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Hi newsletter operators,
I’ve been thinking more and more about events over the past few weeks. Obviously having Raechel and Justin on last week within a few days of each other got me really thinking more deeply about it.
And since then, have seen Sam from Waco sell over 60 seats using DNNR (I think his newsletter is about 6-7k ish subs), which should equate to at least $600 for him. And I suspect he’ll get a ton of goodwill from people who have a great time and are super thankful he put it on. Building great brand loyalty and word of mouth while also making decent money, all for very little work. Seems like a no-brainer.
Plus, I keep seeing more and more interesting things about in person events on twitter and podcasts. Things like:
1️⃣Chris Koerner constantly talking about the value of doing in person AI trainings for SMBs (which I can attest to, having done it for 40 people a few months ago)
2️⃣Codie Sanchez saying that in-person events will be 10-100x more important in the near future
3️⃣Lots of local newsletter operators having a ton of success with them, like Jas from Winnipeg, John from Scottsdale and of course Mike from Catskills.
My recommendation: start as simple as possible, which means using DNNR. They do everything for you, so you’re only responsible for promotion. And, start by running a poll asking your audience how interested they’d be in going to a dinner with 5 locals who would be similar to them in some way.
Then if you get a good enough response, sign up for DNNR and make it happen for real, just like Sam did.
If you’re going to use DNNR, here’s my affiliate link.
Quick update on the software I’m building;
I’ve shown it to a few readers and feedback has been amazing, really appreciate that. Getting closer and closer to it being ready, just jump on the waitlist if you’re interested.
Local Newsletter OS design
Also, if you’re going to be at The Business of Local event next week in Salt Lake, reply and let me know so we can make sure to connect!
Tance Hughes - Running a Local Newsletter in a Small Town
Top Three Takeaways
Big Fish Advantage, Real Limits
A 20k person region caps scale and sponsor budgets, yet the scarcity of competitors lets you become the trusted local authority fast.
Vidalia sits at 4k and Natchez at 15k, so expectations must match the math, focus on depth of engagement over list size vanity.
Use the list to drive your own revenue first, Tance built it to market his coffee shop and storage facility instead of renting reach from social platforms.
Make your brand omnipresent, his coffee shop sits as title sponsor so every open reinforces recall before any ad unit appears.
Meta In Tiny Markets Still Prints
Paid acquisition works in rural areas, the watch-out is frequency burn, not CPM or CAC.
Monitor frequency tightly, a small audience will see the same creative too often unless you refresh visuals and copy on a tight cadence.
Prioritize video background with text on top, this “ugly” format beats polished static and produced video across industries and it worked for Miss Lou Brew.
Expect subscriber costs similar to bigger markets, Tance has acquired locals for under $1 when the creative is fresh and offers are clear.
Advertiser lead ads can fill your pipeline quickly, quality skews mom-and-pop, so plan a lightweight qualification and follow-up workflow.
Short, Frequent Issues Beats Long, Occasional Ones
Concise issues sent more often lift brand results and keep readers trained to open.
Move toward 2–3 sends per week that take 2–3 minutes to read, consistent touchpoints build habit and protect attention.
Use a repeatable skeleton, local sports hits, one featured event, one business spotlight, event roundup for 45 days, quick weather, then ads.
Tie content to measurable outcomes, Tance saw stronger limited time offers at the coffee shop as send frequency increased.
NoHo Nick - Hit 3k Subs Organically
A face beats a faceless brand
Nick branded the publication around himself, which sped up trust and recall at events and on social. “It helped to put a face to a name.”
Treat the byline as the brand so neighbors recognize you at openings and meetings, which shortens the path from first touch to subscription.
Post on-camera updates and event recaps so readers connect a real person to local coverage, which drives replies and community tips you cannot buy.
Use your name consistently across channels to reduce confusion, especially when competing with generic city pages that blur together in feeds.
Organic growth that compounds
No ads. TikTok and Instagram drive most signups, with roughly 20% from Reddit. Hitting 1,000 subscribers two months ago unlocked momentum to ~3,000 today.
Skip broad metro subreddits that nuke links and focus on tiny neighborhood groups where moderators welcome useful info and residents actually click.
Shout out local businesses in short videos, tag owners, and reshare their reposts, which creates a flywheel of distribution you did not pay for.
Learn from misses fast. Flyers on poles got removed, so he pivoted to repeatable short-form content that platforms and communities amplify.
Cover the places big media ignores
Valley families and professionals want openings, services, and weekend plans near home, not just Malibu or central Hollywood headlines.
Prioritize everyday essentials such as pizza shops, dentists, and kid-friendly events, since consistent utility beats occasional viral lists for retention.
Publish timely, neighborhood-specific tips that answer “what’s happening near me this week,” which builds habit and word-of-mouth among busy residents.
Coppell, TX Local Newsletter has the Highest Paid Conversion Rate on Substack
“…the most remarkable thing about it is that it’s managed to convert upwards of 40% of its email list into paid subscribers, which is a conversion rate at least 10 times higher than the average Substack newsletter.” This one is worth a read/listen.
Read it HERE.
6am City Announces Layoffs
This one feels to me like it’s directly related to their AI acquisition. The new tools they have, likely have streamlined their processes significantly. While the media loves to debate the big layoffs at companies like Microsoft and say they’re mostly not directly AI related, I think it’s clear smaller companies like this are literally downsizing because AI is able to do so much now and they just do not need the amount of people needed pre-AI.
Read it HERE.
Building A Newsletter to Bolster Other Businesses
Great article about the guys running NWA Daily and how they’re monetizing via other local businesses they own, as well as starting a digital marketing agency. Exact same playbook I recommend everyone follow.
Read it HERE.
Looking for more from me? Here are the ways I can help:
⌨️Local Newsletter OS - Software to manage your entire local newsletter business, then copy/paste to beehiiv | Join the waitlist
🎙️ The Podcast - Deep-dive conversations with successful newsletter operators sharing their playbooks and lessons learned | Link
📧 This 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
🔗Sign Up for Beehiiv - Use my link, because you’re a thoughtful person who wants to help others succeed. And it’ll save you 20%, so just be selfish and do it | Link
🍔Sign Up for DNNR - Want to set up dinners for your audience? Where you do no work, and you PROFIT?? Then you want to use DNNR. Use my code and let me know you did, happy to chat about it | Link
Discover all these resources and more at localnewsletterinsider.com
That’s all I got for this issue. If there’s anything you want me to cover or talk about for the next edition, reply to this and let me know!
And reply and let me know if you want to be a guest on the show. Just tell me what you’re up to, and assuming you’re a good fit, I’ll have you on (if you’re reading this, you’re most likely a good fit).
How'd I do?
Thanks for reading Local Newsletter Insider! Please reply and let me know what you think, or anything you think I could do better. Love to get some actionable feedback.
