👋 Hi Reader,
Many newsletter creators want to do well by their local communities and build a local presence, but they shy away from niching down into a local newsletter.
Why? Finite addressable market, for starters.
So I decided to dig deep and find out what the read on local newsletters look like.
Thanks to Aniket Panjwani’s excellent newsletter database, I got a quick jumping off point.
Ankit Panjwani (who writes the Content Quant newsletter) is not the typical content creator-turned-newsletter creator (I wonder often, what the archetype of newsletter creator is, but that’s a story for another issue). He has been working in fintech for a while, but he started getting curious around local newsletters earlier in the year, so much that he ended up mapping all the local newsletters across the United States.
Aniket's local newsletter database snapshot
So Aniket's database recently blew up and also started earning traditional media mentions, like the Nieman Journalism Lab here.
Aniket's newsletter mention in the Nieman Journalism Lab
The underlying trend: most local newsletters are not founded by local journalists, but by local business owners who are focussed on curating events for people to go to.
I think his analysis is spot-on. I spoke to TJ Larkins from the Local Newsletter Insider newsletter, and he mentioned the same thing. Local newsletters are a win-win for the local readership community AND the local businesses, as it gives both of them an opportunity to build a virtual town square of sorts.
TJ's local newsletter hub: The Local Newsletter Insider
You would ask, they might already have local newspapers, so why bother opening up another outlet?
Turns out, TJ Larkin came up with the observation before opening each of his newsletters: a lot of them did not have a local news outlet at all, which is why building a local newsletter made perfect sense for building local communities.
Not just that, TJ also went deep into the logistics and unit economics of building a newsletter, which he shared on the podcast episode. Stay tuned on our Youtube channel when the episode drops later this month.
Here's the previous episode for your perusal, while you await the one with TJ.
So now that you have enough proof in numbers, what’s stopping you from building one? If it is the initial tech overwhelm or the logistics to pull off, let us lend you a helping hand.
Let us know by hitting ‘Reply’ on this email, or send a note to [email protected].
This newsletter is sponsored by The Alien Design
Looking for a partner to bring your digital product ideas to life? Alien specializes in product design, web design, and Webflow development. Alien helps businesses build visually appealing digital experiences that drive results. From concept to launch, Alien focus on delivering solutions that fit your brand and meet your business goals.
Want to get featured as the next sponsor on LetterStack? Reach out to us on [email protected]!
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The LetterStack Team
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