Local media hacks that actually make money

TJ's musings

Hi local media operators,

This week I’m headed to the New Media Summit in downtown Austin. If you’ll be there, reply and let me know so we can grab a coffee and chat about local media.

Local media is changing fast, but print still matters. Mailed editions drive revenue, newsletters are the new morning paper, and the right advertisers make growth predictable. This episode with Keith Pepper dives into how he turned a legacy print company into a profitable, digital-first operation.

We also talk about ad strategy, sponsored content, and sustainable growth. It is packed with insights for anyone building a local media brand.

Let’s dive in!

Podcast spotlight

From Legacy Print to a Digital-First Local Media Brand

Top Three Takeaways

Print Still Wins When You Own the Mailbox

Keith Pepper, owner of Rough Draft Atlanta, transformed a pandemic-era print acquisition into a thriving, digital-first media brand. While the daily model is fading, monthly print delivered to targeted homes still generates strong revenue when treated as a premium, high-attention product.

• Over 70% of total revenue still comes from print, and the company just posted its strongest print year since the acquisition.
• Papers are mailed through saturation routes into affluent neighborhoods, turning the publication into a predictable direct mail vehicle rather than a pickup product.
• More than half the pages are ads by design, which works because readers already consume breaking content digitally and use print as a lean-back browse.

The Morning Newsletter Is the New Front Page

The operation is digital-first in workflow, even if print remains the largest revenue stream. Everything hits the website first, then flows into structured email products built for habit.

• A six-day-a-week morning newsletter acts as a three to four minute regional briefing designed to capture attention at 7 a.m.
• Weekly vertical newsletters cover focused niches like dining, arts, seniors, film, LGBTQ, and neighborhoods to deepen engagement with specific audiences.
• Stories are intentionally reused across web, print, and email, increasing total reach without multiplying reporting costs or headcount.

Bigger Advertisers, Structured Sales, Higher ROI

Revenue growth comes from disciplined sales execution and targeting the right clients, not chasing every small local business.

• The ideal advertisers have low transaction volume and high lifetime value, including real estate, legal, financial, and specialty medical services.
• Full-page annual contracts are prioritized because they increase deal size, simplify production, and improve renewal rates.
• Programmatic ads are avoided in favor of direct sales and sponsored content, protecting user experience while maximizing perceived value.

Why Newsletters Outperform Social Platforms

It is crazy how much we have let algorithms dictate our reach in the local media space. As we discuss here, you can have 30,000 followers on Instagram and still only reach a few hundred people with a post. With a newsletter, you have total control over your distribution and a much better environment for storytelling. Plus, readers actually expect ads in an email just like they did in the old school newspapers, making it way less invasive than a sponsored reel. If you want to understand how to deliver real ROI for your sponsors instead of just empty views, this is definitely worth a watch.

Great reads

Automation Might Be the Most Practical Growth Strategy in Local Media

It is easy to overcomplicate growth in local media, but this piece is a good reminder that sometimes the simplest products win. Automated hyper-local newsletters are proving that you do not need a massive newsroom to drive strong engagement. When you consistently deliver relevant, neighborhood-level information, readers show up. For publishers thinking about sustainability, this is a practical look at how to scale relevance without scaling burnout.

Read it HERE.

The Newsletter Boom Is Hitting Economic Reality

This is an important reality check for anyone building in the local newsletter space. 6AM City grew quickly, but this reset shows how hard it is to expand city by city and keep margins healthy. The move toward AI-supported newsletters in smaller markets raises bigger questions about what audiences truly value. Efficiency matters, but so does connection. The operators who figure out how to protect both will define the next phase of the local newsletter economy.

Read it HERE.

Why Local Events Newsletters Are a Smart Move

Dan Oshinsky gives his thoughts on the value of local newsletters and their ability to curate local events, and how to sell ads for it. He’s one of the smartest in the space, so getting his thoughts on our model is awesome. Highly recommend checking this one out.

Read it HERE.