Every day a decent small-city newspaper barters with writers for free content. You know how it works: the paper publishes a few letters from people in the region. Some of these letters chant miserable slogans from the writer's favorite political party, while others are thoughtful, informative, well-researched. The barter works this way: the paper trades access to its readers for content written by these members of the community. It's a deal everybody accepts, but I say that most newspapers don't see how far-reaching this system of barter could be and maybe should be.

Here is a thought experiment: imagine that one letter each week is especially thoughtful and well-written. The writer has already indicated by sending in the letter that she is willing to barter with the paper, trading very good writing for access to a wide audience. But it never seems to occur to the folks at the paper that this is an amazingly good deal. A very good writer has offered strong work for free. Ordinarily, the paper says, "Thanks, don't send another letter any time soon; we have rules about that sort of thing."

[The paper probably should say something like that to the letter-writers who do little more than chant slogans, if the editors don't have the nerve to toss those letters away in the first place.]

But for those thoughtful, careful writers with real insights gathered from personal and professional experience, carefully shaped into strong prose, a reply of "Thanks, don't come knocking any time soon" is crazy. These good writers are willing to barter their substantial skills for a shot at the paper's wide audience on an issue they know and care about. Do not send these writers away.

Instead, see how much more good free work you can get out of them. Immediately. Continuing the thought experiment: invite one strong letter-writer a week to a three-month guest column spot, either in print or on the website. Ask for one column a month exploring other aspects of the issue that sparked the writer's original letter. Make a big deal of it--"we invite you to be one of a small group of community guest columnists," and speak highly of these writers in your advertising. Think of the best of these pieces as small gems and never put them behind the paywall. Add one writer to the group every week so that a dozen are in place at all times, contributing pieces as substantial as their original letters. Announce in the paper that sending in good letters might get you an invitation. In a breezy instructional piece on the website, talk about what good letters and columns do. Along the way, see if you can't raise the quality of letter submissions by having this reward in place.

And, every week, accept the offer that the best writers make when they send you their strong pieces, and immediately ask for more. If they offer to barter one strong piece, ask for three more in exchange for the wide audience that you have and that really matters in civic life.

Maybe these writers will need some mentoring as they polish their columns and deepen their research. One editor could have an office hour in a nice coffee shop once a week to meet with them. Maybe these writers would engage readers in the comment area of the website. Maybe there are two strong letter-writers a week. Maybe a few of these folks could do some news pieces, with guidance. Maybe a handful of these writers should write on their issue for a year. This could be the beginning of a wider cooperative venture, based on bartering your audience for their interest, their civic engagement, and their good writing.

The increasingly slender small-city paper must try some new things in these difficult times. Bartering with these good writers for more would be a worthwhile experiment.