In a recent episode of Local Newsletter Insider, host TJ Larkin interviewed Landon Huslig, founder of Wichita Life, a thriving local newsletter with over 25,000 subscribers. Having built his media company from scratch since 2017, Huslig shares valuable insights on content strategy, audience growth, monetization, and the future of local media.

Unlike many newsletter founders who start with email first, Huslig built his audience through Instagram before launching a newsletter:

"I call it a hyper-local digital media company," Huslig explains, highlighting how his approach extends beyond just email content.

Wichita Life publishes four newsletters per week, each with a distinct format:

This varied approach serves multiple purposes. It creates additional monetization opportunities through more ad inventory while also providing different content experiences for readers.

"When we first went from two to three [emails per week], it was probably two, two and a half years ago. I needed more ad slots," Huslig explained. "I had some bigger companies in town that were interested in advertising, but I didn't have any ad slots."

Starting with just 150 subscribers, Huslig now reaches over 25,000 people with an impressive 52% average open rate. His growth strategies include:

"I DMed like 50 people a day," Huslig recalls. "I wouldn't even put a link for them to go sign up. I'd say, what's your email? And I went and put it in." This manual approach yielded approximately 25 new subscribers daily without any financial investment.

While not getting the ultra-low costs some newsletter operators report, Huslig found success with Facebook ads at approximately $1-1.50 per subscriber. He recommends starting small: "It would be like $10 a day maybe. I was [spending] $5 and it was not much at all."

Huslig's established Instagram following provided a ready audience for newsletter promotions, demonstrating the value of building connected platforms.

Wichita Life crossed six figures in revenue last year, with approximately 90% coming from sponsorships and ad revenue. Key monetization insights include:

Rather than focusing solely on CPM (cost per thousand impressions), Huslig emphasizes finding the right price point for each business: "What are they willing to pay? Some people are very sophisticated about it... but a lot of people are just like, 'Well, how much is it going to cost?'"

He adjusts pricing based on business type, recognizing that high-ticket businesses like plastic surgery can afford more than a local coffee shop selling $4 coffees.

Beyond traditional newsletter ads, Wichita Life monetizes through:

Regarding the supporter program, Huslig recommends incentivizing memberships: "We have tons of tickets to random events... I can use that then once a month to incentivize and reward those supporters."

Despite producing four newsletters weekly and managing multiple platforms, Huslig operates with minimal help:

"My wife helps me a little bit with the social media stuff and then my mom helps me pull together some of the events, but that's about it. I'm writing every word in the actual newsletter."

He's looking to expand his team and automate more processes, acknowledging that outsourcing is a key next step for growth.

When addressing competition (both from other local newsletters and AI-generated content), Huslig emphasizes his unique voice as a key differentiator:

"I think the thing that makes Wichita Life special is it has my voice. I'm joking around throughout it, putting my sarcasm in it, being kind of self-critical."

He maintains a collaborative approach with other local content creators: "There's 650,000 people in Wichita. I've only got 25,000... I think there's enough love to go around."

Looking ahead, Huslig aims to grow Wichita Life into a sustainable lifestyle business:

"In five years, I hope Wichita Life is five times bigger... I'm still probably editing at that point, but I'm not writing a lot of this. We have people helping us with social media, a small team."

His ultimate goal is creating a flexible business that allows for work-life balance while generating approximately half a million dollars annually.

For those looking to build successful local newsletters, Huslig's experience offers several valuable lessons:

As Huslig's journey demonstrates, local newsletters offer tremendous potential for building sustainable, community-focused media businesses when executed with consistency and strategic thinking.

Before we dive into this week's insights, I want to make sure you know about all the resources available to support your local newsletter journey:

🎙️ The Podcast - Deep-dive conversations with successful newsletter operators sharing their playbooks and lessons learned | Link

📧 This Weekly Newsletter - Quick, actionable tips delivered straight to your inbox every week | Link

🧠 1:1 Consulting - Personalized guidance tailored to your specific newsletter challenges Link

🚀 Launch Accelerator - A structured program to help you go from idea to profitable newsletter in record time | Link

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Discover all these resources and more at localnewsletterinsider.com