santa Barbara Bowl and tomorrow's classical concert at the Granada — attracts the widest range of readership of any publication.
Your advertising supports local journalism.
We also enjoy the largest print distribution in the greater Santa Barbara area, with more than 25,000 copies and an audited readership that surpasses 68,000 people, and a dedicated and growing base of digital fans as well.
Legal Advertising
The Independent is an adjudicated paper of general circulation. We publish fictitious business name filing and abandonment statements (fee $49), name changes (fee $200), summons (fee $250), petition to administer estates ($200), and other public notices (fees vary).
To publish your notice please email your form for publication to legals@independent.com
Following publication we submit proof of publication to the appropriate county or court representative.
For more information on filing a fictitious business name with the county visit their site here. Please note your FBN must publish at least one time before 45 days of your file date.