Should newsletters focus on Instagram growth?

Hi newsletter operators!

As you can see, I did a complete rebrand. And super proud of it!

You could probably tell before that I just mostly threw it together in Canva quickly. I always wanted to have an actual quality designer help me with it. And the only newsletter designer I had heard of was super expensive.

Until now.

I found Kabir and he crushed it for me! I’ve mentioned before that I think too many local newsletter operators don’t put enough effort into making their newsletter stand out; in terms of professionalism and design.

That doesn’t mean you need something as good as this. But for those of you with a true long term, business mindset and believe your brand will be around for a very long time, I think it’s worth investing in someone like Kabir to design your newsletter.

Which is why I’m having him redo my actual local newsletters right now.

If you want to chat with him about doing this for you, check out his site The Newsletter Agency.

Let’s dive in!

Podcast spotlight

Jacob Espinoza - Instagram Master

Want sponsors begging to advertise with your brand? Copy what What’s Happening Salem host Jacob Espinoza did: marry a local newsletter to fast-moving Instagram video, crank 628 posts in 12 months, and turn 35k neighbors into raving fans. All of those followers coming organically.

Top Three Takeaways

Instagram Is The Rocket Fuel

Advertisers care less about your open rate and more about visible reach. Jacob’s IG became his No. 1 lead-gen channel.

• 35k Instagram followers, 10k email subs in 1 year
• 628 posts ≈ 2/day; $0 CAC
• “Growth on IG is so easy because there just aren’t as many people doing it well right now.”
• IG metrics are public—instant social proof that sells.

25-Second Videos That Pop

Forget link-in-bio posts. Deliver the news inside the feed.

• Hook in 3s, keep total runtime ≤ 25s
• 5 high-performing pillars: green-screen “What’s going in that building?”, B-roll w/ voiceover, memes, local news recaps, weekly event list
• Balance education + entertainment; mix memes sparingly to avoid “just a meme page” trap
• CapCut green-screen = instant pro look. Learn it in a day.

Mission-First Monetization

Positive city storytelling built goodwill and revenue.

• Restaurants featured free; dentists & realtors pay
• “Business Collective” package: monthly video + newsletter slot at discounted long-term rate
• Event play: a free, Chick-fil-A-fueled awards show funded by eager sponsors
• Outcome: less outbound, more inbound deals.

Action Steps for Operators

1. Lock Your Why. Craft a one-sentence mission readers can recite; repeat it everywhere.
2. Post Twice Daily. Combine a 25second green-screen reveal with a quick carousel or meme, done in < 1h.
3. Sell IG-First Bundles. Lead with visible reach; tack on newsletter for depth.
4. Seed Goodwill. Spotlight small eateries gratis, then upsell big-ticket pros.

Now hit record. Your city’s waiting.

Geoff Matthews - The struggle for monetization is real

I dig into Geoff Matthews’s playbook for scaling North Shore Now to 7.5k subscribers in six months; covering cheap acquisition, monetization pivots, and keeping readers off “that damn bridge.” Great listen if you want to hear the real struggles with our model.

Top Three Takeaways

Crush CAC with smart Meta tweaks

Rebuilding entire campaigns beat endless optimizations and restarted list growth. And get help if you need it. Meta can be a labyrinth (as you’ll here on the call, my team helped him cut his ad cost by 5x).

• Dropped cost per address from $2-$4 down to around $0.40cents
• Adds 100-300 new subscribers every week; list now 7.5k
• “Rebuild the campaign from scratch to fix what’s busted.”

Weekly giveaways = leverage, not charity

Prizes create goodwill, clicks and social reach at zero cost. This is something I’m working on doing more, to get the Instagram channel much more engaged.

• Local brands supply gift cards, merch or experiences free
• Sponsor gets two newsletter mentions plus Instagram follow bump
• CTR lifts while readers call the vibe “so cool”

Package partners, skip one-offs

Long-term bundles beat chasing single ad invoices. Try to sell minimum 3 month deals, ideally 6-12 months. Take one offs when they come to you, but do not chase them.

• Permanent footer logos plus one monthly feature lock in dollars
• Cap at 10 “gold partners” for scarcity and predictability
• Push back on off-brand promos to protect trust
• Testing $5.99/mo or $59/yr paid tier (needs exclusive perks)

Action Steps for Operators

1. Reset your Meta funnel – Clone geo-targeted campaigns, launch fresh creatives and pause anything above $1 CAC.
2. Bake a giveaway into every send – Barter ≈$100 in local swag for two prime placements and track the click bump.
3. Sell 12-month partner bundles – Footer logo, monthly feature, quarterly social reel; limit slots to keep FOMO high.

Great reads

The Newsletter Growth Playbook: $50K to $2.5M in 12 Months

Interesting piece here from big time newsletter guy about exactly how he’d launch a daily newsletter. Not local specific, but some good info with financials broken down. Worth a read for sure.

Read it here.

Social Media Creators to Overtake Tradition Media in Ad Revenue

This spells out the value of being an “influencer” in your local community and how valuable that is becoming. Be omnichannel!!

Read it here.