Sell on the thank-you page, keep your email list, and pick one lane

Matt McGarry has spent years growing some of the biggest national newsletters, first at The Hustle and then through his agency, GrowLetter. Only about 10% of his clients are local, but he says nearly everything that works nationally applies to local too. We recorded right after Matt and I were both at Local News Camp in Durham, North Carolina, so the conversation picks up from there: what local publishers are missing, why fear of AI is pushing people to make bad calls, and how to think about events.

What local publishers are missing

Matt's two big takeaways from the event were simple. First, most people in local media don't really understand paid advertising. He'd rather grow for free too, but every business spends on marketing for a reason: more consistent growth and the ability to scale.

Second, conversion rate optimization. Plenty of local publishers sell a membership for $10 a month or $100 a year, but few know how to sell it. They send emails asking people to support them, and they don't have a basic sales page with multiple sections and long-form copy about what you get. His fix is to borrow what already works for people selling info products, education and software.

Don't waste the moment after someone subscribes

When someone types in their email, they're paying more attention to your brand than they ever will again. Most local sites just change the button to "thank you." Matt points to national players like MarketBeat and The Rundown that make the most of that moment.

He says don't hold back the pitch because you want readers to "get value first." They'll read your newsletter or not, regardless. The real win is awareness: when you email them about your offer later, you don't have to start from zero.

A welcome video from your whole team

At The Hustle, the thank-you page had a video where everyone on the team said hi, cut together, before one leader made the pitch. Matt thinks this matters even more locally. If the background is a landmark or skyline people know, they can tell it's from a real person, and in his words the trust level goes up 100x.

It's also something the national players can't copy, whether that's AI-generated newsletters covering 300 markets or venture-backed companies like Patch or 6AM City. Matt's advice: if it's true, say plainly that none of your content is AI generated, that you're a real person, and how long you've lived there. "Be a little bit self-centered in your marketing."

For an easy start, he passes along a tip he heard from an Axios speaker at the event: end each newsletter with a sentence or two about something personal, like a baseball game last weekend or a birthday.

A brand with personality, not an influencer

Matt is careful about calling yourself a local influencer or creator. He's heard from local operators that it can hurt brand deals, because bigger local brands want to work with brands, not influencers. His answer is a brand with its own name and logo that is still personality-driven. As it grows, you can bring in a cast of local creators under the same house, each with their own specialty, like local food or business.

Keep building your email list

On AI, Matt says there's a psychological bubble, whether or not there's a financial one. People are abandoning things that work because of a threat that may not show up for years. The one he hears most: AI agents will take over the inbox, so quit your newsletter and start a private community or SMS list.

He calls quitting now "a really stupid decision to make right now." If email really does change, you can adapt because you started there.

He suggests a barbell strategy. One end is all-in on AI and automation across hundreds of markets. The other end is a real human business in one community, where nothing the reader sees is AI generated, though AI can help behind the scenes with reporting, software and systems. Pick one. Don't try to sit in between.

He also thinks you could change your life in 12 months with a weekly newsletter, a daily post on Instagram and Facebook, and Meta ads at 25 to 50 dollars a day. But media is an execution game, and the results come down to how well you do it.

Stop the land grab

Once someone has the biggest newsletter in town, Matt sees the same mistake: they try to own every category. Local ads, a physical space, co-working, a membership, maybe a Christmas light hanging company. He says it doesn't work for small teams, and he's made the mistake himself. If he had done just one thing, he says, he would have made a lot more money and helped more people.

He's clear this isn't a knock on Mike in the Catskills, who was at the event and has said his projects aren't all about money. It's advice for anyone whose goal is to build a profitable business.

A newsletter in front of a service business

I asked about running a local newsletter in front of one high-ticket business, like insurance, roofing or real estate. Matt likes it better than a holding company, but the audience has to fit the offer. He sees it working better for wants than needs: he only calls an HVAC company or a plumber when something breaks, and then he searches, reads reviews or asks friends. A high-end landscaper that does pools, patios and lighting can show before and after photos and spark a decision.

If you just want more qualified leads, he'd rather you go straight at it with a lead magnet, Google ads, Facebook ads or a referral program, instead of putting an additional step in between. And keep a loose fit between content and business: a life insurance agent might do better with a newsletter for families than a general events newsletter.

From my side, I shared what happened when I was an insurance agent. At a chamber meeting, people walked away when I said I sold insurance. Saying I owned a local media company with 10,000 people paying attention had people lining up to talk to me.

Events and the three models

Matt calls ads, subscriptions and events the triad of media, and says most local startups haven't touched events. Local ad businesses often seem capped at low six figures in places of 200,000 to 500,000 people, and readers don't want another $10 subscription.

Events work three ways: ticket sales, sponsors, and what people buy once they're there. He says it's far easier to sell a sponsorship for 100 people in person than for a newsletter reaching 100,000 online. You can start with a dinner or meetup, like he did with happy hours and a live podcast, but he thinks many local operators could build a category-defining annual event with thousands of attendees.

• Ascension event. One main person, tickets from hundreds to thousands of dollars, and a high-ticket pitch. Not for most local operators.
• Conference or convention. People come for content and networking. At New Media Summit, about 50% of revenue is tickets and about 50% is sponsors.
• Trade show. Tickets are free or cheap, around $5 to $50, and the money comes from vendors, exhibitors and sponsors. Matt thinks this fits local best.

Pick the model first. The topic and the audience come after that.